Satoru Iwata
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Nintendo's first of many mobile games is coming this year
Nintendo has revealed some new details about its plan to develop mobile games. Most notably, its first smartphone title will come out later this year, and it's hoping to release four more before March 2017. That might sound fairly conservative -- five apps in just under two years isn't a particularly aggressive strategy. But Nintendo believes it's paramount that it takes a considered approach. "When we aim to make each title a hit, and because we want to thoroughly operate every one of them for a significant amount of time after their releases, this is not a small number at all," Nintendo chief Satoru Iwata said.
Deconstructing the method to Nintendo's madness
It's easy to hate on Nintendo. With the Wii U, the company played right into negative consumer expectations by releasing a product derided for its kid-friendly appeal, Fisher-Price toy-like looks, less-than-bleeding-edge silicon, confusing branding and (initially) clunky operating system. The message to the market at the system's launch seemed clear: The gaming giant had fallen behind the times. But that's not quite the truth. There's a well-reasoned and deeply entrenched philosophy behind the often baffling, public-facing decisions Nintendo makes and that's to deliver high-quality and accessible entertainment experiences on cheap-to-produce (often older), innovative hardware. It's the Nintendo recipe for success as concocted by the domineering former president Hiroshi Yamauchi. It's the reason why Nintendo sits on billions of dollars of cash; why its famed first-party studio -- the home of Mario and Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto -- is called Entertainment Analysis and Development, or EAD. The company quite literally agonizes over ways to innovate the concept of "fun."
Splatoon pits squids against octopuses in Q2 2015
During today's Nintendo Direct presentation, president Satoru Iwata offered a launch window for upcoming day-glo paint shooter Splatoon and also outlined the game's central conflict. It seems that the adorable, paint-wielding protagonists of Splatoon are actually squid people. According to Nintendo's no doubt highly-trained biologists, the greatest natural enemy of the squid is the octopus, and as such Splatoon pits the aforementioned adorable squid people against much less adorable octopus people (seen above, slightly adorable). Iwata made no mention of what these anthropomorphized cephalopods are fighting over, but using Nintendo logic it could be anything from a few coins to a princess. While there's still no specific launch date for Splatoon, Iwata believes the game will reach the Wii U in Q2 of 2015. Beyond the break you'll find a trailer introducing the octopus menace. [Image: Nintendo]
Nintendo's next gadget to track, improve sleep patterns
Following earlier reports that Nintendo had plans to join the health-monitoring industry, company president Satoru Iwata has revealed that the gaming giant is currently developing a device to track a user's sleep patterns and encourage them toward more healthy, restful sleep. "Since fatigue per se is not regarded as a disease in the medical world, it is said to be a field where sufficient research has yet to be conducted," Iwata stated. "We have been fortunate to encounter several experts who have been conducting cutting-edge research in the science of fatigue. Together, we are now developing technology to estimate fatigue." The unnamed device, which is currently being developed in cooperation with medical device manufacturer ResMed Inc., is "about the size of a hand and can be placed on a user's bedside table," according to Reuters. It uses microwave sensors to track the length and quality of a user's sleep cycles, then collects that data and sends it to applications which can then help users develop better sleep habits. There's currently no release date for Nintendo's sleep monitor, though Iwata hopes to have it available to the public at some point during the 2015 financial year. [Image: Nintendo]
Nintendo CEO Iwata recovers from surgery, returns to work
Good news, Nintendo fans -- CEO Satoru Iwata has returned to his position at the company following a medical-related absence, and notes that he has recovered well enough to resume his regular duties. Iwata missed a shareholders' meeting in June after revealing that he required surgery to remove a bile duct tumor. Iwata told Reuters that he lost weight during the past few months, but otherwise feels "healthier" after the operation. Welcome back, Iwata! For real though, what's with the bananas? [Image: Nintendo]
Nintendo AGM: Mario Kart 8 sells 2 million, Iwata re-elected
