I’ve heard the topic of Satoru Iwata stepping down as Nintendo’s president for quite some time now. The issue seems to have recently come up quite a bit more now than in the past, so I decided I’d talk about it. Also, let the record show this is the first time I agree with Michael Patcher on something.
Stepping Down
So, I guess people have been blaming Iwata for Nintendo’s recent blunders with the Wii U. From the weak 3rd party support to the pitiful advertising, it’s been an uphill battle for the console since day one. People have gone so far as to say these mistakes should spell a demotion for the Nintendo executive.
In my mind, I suppose that’s a fair claim to make. He’s the global president, and should be held responsible for the decisions his company makes. However, let’s keep in mind that this all isn’t directly his fault. While I’m sure he probably oversees everything that comes out of Nintendo, I don’t think these problems come from his personal decisions.
That being said, he still is in control of the general direction of the company. If Nintendo were a ship, Iwata would be at the steering wheel, guiding them into the choppy waters of the competitive market. Nintendo’s public image today is what Iwata decides, even though the day to day decisions probably don’t involve him much. In that regard, Iwata isn’t the best helmsman.
It’s not that he is a bad CEO. He’s made very many good choices that I highly respect. For example, he took a pay cut in order to not have to lay off workers. While he may not be steering the ship just right, his crew is one of the best treated on the seas. But while he understands what his company needs internally, he doesn’t seem to be too sure on what the company’s external image should be.
It is that last statement that makes me think it might be time for someone else to take the helm of the company. Well, at least Nintendo of America.
Divide and Conquer
So who would make a good replacement for Iwata? I think my choice is obvious. I want to see what would happen if Reggie were allowed to take full control of Nintendo’s American operations. As outlined more in depth by the wonderful Ashley King, Nintendo of Japan is in control of pretty much everything Nintendo of America does.
What I think should happen is that Iwata should take control of Nintendo of Japan exclusively, and Reggie should take full control of Nintendo of America. Reggie knows what appeals to American audiences, whereas Nintendo of Japan seems to think what works in Japan will work in America as well.
Take a look at this video just released for Nintendo’s E3 plans.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghEhI4CJjAM?rel=0]
They mention competitive smash bros, have a decent amount of humor, and use youtubers who have a following. I don’t think something like this would go over as well in Japan. That’s probably because E3 is an American event, so they geared this promo more towards American audiences. Above all that, this video proves one more thing. People love Reggie.
Whenever we see Iwata, he’s stoically standing in front of a wall or something and talking about what’s next for Nintendo. While that’s all good and fine, Reggie has a different kind of style. Reggie is usually seen in his office, surrounded by Nintendo memorabilia. Heck, even Bill Trinen gets an office background, and is allowed to tell a few jokes.
Above his speaking mannerisms, Reggie is an online persona. His phrase “My body is ready” has become a very widely used phrase, and has even become a joke that Nintendo itself has started to play on. Thanks to Reggie, Nintendo of America is seeing glimpses of life and humor in its operations. The Tomodachi Life direct is a perfect example of how the company is loosening up and just learning how to have fun with itself. I’m all for this approach, and I think Reggie could easily be the one to take Nintendo all in on this new strategy.
Miiverse and Zorpix
For those of you who don’t know, this is just a little segment I do at the end of every article to add a little familiarity to my mindless babbling. It also usually contains Skylanders, which just had a new game announced might I add. Anywho, enjoy!
Post Text: But I don’t wanna talk about Spires… I wanna talk about us…
Game:Â Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Okay, I’ll admit it. My favorite villager is Isabelle, not Elmer. She’s just so adorable in everything she does! The first day in my town when she asked me to bring her back a seashell, I was so happy to go and get her one. Then I’m pretty sure the programming didn’t let me give it to her. I was heartbroken. Poor me, always getting dissed by Isabelle. Also, if you’re wondering about the name of my town, I had been thinking for about a half hour before I settled on “Spires”.  Because I was inspired with that name! Yeah, it’s lame, but calling it “Towny” wasn’t going to fly…
Post Text:Â Kitty found a ball!
Game:Â Super Mario 3D World
I… I don’t even want to go into how long I sat in this room playing with that ball. Thank God there’s no countdown timer in the top right.
Post Text:Â Been a while since I played… I have no idea how I got here
Game: Super Metroid
Last week, I finally got the nerve to keep playing my Super Metroid save file. I’m at the save point right before Ridley, and I had absolutely no clue how I got there or where I came from. I accidentally forgot to make my restore point before fighting Ridley, so I had made it as I was falling into his den. So the only way to go was to die to Ridley and fight him with like, two health tanks left. Luckily, there was an extra energy tank nearby I missed. I got the tank, and am going to try again soon, this time making my restore point before entering the den of the beast. Here’s hoping!
Wrapping up
If you do happen to have any suggestions for next week’s topic, any questions about the content I wrote, or just wanna say hey, feel free to sound off below! If you really feel inclined, you can mosey on over to my Twitter, Facebook, or Miiverse account. Please don’t feel offended if I don’t respond to friend requests on the Wii U, as I reserve that for people I actually know in real life (usually…). I’ll probably follow back though!
Thanks for reading, and have a great end of the month!
