ReggieFils-aime
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Reggie on the Wii effect at the Nintendo Media Summit
This morning, at the Nintendo Media Summit, NoA President and resident badass Reggie Fils-Aime had some interesting statistics on the Nintendo juggernaut. While a lot of it may not be the best news for the hardcore gaming contingent, the massive revenue increases indicate that the wider potential market may well be what powers the industry in the coming years. One particularly telling statement backed up the figures: "We don't consider Sony and Microsoft as our only competitors. We're competing with other leisure time entertainment. If people stay at home and play Wii bowling instead of going to the movies, we win."It's not all gloom and doom for the hardest of the hard, however. Reggie had some interesting things to say about this summer's highly anticipated Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. It "will reinvent the control scheme for a first person shooter. It's the closest you can get to PC control in a [console] game." A lot of people hoped Red Steel would pull that off for the Wii at launch, but leave it to Nintendo to really show us what the Wiimote and nunchuk combo can do for the FPS.Reggie also added that the DS continues to print money, just in case none of us knew.
A laughable list of who's 'most overrated' in the industry
Over at GameDaily, Chris Buffa (ha!) has put together a list of what he believes are the "top 5 most overrated industry people," calling out industry gods (and rightfully so) Hideo Kojima and Shigeru Miyamoto. Surely, anyone who ever doubts the abilities, contributions and impact one Mr. Miyamoto has on the industry deserves to have their head examined ... with a sledgehammer. First, we'll get into his comments on Kojima, a man we'd probably be thankful to if he even took the time to set us on fire. We love him that much. And with Chris' criticisms of the Metal Gear Solid franchise (all play the same, no idea what is going on in the games, etc.), we're that much more sure the man is off his meds. The reason all the "traditional" Metal Gear Solid games play the same is because they are good. Why fix what isn't broken? Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater was our favorite game of 2004, and for good reason. As for not being able to understand the game's content, we suggest you actually pay attention to the cut scenes.As for Mr. Miyamoto, to say that he is "falling back on the same overused franchises" over and over again is a misinformed statement. He isn't falling back on them, he's helping to improve them. Whether you believe the hype or not on a certain Super Mario Galaxy, it's probably going to reinvent the platform genre (we can say that, we played it). To try and downplay his contributions at Nintendo is just idiotic.Finally, Chris takes time to bash Reggie Fils-Aime. Aside from the GBA Micro debacle (seriously, why was that thing made?) at E3, Reggie has done nothing but improved Nintendo's place in the industry. And that's not to downplay Iwata's contributions, but for as much as we all love to make fun of Reggie, he's probably done more than most for the company during his stay with Nintendo.[Via Joystiq]
Reggie disses 360's European presence
Nintendo of America boss, Reggie Fils-Aime, has some fighting words for Microsoft. In an interview with the San Jose Mercury News, Reggie was asked about Nintendo's success with the Wii. When asked about its performance in Europe in comparison to its competitors (i.e. Microsoft) Reggis responded, "360 is selling well only in one country: UK. Across the rest of Europe, it is not performing well. Wii, on the other hand, is selling exceptionally well all through Europe."We know that Microsoft has been aggressive in tackling markets all over the world, launching its console in countries like Brazil and India last year. Whether or not the 360 is performing well throughout Europe, we really don't know, though we're sure Microsoft remains confident in it sales prediction of 12 million units worldwide by the end of June.What say you, European fanboys? Is Microsoft's Xbox 360 a hot commodity outside of the UK, or is Reggie right on the money?[Via GamesIndustry.biz]
CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XXVIII - Reggie pokes fun at PS3 shootings
