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Reggie Fils-Aimé joins mobile publisher Rogue Games as an advisor
The former Nintendo exec seems to have a different definition of retirement than most people.
Former Nintendo exec Reggie Fils-Aimé joins GameStop's board
GameStop thinks it has a way to turn around its struggling business: give a video game industry legend a say in the company's future. The retailer has appointed three new people to its board of directors, most notably including former Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé. He'll take his position on April 20th, while the other two (former Walmart US president Bill Simon and PetSmart chief J.K. Symncyk) are taking their board seats immediately.
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé is retiring
After almost 13 years in the job, Nintendo of America COO and president Reggie Fils-Aimé is stepping down. He's set to retire in April, with sales and marketing SVP Doug Bowser (yep, that's actually his name) taking over.
Nintendo won't release an N64 Classic anytime soon
The NES and SNES Classic consoles served as bellwethers for the retro gaming revival that's currently in full swing. Naturally, everyone thought the N64 Classic was next (with both an earlier trademark filing and controller patent adding fuel to the fire). And what better time to launch then Christmas, right? Wrong. According to Nintendo America President Reggie Fils-Aime, the company has no plans to release an N64 Classic now, next month, or for the foreseeable future.
'Super Mario Run' is just as much fun as we'd hoped
It's no stretch to say that Super Mario Run (launching December 15th for iOS; an Android version will arrive next year) is one of the most notable mobile games in years. It's Nintendo's first real smartphone game and one of the only instances in which the company has developed a Mario game for non-Nintendo hardware. It's the first of several mobile titles planned and could mark the start of a major business shift for Nintendo. But let's put aside all these heady concerns about what Super Mario Run means for the company and answer the most important question: Is the game fun?
Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime explains why it's time to go mobile
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has garnered a reputation for being a larger-than-life character, whether he's onstage presenting his company's latest or getting ready for a one-on-one interview. He's playing Super Mario Run on an iPad mini when our meeting begins, as if he just can't stop to focus on the more mundane task at hand. "I'm gonna put this down now," he says as we get started. "I had a great run going, too."
Nintendo: Pre-orders of Super Smash Bros. surpass Mario Kart 8
Super Smash Bros. pre-orders are at a record high for Wii U, eclipsing those of summer hit Mario Kart 8. In a Bloomberg interview, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said his company expects Smash to give the console a sales boost similar to the one provided by Mario Kart 8. In last month's financial results, Nintendo revealed the racer is at close to 3.5 million sales, with Wii U shipments up to 7.29 million worldwide. "The launch of Mario Kart 8 has essentially doubled our Wii U sales year-on-year," Fils-Aime said. "Our expectation is that the sell-through for Smash is going to be very strong, certainly on par with what we saw with Mario Kart 8. We think the impact on hardware will be similarly dramatic."
Nintendo of America president: Wii U has a 'very long life' ahead
The Wii U is struggling to prove its case to gamers in comparison to the PS4 and Xbox One, but in an interview with Kotaku, Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime reaffirmed the company's commitment to its hardware. Fils-Aime dismissed the idea of starting over in the home space with a replacement console, explaining that Nintendo believes the Wii U "has a very long life ahead of it. It's got great content coming that will help define the platform." Fils-Aime also referenced the 3DS' sluggish start, crediting its turnaround to Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 rather than the price drop announced eight months after the handheld's debut. While the Wii U's equivalents have already arrived as Super Mario 3D World and Mario Kart 8, Fils-Aime added that Nintendo believes Hyrule Warriors, Super Smash Bros. and the E3 surprise Splatoon offer a similar sales-shifting potential that could help pull the Wii U out of its rut. [Image: Nintendo]
Nintendo doesn't view pure gameplay livestreams as fun
The gaming-dominated Twitch.tv might be the most popular livestreaming site in the world, but the Wii U remains without support for the service that helps PS4, PC and Xbox One players broadcast their games. Rather than the absence stemming from a shoddy relationship or tech-related issues, Nintendo of America president and COO Reggie Fils-Aime told Polygon during E3 that Nintendo doesn't think streaming "30 minutes of gameplay by itself is a lot of fun." Fils-Aime argues that features like Mario Kart 8's support for sharing highlight reels from races differs from sitting through livestreams that might not even have anything interesting to watch. In contrast, Nintendo used Twitch to broadcast its Nintendo Treehouse Live at E3 demonstrations and the Super Smash Bros. Invitational, and Fils-Aime says we can expect Nintendo to do "more of that type of activity, highlighting our games and providing a forum for players to learn how to play better." While we understand that Nintendo is aiming for its games to be featured in a different style than what Twitch viewers are used to, it sounds an awful lot like the kid that used to tell us how to play with our toys. [Image: Twitch]
Mario Kart 8 quadrupled Wii U weekly sales, says Fils-Aime
