Chris 
Morris takes a look back at his many conversations about the Wii with Nintendo’s leader
No one had a better view of the development and evolution of the Wii than Satoru Iwata.
Throughout the console’s seven-year life-cycle, the president of Nintendo acted as its biggest cheerleader, defender and, at times, critic. He was a driving force in the company selling over 100 million systems and is now trying to spur that sort of interest in the Wii’s successor.
Maybe 
California could eliminate its financial problems one quarter at a time.
It turns out the state that made the nation’s biggest push to regulate video game violence may also be the state with the biggest collection of classic arcade games.
The 
early advisor to Rovio talks to THR about how the region’s focus on mobile design, social integration and upselling features led to Candy Crush and Angry Birds: “These games fill that bite-size need sitting on a line, on a tarmac, in a waiting room, or during a commercial.”
The rise of mobile gaming has created a new center of power in the gaming world: Scandinavia.
Led by companies such as Rovio (Angry Birds) and Supercell (Clash of Clans), developers there are leading the way in mobile aesthetics, gameplay and monetization.
Randy 
Pitchford is not your traditional video game executive. The president and CEO of Gearbox Software is a shrewd businessman, a skilled poker player, and a former magician.
But the man behind games like Borderlands and Aliens: Colonial Marines is also a bit of weirdo, as evidenced by the fact that he just dropped $25,000 for the ponytail of magician/comedian/dancer/apprentice Penn Jillette.
The 
video game industry hasn’t done a lot to endear itself to investors in the past few years. Competition from the mobile space, player fatigue with the lack of innovation and aging console systems have resulted in slumping annual software sales since 2009.
But it has shown signs of life in the past two months. Game software sales were up 52 percent last month from a year earlier, after rising 23 percent in August, according to The NPD Group.
Analysts say that momentum could continue into the holiday season and beyond.
After 
seven years and over 100 million units sold, Nintendo has said a quiet goodbye to the Wii.
Nintendo Japan made the news official today with aĀ short statementĀ on the system’s product page that read simply “production over.” It marked a particularly subdued ending for a console that had such a dramatic impact on the gaming world.
The 
next-gen consoles from Sony and Microsoft are almost here, bringing with them fresh graphics, cool features, and brand new price tags. But are the $500 Xbox One and the $400 PS4 really all that pricey, historically speaking? Hereās a look at the ten most expensive launch systems of all time, adjusted for inflation (and in current U.S. dollars).
Patient 
gamers could be rewarded this Black Friday.
A newspaper circular for GameStopās holiday deals hasĀ leaked onto the webĀ — and if’ you’re in the market for an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, the retailer has some terrific deals in store. Zelda fans, meanwhile, will be able to get their hands on a bundle they’ve only been able to admire from afar.
Crime 
pays — and it pays well.
The extraordinarily strong sales of Grand Theft Auto V drove the video game industry to a spectacular September. According to The NPD Group, combined physical sales of hardware and software were up 27 per cent, with $1.07 billion in revenue versus $848 million last year. Software sales, the most closely watched figure, were up a stunning 52 percent from a year ago to $754.3 million. That number does not include digital sales through services like Steam.
The 
PlayStation 4 might have won the price war in the U.S., but that’s little comfort to gamers in Brazil.
Sony has announced that the next generation console willĀ cost playersĀ 3,999 Brazilian reais when it goes on sale Nov. 29. That’s a little more than $1,850 in U.S. dollars.
Chris Morris: Journalist 