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Nintendo's Denise Kaigler steps down to spend time with family
Nintendo vice president of corporate affairs Denise Kaigler recently announced via the Nintendo Minute feature on IGN that she would be vacating her position in order to spend more time with her family. In the post, she explained, "it's a fact of life that job and family often pull us in opposite directions. As regular readers of this feature know, this has proved particularly challenging for me," later adding "the time has come where I need to choose one over the other ... and I have to choose my family." We wish Kaigler the best of luck in this new venture, and hope that wherever she may end up, she retains her unconventionally sassy interviewing technique.
Nintendo: Oh by the way, these games are also coming to America
While they might not have made the press conference cut, the Nintendo-published games listed below (and after the break) have just been announced for future release in North America and are all playable on the E3 show floor! Here are the titles -- let us know what you want us to check out:WiiLine Attack HeroesSpan SmasherWiiWare PictureBook Games: Pop-Up Pursuit You, Me & the Cubes
Nintendo: we're not making a phone, we swear
Despite a statement back in April from prez Satoru Iwata that the company would make a phone if it could avoid monthly subscription costs, it looks like Nintendo will not be getting into the cell biz any time soon. Reggie Fils-Aime, president and CFO of Nintendo of America just put the kibosh on all that with a statement to the New York Times, saying, "Telephony is not in our wheelhouse. It's not something I anticipate us getting into." So, you're telling us that telephony is not in your wheelhouse? Hmm... okay. Thanks for clearing that up! The company is however, considering offering devices with always-on wireless connectivity -- which would be way cooler the DSi's current, WiFi hotspot capabilities.
Reggie promises a better E3 from Nintendo this year ... again
Fresh off the announcement of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks at GDC 2009, Nintendo of America head honcho Reggie Fils-Aime had some interesting things to say about Nintendo's plans for this year's E3. "From Nintendo's perspective, we always go into E3 with a very high bar wanting to satisfy not only the core fans but also ourselves," he told GameTrailers TV, teasing the reveal of a release date for the upcoming Zelda. "We haven't announced a launch date -- maybe we'll do that at E3."So, conclusive evidence of a brand new Kid Icarus game? Not quite. Though Keighley hammered "the Regginator" for details on what exactly Nintendo would be bringing to the "glamour and sizzle" fest of this year's E3, the exec kept mum, saying, "Everyone wants to know what we're going to announce at E3 and my answer is, come to E3 and you'll see." Guess we're waiting 'til June 2 like everyone else.[Via Play.tm]
Nintendo of Europe calls MotionPlus release date 'rumor and speculation'
Nintendo of Europe reps have called the recent release list with MotionPlus dated on it "purely rumor and speculation," reports Eurogamer. This news comes after reports last week that July 10th would see not only the release of the MotionPlus add-on, but Nintendo's followup to Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, as well.The report also mentions Wii Fit Plus, a game/expansion/whozeewhatsit set to drop on November 19, though NoE makes no mention of the mystery title in the conversation. We've asked for comment from Nintendo of America and will update if and when we hear something from the perpetually tight-lipped publisher.
NoA VP spins some software sales for us all
Nintendo of America's VP of Marketing, Denise Kaigler, wants to let us all know software sales on the Wii are better than any other console on the market. How does she know this? Why, the fancy chart above, we assume. It's not like she tracked all of this information down herself. In short, this story can be summed up as so: Nintendo rocks, everyone else not so much.Joystiq posed a good question though: what happens when Wii Play and first-party games are taken out? We bet the chart would look pretty different, to be honest.
Nintendo says the Wii well is 'nowhere near dry'
How long the Wii will remain a rupee-making juggernaut remains a question for debate, though according to Nintendo corporate communications director, Charlie Scibetta, players will continue to nurse tired limbs in their living rooms for some time."As long as publishers and our own first-party teams are able to get good use out of the technology that's there to make gameplay experiences people will like, it's going to be a legitimate console," he told us, adding that "the well is nowhere near dry in terms of what this console can do." Unfortunately, one thing the console can't seem to do is stay on store shelves, though he spun the scarcity as best he could, stating simply that "we're just trying to get as many out there as quick as we can."