Apparently Perrin Kaplan isn't the only spokesperson for Nintendo speaking a bit too "freely" these days. The man himself, Reggie Fils-Aime, when queried about the PS3 launch lines in an interview with GameHead, asked, "Were those the people ducking to not get shot?" What a comedian! This was following a staunch denial of the PS3 having any lines at E3, which isn't quite accurate -- the lines were just short and more of a per-console thing, since there wasn't the crazy kind of closed room setup at the Sony booth. Maybe he should spend a bit less time honing those witty barbs and more time figuring out a way to get some more of his own console onto store shelves -- before the Wii related violence starts to get out of hand.[Via Joystiq]
Next Wii channel could be 'Nintendo Power'
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Next_Wii_channel_could_be_Nintendo_Power_archives'; Plucked from Nintendo's brain trust and tucked into the tail end of MTV's recent interview with Reggie Fils-Aime is the latest Wii channel concept: Nintendo Power. "We have a tremendous amount of old Nintendo Power content ... that we could present to consumers," Reggie told MTV.The interview (the one where Reg dodges the "Where's Metroid?" question) doesn't delve further into the thought, leading us to believe the digital archive is a ways from fruition. Still, coupled with Virtual Console, a back catalogue could provide a valuable resource for those digging around for tips and strategies -- or just general information about games of yesteryear. And, of course, Nintendo is never one to underestimate the nostalgia factor, always eager to find another familiar to resell to old-timers -- that's assuming the archive would be pay-to-view. Would you subscribe (again)?[Via Supercabra]
Nintendo's Reggie needs an assistant
The ultimate seat of power is currently available for Nintendo fanboys and fangirls everywhere: Assistant to the president at Nintendo of America. Unless there's been a major shift over at Nintendo HQ in Redmond, that means working directly for Reggie Fils-Aime. Imagine the power, which any office worker will tell you lies with the assistant. You'd be the hand of Reggie, unleashing Nintendo of Americas salvation or wrath. You'd never want for Wii again, product would flow for you like the Nile.Only problem is the job description is the stuff high-powered positions that own the ear of a company president are made of. Eight years of related experience, ability to relay information with tact and diplomacy and a preference to someone bilingual in Japanese and English. The full job description can be found after the break. Wonder how Reggie takes his coffee?[Via GoNintendo]
Wii takes its cue from the DS
In a recent Q&A with GamePro, Reggie Fils-Aime pointed to the DS, and not the GameCube, as the real inspiration as most of Nintendo's strategy with the Wii. That doesn't mean that multicolored units are around the corner (unfortunately), but it does mean that we can expect a lot of aggressive marketing to people that aren't usually considered gamers. Considering the incredible sales numbers, that's certainly worked well for the DS! As the core group responsible for the DS and its success, it's like that others will, in the future, try to mimic that. So, DS gamers -- do you think that what's working for Nintendo may work for others in the future?
Reggie "blown away" by Wii success
In a Q&A session with GamePro, NoA's King of Awesome, Reggie Fils-Aime, did indeed state that he was "blown away" by the resounding success of the Wii, and while it's exactly what Nintendo was shooting for, he's surprised that it happened so quickly ... so quickly, in fact, that Nintendo can't even seem to keep up with the demand. And of course, comparisons to the DS had to be made; after all, the Wii is taking its cue from the DS in many ways. However, when asked if we'll soon be seeing multicolored Wiis like we have with the DS, Reggie brushed that off as a concern for the future. Right now, they're more interested in getting more units into stores -- and we're sure that's good news for many of you.It's worth noting that the issue of HD came up, and when asked whether or not Nintendo was planning on any kind of upgrade for the Wii that might add HD functionality, Reggie didn't say that it wouldn't ever happen ... but did cite statistics indicating that 83% of American households are not currently equipped for HD. What good is it to add something that many people can't even use? After all, Nintendo is trying to reach beyond the "hardcore" gamer and into every household ... a strategy that doesn't work very well if one of your biggest games is so dependent on HD that parts of it can barely be seen by the majority of potential gamers. The verdict? DVD is coming, but don't expect an HD dongle any time soon.