Mario Kart 8 sold approximately 2 million copies worldwide in less than a month, as it continued to race along the Wii U sales charts. IGN reports Nintendo announced the sell-through figure at its annual general meeting of shareholders, which took place yesterday. Nintendo must be chipper about the racer's continued success, after it turbo-boosted off the grid with 1.2 million sales in its debut weekend. It'll be interesting to see how many came from new Wii U owners, given Nintendo of America said system sales quadrupled the week following release. We should get a better sense of that when Nintendo releases its quarterly financial results, which it's scheduled to do on July 30. The other major if not surprising news from Nintendo's meeting is investors re-elected company president Satoru Iwata. Despite drops in his approval rating and big fiscal losses, Iwata and the eight other directors were re-elected, while Outside Auditor Naoki Mizutani was newly elected as Outside Director. Iwata wasn't able to attend the AGM, as he was recovering from major surgery that took place the week before. The Nintendo chief came through the procedure well, and said "a little more time" is needed before he returns to his normal, Reggie-thumping work days. [Image: Nintendo]
Nintendo CEO to miss shareholders meeting following major surgery
Nintendo President and CEO Satoru Iwata underwent surgery last week to remove a bile duct growth, and as a result he will miss the company's upcoming annual shareholders meeting. In a letter published on Nintendo's site, the 54-year-old explained the growth was fortunately detected early and he made it through the procedure successfully. "I was counseled that removal at an early stage would be the desirable medical option," Iwata said. "Therefore I had surgery last week, and I came through it well as predicted." "I have already resumed business by email and other means, but it is anticipated that a little more time is needed for me to return to my regular work schedule."
Nintendo president: Expect 'Nintendo-like' profits in 2016 [Update]
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata recently acknowledged the long rebuilding process the company is mired in to become increasingly profitable again in the coming years. While unable to offer specific numbers, he toned down expectations for the coming financial year (FY 2014) as well as the next one (FY 2015) in a fiscal 2013 financial results briefing with investors, stressing that "instead of seeing a great and sudden recovery in our profitability in the next fiscal year, I am rather expecting to be able to report Nintendo-like profits from around the following fiscal year," referring to 2016. Nintendo posted a $229 million loss for the year, with Wii U estimates down 60 percent. Part of the company's expected transition involves the outlook it receives as "a video game company." Iwata believes "the intrinsic nature of entertainment is much broader than how we see it today," and that Nintendo "may be able to establish some sort of new core business if we consider our role as an entertainment company in a broader sense." While that may involve Nintendo's "quality of life" initiatives, it also relates to the company's "active utilization of character IP" as well as its expanding definition of video game platforms. It also relates to Nintendo's use of smart phones, as Iwata echoed the company's plans from January to branch into the mobile space: "Moreover, I feel that we will be able to further stimulate our platform business by taking advantage of smart devices," Iwata said. One of its first major pushes into mobile comes in the form of a Mario Kart TV companion app for Mario Kart 8, screens of which were included in Iwata's presentation, as seen above. Nintendo also recently unveiled a near-field communication (NFC) reader for the 3DS as well as plans to use the Wii U Game Pad's built-in NFC functionality with new character figurines. Update: As it turns out, Iwata was referring to the fiscal year 2015 (2016) when he spoke of the company being able to report "Nintendo-like profits from around the following fiscal year," as opposed to 2015. We've updated the language in the article to reflect this. [Image: Nintendo]
Nintendo unveils NFC character figurines, compatible 3DS device
Nintendo is developing figurines with built-in tech to communicate with both the Wii U and 3DS, along with a new device to make them compatible with the handheld. The NFC (near-fields communication) reader and writer is due in the first half of 2015, and uses infra-red to communicate with the 3DS. On the Wii U side, the GamePad has built-in NFC functionality that eShop game Pokemon Rumble U used last year with its own line of Skylanders-like accessories. The character figurines, which Nintendo is calling NFP (NFC Featured Platform or Nintendo Figurine Platform), are set to launch towards the end of this year. Nintendo will showcase them and games they're compatible with at next month's E3 conference in Los Angeles. "In other words, the figurines, which consumers buy and collect, are going to work with multiple software titles to be released in the