Looks like Mario Kart 8 was just what the doctor mechanic ordered for Nintendo's struggling Wii U; Nintendo of America president and COO Reggie Fils-Aime told Polygon that, compared to the week prior, Wii U sales quadrupled the week after the game's release. Fils-Aime also noted that 18 percent of Wii U owners purchased a copy of the game in its first weekend, but this number likely includes sales of the game from the bundle that was offered upon release. Still, the numbers are nothing to sneeze at, as the game topped 1 million on release weekend, making it the fastest-selling Wii U game to date. Now we wait to see which game for Nintendo's console, if any, will knock Mario Kart 8 out of first place with a well-timed blue shell. [Image: Nintendo]
Mario Kart 8 races past 1.2 million sales in debut weekend
Despite first appearing last Friday, Mario Kart 8 has already managed to attract 1.2 million sales, a figure that earns the mascot kart racer the title of "fastest selling Wii U game to date." Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime greets this news with all the excitement of an over-caffeinated puppy. "The early response to Mario Kart 8 demonstrates that the best days for Wii U are still ahead," said Fils-Aime. "This year's E3 is just days away, and it will be all about the future games for Nintendo platforms. This milestone is a great place to start!" If Fils-Aime's enthusiasm doesn't immediately convince you to give the game a shot, take a look at our Mario Kart 8 review. Thomas awarded the racer a nearly perfect, 4.5 of 5 stars, and though he feels the game doesn't do much to introduce new ideas to the franchise, the combination of series-first high-definition graphics and classic Mario Kart gameplay make for yet another first-party Nintendo classic. [Image: Nintendo]
Nintendo to host Smash Bros tournament at E3
Nintendo will host a Super Smash Bros. Invitational tournament at the Nokia Theater at E3 this June in Los Angeles, the company announced via Twitter and an entertaining video featuring the comedic Mega 64 crew and Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. Additionally, players across the country will be able to play the next Smash Bros. game at Best Buy locations across the U.S. during E3, which is being held June 10 through June 12. Nintendo announced earlier this month that Super Smash Bros. will launch this summer on 3DS and will arrive on Wii U in the winter. The game's online modes will be split between "for fun" and "for glory" options and will include a "Smash Run" mode in lieu of the series' classic adventure mode. [Image: Nintendo]
Watch Nintendo execs vie for the love of Princess Zelda in its latest game
Nintendo's had some success with approximating the mundanity of real life in the past, but its latest attempt looks like it'll amp up the crazy rather dramatically. In Tomodachi Life you import a collection of Miis (Nintendo's avatar system) and watch as they interact with each other on an island. We know what you're thinking, but trust us, it's the opposite of boring. For example, one scene from its recent unveiling involves Nintendo's senior product marketing manager Bill Trinen professing his love for Samus Aran on a beach when a shirtless, musclebound president Reggie Fils-Aime runs down the shore to do the same. And then, CEO Satoru Iwata emerges from the water and joins in on the action. Yes, really.
Tonight's VGX lineup features GOTY in the middle of a world exclusive sandwich
If you plan on camping out with us during our liveblog of tonight's three hour VGX 2013 awards show, you can get a head start on the evening's activities by checking out the schedule of events. Among the noteworthy events for the evening are 12 "world premieres" for games like Quantum Break, Titanfall and Broken Age. Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime will also take the stage for a game demo during the show's first hour. Given that an ad for a next-gen Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition showed up today, it would explain the slot for tonight's Tomb Raider-centric announcement during the first hour. Those that are in it for the awards will be interested to know that the Game of the Year winner will be crowned during the early parts of the show's second hour. Additionally, the Best Indie Game will be determined near the end of the show's second hour and Character of the Year announced during the third hour. A few of the awards segments will be determined by fan vote, dictating whether the the Best Action Adventure or Best Sports Game will be announced in the first hour and Best Shooter or Best Studio award will presented in the third hour.
Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime on the Xbox One and PS4's launch lineups: 'meh'
With the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 due to hit shelves across the world soon, it's not exactly surprising to hear the competition openly sound off on the incoming consoles. Especially when it's someone as outspoken as Nintendo of America's COO Reggie Fils-Aime. "It's all about the games. The competitive systems have announced their launch lineups. I'm allowed to say 'meh," Fils-Aime said in an interview with IGN. The Nintendo head added that he feels confident in the Wii U's title lineup, noting, "We've got Zelda. We've got Mario. We've got Donkey Kong. In addition to great titles like Pikmin 3 and Wonderful 101, I feel very good about our lineup, and I feel very good about the value proposition we're putting out there for the consumer." Both the Xbox One and PS4 will have more than 20 titles available at launch, which is on par with what the Wii U's launch was back in November of last year. The only problem is Nintendo's flagship has been seeing less and less support from third-party developers, making the console a harder sell for gamers worldwide. Perhaps, Nintendo's hoping to turn the tide with its recent announcement that the Wii U's going to be a little cheaper starting September 21st, though only time will tell how successful that strategy turns out to be.