Nintendo of America 'passionately upset' about Wii supply
On a trip to the Wired.com offices, Nintendo of America pres. Reggie Fils-Aime told the site that a Wii lasts about one hour in the wilds of retail and that makes him a little miffed. Most of the conversation dealt with Nintendo's FY08 profits, but Reggie did say that Nintendo of America is "passionately upset about the lack of product relative to demand."Fils-Aime explains that production is determined by Japan and NoA does its best to remind the folks across the Pacific that there are "missed opportunities" when there isn't enough product. He further points out that North America receives 40% of the 1.8 million Wii consoles manufactured every month, and that NA is the only territory where Wii supply and demand don't match up.
DS Daily: Can Brain Age take over America?
It looks like NoA is taking steps to increase not only the popularity of Brain Age 2, but the DS as a whole. After an aggressive ad campaign, Brain Age 2 is taking Dr. Kawashima's show on the road. But will it work? Brain training is a worldwide phenomenon, but less popular in the U.S. with a nontraditional gaming audience -- and so is the DS, despite dominating sales on a regular basis. We'd still like to see Nintendo expand on this with some of the other "nongames" in the DS lineup, if only to ensure a wider audience and greater interest in the handheld, but hey, everything has to start somewhere. Do you think a mall tour and a salon presence will help shed a little more light on the DS and Brain Age in the U.S.?
Nintendo of America's George Harrison to retire
Though nothing's quite official yet, it looks like Nintendo of America's George Harrison is about to step down from his position as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications, according to an industry source, and as rumored last month. This could have something to do with NoA's move to Redwood City and New York, or just be coincidence, but either way it sounds like George is sticking around to help with the sales and marketing transition, and then bidding the big N adieu. The guy has been around since 1992, right after the launch of the SNES, and while he's never carried the kind of profile as the Regginator of late, it's hard not to notice the guy, walking around with a name like that. In related news, apparently Nintendo is advertising for job openings that sound eerily similar to Perrin Kaplan and Beth Llewelyn's, who had also been rumored to leave during the HQ shuffle.
Microsoft to buy a piece of Nintendo (land)
A 28-acre plot of land owned by Nintendo of America has just been sold to Microsoft, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Both Redmond, Washington-based companies are located close to one another, actually separated by this land.The deal will reportedly be finalized in the middle of this month, according to NOA's VP of marketing and corporate affairs Perrin Kaplan. The financial details have not been disclosed, but the land had previously been appraised for $23 million. According to Kaplan, there is no relation to the sale of the land and the recent decision to move its sales, advertising and marketing departments to New York. (NOA Headquarters is staying in Redmond.) Her comments echo what she said back in May when they confirmed the company was taking bids on the land. The employee shift has also sparked rumors that key players Kaplan, George Harrison and Beth Llewelyn were leaving the company. Those murmurings, rather unsurprisingly, were not addressed in the Seattle P-I report.[Via Gamespot, thanks hvnlysoldr]
NOA's Reggie Fils-Aime talks Manhunt 2, AO titles
Talking with Nintendo of America's Reggie Fils-Aime about WiiWare, Newsweek's N'Gai Croal used the opportunity to bring up Nintendo's stance on games rated Adults Only by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, first in relation to their "hands-off" approach to the download service and then with the recent Manhunt 2.Fils-Aime makes the company's stance with the ESRB very clear: no AO-rated titles. "This is not an image issue, Wii welcomes games rated E, T and M," he said, adding that he doubts Nintendo will ever approve an AO-rated title.Concerning Manhunt 2, Fils-aime said that, "What Rockstar has right now is a game rated outside our spectrum, outside any manufacturer's spectrum," and asserted that they are still interested in releasing the game if it receives a Mature rating.
DS Daily: Do you get a little Tingly?
With the news -- following long-discussed rumors of a non-Japanese release -- that Freshly Picked: Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland is on its way to a European release, we figured it might be a good time to resurrect discussion of a US release. Of course, that probably hinges on whether or not NoA believes it would sell. So -- would you pick up a copy of Tingle's RPG? It's freshly picked ... how could you ever resist? Frankly, we'd be all over that like flies on things that are smelly.
