reggie fils-aime
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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 horns in on Kaz and Bill's act [update 1]
It's become, like, the thing for top execs at game companies to ring up the first purchase of their consoles. Kaz Hirai did it at the PSP launch last year, Bill Gates showed up for the Xbox 360 launch back in November, and handed out the first Xbox sold back in 2001. And so when Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime says that he'll be doing the same, it's curious that the piece makes it sound like Nintendo's the only company that would go to such great lengths for a little PR (and curiouser still that GameSpot doesn't offer any context). GameSpot quotes Reggie: "Those consumers, the core gamer, are very important to us ... And you know what? I'll be at a store in the New York area, where they will camp out and I will be handing out some Wiis that very first minute that we're available for purchase." Unprecedented! Appreciated, yes, but not unique. C'mon guys, huddle around a conference table and dream up some crazy new PR stuntage for this holiday season. The real problem isn't really Nintendo's PR stunt. That's all part of the launch game. It's not Reggie's fault that some writers are picking this up as if it's huge news. What really bothers us (and what prompted this post) is that this is making headlines at all. What gives? At the very least, these writers should be providing context for the news. This years-old maneuver shouldn't be making headlines. [Update 1: Gave a little more context.]
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.
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?
Reggie introduces (old) Metroid Prime 3 video
Some fine Sunday night viewing. We have a clip of the Reggie narrating a video of Metroid Prime 3 ostensibly running on some form of the Revolution hardware. The Revolution Fanboy crew is quick to remind us this isn't new material by any means: it's the same footage Satoru Iwata showed off at last year's E3. Apparently that wasn't the only venue that got to see it, and Iwata wasn't the only Nintendo bigwig who showed it off. Worthwhile viewing for those who haven't seen it... or for those of you with embarrassing gamer-crushes on Reggie. Say it again Reggie... say "make no mistake" again![Harmless rant™: By the way, that Revolution logo is really ugly. They could have submitted that to our (very quiet of late) lineup of possible Revolution interfaces, and we'd have called it a fake; probably even an "amateurish" fake. We know it's not a final name, we know it was only a mockup menu... we're just sayin'. As long as they get that super-sleek micro/DS Lite/Revolution hardware stank all over that logo when it's done, we'll be happier than a pair of wireless revomotes.] [Thanks, DJ Rage; via Revolution Fanboy]
J Allard: Caribbean Queen
Ever wonder what CliffyB would look like as a tennis-playing transsexual? The other day I ran across a facial recognition app that matches a picture of your face up to celebrities who supposedly look like you; useful for determining who should play who in the movie of your life. After spending an hour or so submitting friends and family, I moved on to gaming industry celebrities—with disturbing results: The marketing team at Microsoft has worked long and hard to transform Xbox guru J Allard from bloated regular nerd to skinny Matrix-esque nerd. Have their efforts paid off? I was sure Allard would come back with either Moby or Dr. Evil, but instead the software crossed the digital divide to dig up 80s pop has-been Billy Ocean, thus creating a bizarre link between the 360 and "Caribbean Queen." Pre-make-over J Allard, with his fatter cheeks and science teacher haircut could be mistaken for Tony Soprano in a pitch black room. But apparently Old Allard bares a mathematical resemblance to French President Jacque Chirac. Guess who's coming to dinner with Nintendo VP Reggie "Kicking ass and taking names" Fils-Aime? It's Sydney "They call me Mr. Tibbs" Poitier. I was impressed that Reggie scored the only Oscar winner. This one is by far the most troubling. With his boy band hair, delicate features and super geek success story, CliffyB is a hero to wannabe game designers and amateur gay porn stars everywhere. But how many vodka chasers do you have to swallow before mistaking this dude for Anna Kournikova? Oh God, check out the jaw line. It's freaky. For what it's worth, Ken Kutaragi matched up with the entire population of Japan. While I'm making fun of people who have a lot more money than me, I should mention (for the benefit of Kristin Kreuk and female Smallville fans everywhere) that I'm a dead ringer for Tom Welling. Email me. I have scientific proof.