Nintendo retracts promise of one million Wiis for US
Nintendo has retracted a statement made by Reggie Fils-Aime, who said yesterday that Nintendo would be shipping one million units to the United States by the end of the year. We tend not to pay particularly close attention to the estimates that the "big three" console manufacturers make about how many units they expect to ship. Particularly with the new generation of consoles, these targets have more often than not been missed when applied to the real world. But given Nintendo's relative successes this time around, this particular retraction could tell us one of two possible things about the situation that Nintendo currently finds itself in. Either they're having manufacturing issues (possible), or they're diverting units to the rabid masses over in Europe (we'd like to think this is equally likely). There is a third possible scenario: Reggie thought it would be fun to get the press to put a nice round figure of one million behind the Wii launch, which would bring us neatly back to the reason why we don't take these kind of announcements very seriously.[Via digg]
Reggie talks Wiimote battery life
MTV.com's Stephen Totilo recently sat down with Nintendo's one-and-only, ass-kicking, name-taking man in charge Reggie Fils-Aime, where the problem of battery life came up. Reggie seems to think that any kind of rechargeable solution to the problem will have to come from third-parties. This comes as a surprise to us, given that Microsoft's rechargeable solutions for their controllers were, and are, such a hit. Why would Nintendo deny themselves the money from selling rechargeable packs for their Wiimotes?[Via 4cr]
Online Wii gaming will roll out Q2 2007, sez Reggie
We all knew it was coming, and now Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime has given us a timetable in which to expect the first online, multiplayer Wii action: Q2 2007. Assuming that Reggie wasn't referring to the second quarter of fiscal year 2007 -- which ended, like, a few days ago -- when he made the commitment on SpikeTV's Game Head show, it sounds like the first, unnamed online titles will begin trickling out in the March/April time frame. As you're probably aware, Japan's already had a taste of networked Wii gaming in the form of launch title Pokémon Battle Revolution, but Reggie kept the details about future multiplayer games close to his chest -- those titles will be revealed early next year, he said. Reggie also let slip the fact that new Wii channels are in the works, though once again, he omitted any real concrete information concerning either their content or scheduled rollout. So there you have it: if all goes according to plan, we should be able to hold a Gears of Peace-style event for the Wii in early spring; still, we can't promise that pwning us in Mario Kart will be quite as rewarding as draining our Crimson Omen with a hail of machine gun fire.
NOA's Reggie Fils-Aime skirts region issues
There are always two ways to look at every situation, and the best businessmen are the ones who can convince you that their perspective is right. In a string of interviews lately, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime has aptly spun the region situations into a pleasant bullet point. Let's look at his argument. In an interview with MTV's Stephen Totilo, Fils-Aime was questioned about the disparity between the US and Japanese Virtual Console lineup, where the US was receiving around half the titles going to Japan. In his words, some games "may make perfect sense in Japan but we don't think in our marketplace have a lot of potential." Translation: why waste the megabytes on titles that didn't have the popularity? However, the cost for Nintendo to put a a title on a server is minimal and builds reputation to a brand for supporting its fans. There is no shelf space to fight for, and we know Nintendo are wizards with their emulators. Even if the title only appeals to a niche audience, that's still money for intangible property. Forget Mother 1 and 3, with this talk we're afraid they might skip over uploading cult-favorite Earthbound. Contrary to popular opinion, not everyone will want Goldeneye.
Reggie's on the phone for you
NoA president (and popular photoshop subject) Reggie Fils-Aime made a special guest appearance on phones and answering machines across America yesterday. If you pre-ordered a Wii at GameStop, you got the message included after the jump. If you didn't ... you can still hear it!Nothing like getting a recorded message from Reggie to make the waiting a little easier.
MIGS06: Reggie keepin' it real on the show floor
We were told that Reggie Fils-Aime would be hanging out on the show floor of the Montreal International Game Summit following his keynote, but I didn't actually believe the man would do it. After not fielding questions, and making himself virtually unavailable for interview, I just assumed that Reggie considered himself to be on a different level than anyone else here. I mean, even Mizuguchi could be seen yesterday having a boxed lunch near the Ubisoft booth. Reggie clearly sought to solidify his larger-than-life persona by remaining untouchable.So when Reggie walked up to Nintendo's booth on the show floor, I was surprised and a bit impressed. Mr. Fils-Aime is human after all. As if to prove it, he began coaching an attendee on the finer points of Wii Sports Baseball."You can use the D-pad to throw a curve-ball," he said. The summit-goer was obviously taken aback a bit. He was losing pitifully to his friend, and the last thing he probably wanted was the Nintendo of America president telling him what to do. I don't even think he said thanks. Reggie, on the other hand, smiled as though he had truly made a difference. The kid still sucked at baseball, though. Sorry for not getting a better picture. I was waiting in line to play Twilight Princess, and didn't want to lose my spot.