Tour Reggie Fils-Aime's house in Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Nintendo of America president and COO Reggie Fils-Aime's house in Animal Crossing: New Leaf is pretty swank: Nintendo museum, storage basement – it even has a bed with a giant disturbing face on it. While he never explicitly says, we're assuming this is an exact replica of Fils-Aime's actual house.
Iwata 'very willing to change' current Wii U situation, focus is momentum 'towards end of this year'
"Our focus is, first of all, to regain the momentum of the Wii U towards the end of this year, and then we'll try to establish successful third-party Wii U software titles," Nintendo president and CEO Satoru Iwata told IGN. "I believe in the importance of third-party support for Nintendo platforms. I'm very willing to change the current situation." Despite an exclusive agreement with Sega that locked in Sonic: Lost World on Nintendo platforms, third-party support on Wii U is practically non-existent now – a topic of conversation during our interview with Nintendo of America corporate communications head honcho, Charles Scibetta, last week at E3. That same week, EA told us the decision to forgo Wii U ports of its popular FIFA and Madden franchises this year was simply a "rational" business decision. Nintendo COO Reggie Fils-Aime told IGN that EA in fact does have Wii U projects in development, "just nothing coming out this fall" for the system. "Looking at this through the prism of a business decision, if I'm a third-party publisher, what I want is that I want a large, diverse installed base to invest in my development and be able to monetize against that large installed base. That's why, from a Nintendo first-party perspective, we have to drive the installed base," Fils-Aime said. "We need a diverse group of consumers. Not just core, not just casual, but a broad, diverse group of consumers within that installed base, so that whether you're Ubi with Assassin's Creed or with Just Dance, you're feeling confident that your game is going to find a home. You'll be able to monetize your development." Iwata elaborated that while Nintendo is good at some things, the company can't satisfy all on the platform. Some players want experiences that Nintendo simply can't offer – that's why third-party support is so crucial. "There are huge numbers of fans of Nintendo software, but at the same time, those types of players still sometimes want to play something else on our platform. Because of that, we always need third parties to support us, in order to make our platform complete."
Satoru Iwata to assume Nintendo of America CEO role
Nintendo president Saturo Iwata will assume the additional role of Nintendo of America Chief Executive Officer, overseeing NoA President and Chief Operating Officer Reggie Fils-Aime, who remains in place. The move is one of several board changes in the wake of planned retirements.The executive-level musical chairs will see Iwata replace current NoA chairman and CEO Tatsumi Kimishima, who will transfer to Nintendo's Kyoto headquarters as the General Manager of Corporate Analysis and Administration, and General Manager of the General Affairs Division.In a statement, Nintendo said the move will support "the company's unified global strategy" and "allow streamlined decision making and enhance Nintendo's organizational agility in the current competitive environment."Nintendo released its fiscal-year financial statement this morning, with the company's net profits almost half of its projections at just over ¥7 billion, or around $71 million.
Wii U day-one patch won't be built into firmware for a few months
The Wii U's inconvenient day one patch will be greeting new console owners until next year. Speaking with Gamasutra, Nintendo America president Reggie Fils-Aime said the update won't be built into the system until early 2013."Nintendo developers want to make sure that the very best product is available to consumers," Fils-Aime told Gama. "That creates a dynamic where our developers are working on elements until the very last point possible. That's why the system update was required on day one – and this is quite similar to what's happened with other consumer electronic products."Nintendo president Satoru Iwata had previously apologized for the inconvenience, noting he believed customers "should be able to use all the functions of a console video game machine as soon as they open the box." If you're getting a Wii U console over the holidays, make sure to practice patience during the update and, whatever you do, don't interrupt the Wii U doin' its thang.
Fils-Aime says third-party games look dramatically better on Wii U, Digital Foundry disagrees
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime says third-party games have dramatically better graphics on the Wii U compared to PS3 and Xbox 360. Fils-Aime was bullish in response to an interviewer's assertion of the Wii U being on par with the competition, declaring his company's new console to be "much more graphically intensive.""If you did a side-by-side comparison," Fils-Aime said, "You would actually see that third-party games like Call of Duty look dramatically better on our system."Fils-Aime's comments do not match the findings of the respected tech analysts at Digital Foundry, who didn't note any dramatic improvement in a recent assessment of Black Ops 2 on Wii U. In fact, Digital Foundry raised concerns over the Wii U version's performance compared to PS3 and 360."The Wii U version matches the look of the Xbox 360 game and thus gives it an edge visually over the PlayStation 3 release, but unfortunately it comes up well short in terms of performance - an aspect that is all-important to the playability of a COD title. The frame-rate variance is such that the PS3 game feels generally smoother, while the 360 release feels like an entirely different game in the more demanding levels. Bearing in mind the commonalities in hardware design between Wii U and Xbox 360, we can't help but feel somewhat disappointed that Black Ops 2 under-performs so noticeably."The article goes on to say that "for the Wii U hardware to under-perform to this extent on such a crucially important game doesn't look good for future prospects."