Rumor: Kaplan, Harrison and Llewelyn leaving Nintendo of America
Or rather, Nintendo of America is leaving them. According to Game Informer Online, which earlier this month broke news of the Redmond giant (no, not that one) relocating its sales, ad and marketing departments to either New York or San Francisco, approximately 90% of the employees in the affected areas have opted to remain stationary and accept a severance. Included in those leaving Nintendo are senior director of public relations, Beth Llewelyn, vice president of marketing and corporate affairs, Perrin Kaplan (pictured), and senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications, George Harrison. The executive trio's time of departure is still unknown, though GI asserts that Perrin and her pals will likely stick around until after next month's Min-E3 event in Santa Monica.
Harrison: Wii lifecycle may exceed five years
Chris Kohler of Game|Life interviewed Nintendo of America VP George Harrison about the future of the Wii system, and his responses were, well, generally unsurprising. We wouldn't expect Nintendo to suddenly change their strategy in the midst of such success.Harrison said that because of the high prices of the Wii's competitors, he expected the Wii to have a lifecycle longer than the traditional five years. (Would that mean more than 35 million installed units in the US?) And it'll continue to have a pack-in for some of that lifecycle, since Wii Sports is a "cultural phenomenon" that is helping to draw people in to the system.Harrison also mentioned that more Wii software targeted at Nintendo's new "expanded" audience would be revealed at E3, and that a game download channel is in development.There's more, including some weird comments about localizing Virtual Console games and a response to the continuing shortages. Go read the whole thing, if you are so inclined.
Nintendo? Who's he?
Not thirty years ago, the question of who or what Nintendo is would have been answered "Nintendo? Who's he?" Several years later, Nintendo continues to shock gamers worldwide. Sure there have been some rough patches but with the success of the DS and the release of the Wii just around the corner, Nintendo could come full circle and then some. News 4 Gamers posted a news segment that takes a look at Nintendo when the NES was first released. Gone is the banter that video games are the devil's work and you can't see a Jack Thompson for miles. It's just a great exploration of gaming at its popular birth. See the video after the break and get ready to have tons and tons of flashbacks.
Reggie for president: changes on the way?
Yesterday, Nintendo revealed that several of their key personnel had been granted prestigious promotions, the most grand one being that of Reggie Fils-Aime being shifted to the role of President (we have to write it like that at least once) of Nintendo of America. Sure, Tatsumi Kimishima (now CEO) and Mike Fukuda (now executive vice president of business development) play important roles in the magical inner workings of Nintendo, but we haven't come to associate them with name acquisitions and posterior ass-aults quite like we have with Reggie.So, Reggie's the president. What does that mean for you, me and the creepy, unshaven guy reading over your shoulder? Well, apart from an increased desire to come up with a new and entirely daft nickname (The Preggie), not much. With the Wii's marketing plans already in full swing and a strong games lineup ready to be released and marketed to death, it's unlikely that a dramatic change in Nintendo's focus or image will manifest within the immediate future.The long run, however, may reveal some changes. When Reggie first took the stage back at E3 2003, many were surprised by his determination and attitude, qualities that didn't quite seem to fit in with Nintendo's supposed "family" image. The man can spin things at uncanny speeds, that's for sure, but there does seem to be conviction and passion beneath all the marketing hooplah. In his new position, Reggie may be able to influence Nintendo of America even more forcefully than before, taking command of its direction as opposed to just explaining why they've chosen that particular path.I'd like to know what you (creepy, unshaven guy included) think about all this. "Big deal!" or big deal?
Codebreakers get punk'd by Nintendo.com
NOA_Rufus assembled a code puzzle at Nintendo.com, dubbed "The Luigi Code," that promised to reveal the secrets of the "Secret Society of Plumbers" to those clever enough to break the code. What could it be? A new Mario game? More Wii secrets exposed? Oh boy, it reads like an international mass market crime-thriller!Read on if you lack the inclination to break the code on your own, or read our title and realize that doing so would be a complete waste of your time.[Thanks to everyone that sent this in]