MIGS06: Reggie Fils-Aime keynote liveblogged (kinda)
On the second day of the 2006 Montreal International Game Summit, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime gave the first keynote of the day. His subject, Nintendo's current business model, is already well-worn territory, but more relevant than ever considering that the launch of the Wii is only a mere ten days away. We'll know soon enough whether Nintendo's latest strategy has what it takes to compete in the market. 8:55 - Wow, they sure brought a lot of Wii promo posters to this keynote. The podium area is flanked by Wii banners, and the podium itself features a poster saying "Oh Wii!" It confuses me.9:11 - Reggie is introduced. The man is a giant, especially when compared to the diminutive show organizer. "It's nice being in Montreal," he says, "where people can properly pronounce my name." The audience laughs appreciatively, so he milks it a little. "You should hear what they do to it when I go to Mexico."
Reggie chats rumors
During a video interview with Reggie Fils-Aime, CNET's Rich DeMuro grilled the Nintendo president about the upcoming console. Turns out, we should expect no mystery announcement, no major new bomb, basically nothing more until the launch of the console. Reggie wants to dispel all rumors that the company is planning a major announcement pre-launch. For the most part, we're thankful, because the roller-coaster ride has near caused a coronary in us already. We just want the console already![Thanks :P!]
Reggie chats up the Wii
As if the man has done anything else lately, Reggie has conducted an interview with AOL Games, discussing everything from the Wii to their goal of attracting non-gamers, as well as Reggie's ultimate fantasy career. What's most interesting about this interview, we believe, is Reggie's views on the industry's current lack of originality and love of sequels. Reggie goes on to say:"Do I think the industry is suffering from a lack of originality? A lot of the same old content? Sequelitis? Absolutely. Absolutely. As a consumer, is it challenge to parse through all the different choices available to find those great games out there? Absolutely. Yes, there's a lot of dreck out there. But I think a measure of our success is if you go to an EB or Gamestop and look at previous used product for sale, the fact is, you won't see a lot of Nintendo published product. Why? Because we make product that people tend to want to hold onto. The replay value is there. There's emotional attachment to the software. But is there a lot of dreck, especially on the competitive platforms? Absolutely."
Snake suspenders and makeup for men
In the most shocking news of the week, Nintendo has announced that they're -- are you ready? -- working to market the Wii toward women and the elderly. You know, like they've been doing for a long time with their Nintendo DS! Who expected that, huh? "We want to appeal to mothers who don't want consoles in their living rooms, and to the elderly and to young women,'' Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said. "It's a challenge, like trying to sell cosmetics to men."But is it so hard? Even more so than with the DS, the Wii sells itself. From the moment the Wii controller surfaced, even non-gamers were considering the vast possibilities the system would bring to the industry. In that same report, Hirokazu Hamamura, president of Japanese research giant Enterbrain, seemed to strike closer to the truth. "Wii definitely could become the most popular console of all time. Non-gamers can see how fun it is to play just by looking at people playing it." We here at the Fanboy offices can attest -- even our mothers and our non-gaming friends (we do have a few) seem interested in the Wii. Perhaps the best thing Nintendo could do to sell the Wii is to simply ensure their demo kiosks are everywhere. All the system needs is exposure, and it will sell. The only factor that is up in the air is how successful it might become. How many people will stop and want a longer look, and end up taking one home? Time for a little holiday sales speculation -- tells us what impact you think the Wii will have outside of the traditional market.
Grand Theft ... Nintendo? [update 1]
MTV (yeah, really) has a great GameFile piece up right now that speculates on the upcoming battle between the Nintendo Wii and the PS3. But though the rest is interesting, we only had eyes for one little thing that Reggie Fils-Aime let slip:"We're reaching out to every publisher, frankly every day. I'll be spending some time later today with the folks over at Take Two to see what type of support they can give our console. ... The fact is there will be M-rated content on the Wii console."This is either the sign of the apocalypse or the red carpet down which the Wii may strut to console wars victory. Take Two Interactive is, of course, the publisher behind the impossibly popular Grand Theft Auto franchise -- a franchise that has never appeared on a Nintendo console, though GTA has surfaced on the GBA.We'll give you a moment to consider that one. It's okay. We'll wait.
Another Wii mystery port spotted
A member of the Spanish gaming forum Canal Nintendo has posted an image that appears to feature another mystery port located near the bottom of the left side of Wii.Last month, Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime debunked rumors that the front flap concealed anything more than a SD card port, adding that Wii will be compatible with several memory options. If this newly discovered detail is indeed another port, could it just be another expansion slot? ... Probably.
