Tag Archives: satoru iwata

Nintendo at the crossroads

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Just nintendo-crossroadsseven years ago, Nintendo was the undisputed king of the video game world. The Wii was impossible to find, as people who had never considered themselves gamers couldn’t get enough of the company’s products. Today, despite the introduction of a high-definition system that blends console and tablet gaming, the company is looking more and more like the industry’s pauper.

Sales of the Wii U are stagnant. A slow trickle of releases hasn’t helped matters. At the same time, Sony has managed to recapture its golden touch from the PlayStation 2 days, when it could do no wrong in gamers’ eyes—and Microsoft is posting healthy Xbox One sales, despite some public relations missteps.

Read more at CNBC.com

The life of the Nintendo Wii – through the eyes of Satoru Iwata

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Chris iwataMorris 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.

Read more at GamesIndustry.biz

Nintendo: Over 650 million systems sold

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Sales nintendo-consoles-ltd-topnumbers for the Wii U might be terrible, but Nintendo would like to remind you that it hasn’t always had a hard time selling stuff.

Over the course of its 30 years as a video game company, Nintendo has sold nearly 269 million consoles and more than 385 million handheld units, according to the company’s just released annual report.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

Nintendo CEO: ‘We Are to Blame’ for Poor Wii U Sales

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While wii uthe Wii U hasn’t lived up to sales expectations and some important video game publishers have severely pulled back their support of the company, Nintendo’s global CEO isn’t looking to shift blame.

Unlike many executives who might obfuscate the issue with corporate doublespeak or finger-pointing, Satoru Iwata is blunt in his assessment of the company’s recent troubles.

Read more at CNBC.com

Mario, shmario: 2013 is the year of Luigi

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According year-of-luigito the Chinese calendar, 2013 is the year of the snake. But in Kyoto, Japan — the headquarters of Nintendo — it’s officially the year of Luigi.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata made the announcement in a direct broadcast to fans, even going so far as to wear Luigi’s trademark hat throughout his segment of the broadcast. (Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, it should be noted, declined to wear the headgear, denying Luigi some Valentine’s love.)

Read more at Yahoo! Games

Nintendo president apologizes for gigantic Wii U update

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Nintendo’s miiverse_630global president is apologizing to gamers for the hefty, mandatory system update they’re forced to endure upon setting up their Wii U.

In a wide-ranging interview with IGN, Satoru Iwata said he regretted the need for the update, which enables the online functionality of the system.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

Will the Wii U Push Nintendo Back Into Profitability?

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When Nintendo reported a $533 million annual loss in late April, it was the first time in the company’s 30-year history as a publicly traded company that it had fallen into the red.

Even though the loss was expected at that point, it was a mark of shame for Nintendo — and investors battered the stock. Now, as the company’s next generation console system prepares to launch later this year and the handheld 3DS device starts to get its legs under it, it’s hoping to get back to black. But not everyone’s convinced it will manage to do so.

Read more at CNBC.com

Wii U: Dissecting Nintendo’s Biggest Quotes

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Veteran journalist Chris Morris examines some key statements from Nintendo’s execs.

There are good E3 performances and there are great E3 performances. In 2012, Nintendo had neither.

While it will be a few months before the public gets its say about the Wii U, few (including Nintendo) would argue that the company showed off the console in the best light possible at this year’s industry trade show.

Read more at GamesIndustry.biz

The Inside Story on the Making of Nintendo’s Wii U

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Judging by the lines at Nintendo’s E3 booth, Nintendo’s Wii U is a hit, but the system could have been a lot different if Nintendo had listened to its inner demons.

Global President Satoru Iwata says the idea of a two-screen video game system was something the company went back and forth on—and didn’t finalize until nearly a year and a half into the development process.

Read more at CNBC.com

Is the 3DS finally hitting its stride?

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To say that Nintendo got off to a rocky start with the 3DS is something of an understatement. After a slight surge when it went on sale, consumer interest nose-dived, forcing the company to slash pricesand admit to being guided by hubris.

These days, though, things are looking up for the handheld system. It recently surpassed the first year sales totals of the DS system, and life to date system sales are at a solid 3 million. By February, the company expects to cross the 4 million mark.

Read more at Yahoo! Games