future," said Nintendo President Saturo Iwata in the company's financial results briefing today, "and we are aiming to develop more software titles compatible with the figurines. Nintendo has a lot of well-known character IP that has originated in video games, and we have been regularly releasing titles from game franchises that make use of this character IP. This is why I believe a brand-new type of platform will be born when the character IP becomes compatible with NFP." A day after Nintendo posted a $229 million loss for the fiscal year, Iwata said the company needed to take risks to establish new ways of using character IP. He described NFP as the first step for a new operation that will become one of Nintendo's "core activities." [Image: Nintendo]
Super Smash Bros. brings the fight to 3DS this summer, Wii U in winter
In a tweet posted immediately prior to today's Super Smash Bros. Nintendo Direct broadcast, the company revealed release windows for the next two Super Smash Bros. games. The 3DS game will make its debut this summer, while the Wii U version will appear in "winter 2014," presumably in time for the holiday shopping season. The two latest entries in the fan-favorite fighting series see the return of familiar faces such as Mario, Link and Samus, but also welcome newcomers like the Animal Crossing villager and Capcom's long-absent Blue Bomber, Mega Man. [Image: Nintendo]
Nintendo president explains new focus on player health
It came as a surprise when Nintendo announced plans to develop health-monitoring technology, but according to president Satoru Iwata, this is just one part of the company's new focus on improving the health of its customers. "With a platform business that improves people's [quality of life] in enjoyable ways, we will attempt to establish a new business area apart from our dedicated video game business," wrote Iwata in his latest Message From The President. "We have set 'health' as the theme for our first step and we will try to use our strength as an entertainment company to create unique approaches that expand this business. Through our new endeavors with the QOL-improving platform, we strive to further promote our existing strategy of expanding our user base, create an environment in which more people are conscious about their health and in turn expand Nintendo's overall user base." Though video games will remain the core of Nintendo's business, Iwata believes this new direction will allow the company to adhere more closely to its motto, "The True Value of Entertainment Lies in Individuality." Iwata also points out that this drastic change of focus shouldn't be so surprising to Nintendo's fans. After all, the company was originally created to manufacture Japanese playing cards. [Image: Wikimedia]
Report: Yamauchi family to sell shares in Nintendo buyback
Nintendo will put into effect a 114.2 billion-yen ($1.1 billion) share buyback program tomorrow – the first instituted response to lackluster Wii U sales lowering the company's bottom line. Nintendo will seek to reacquire as many as 9.5 million shares (7.4 percent) of its outstanding stock at 12,025 yen ($119) each and, according to a report on Bloomberg, the Yamauchi family will be among those selling. Hiroshi Yamauchi, who served as president and CEO from 1949 until 2002, is credited with Nintendo's transition from playing card company into video game powerhouse. Yamauchi left his near 10 percent stake in Nintendo to his four children when he passed away last September. Nintendo has not said if Yamauchi's heirs plan to sell all of their stock or just a fraction. Whatever the intentions of this buyback initiative, it's clear that Nintendo has been thinking a lot about its future. Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata outlined plans last week that included bringing DS games to Wii U and researching non-wearable health tech as means to turn back on the cash printer. [Image: Nintendo]
Nintendo's contrarian streak saved us from a monstrous Pikachu
Pikachu now stands as the world's most famous electric rat, but had Nintendo been more inclined to accept outside advice, the little yellow cash cow may have been less "cuddly" and more "hideously terrifying." During the initial development of Pokemon, the company was repeatedly warned away from the series' now-trademark adorable aesthetic, according to Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. "This cute yellow thing is not a monster, everyone told us," Iwata recalled. Concept art of a muscular, more vicious Pikachu was drafted, but Hiroshi Yamauchi, the president of Nintendo at the time, refused to change the initial design to make the creature a more traditional (pocket) monster. "When you adapt too much, you lose what's unique about you," noted Iwata. Despite his anecdote about the power of sticking to one's guns, Iwata told the Wall Street Journal that Nintendo has to make more of an effort to cater to stereotypically Western tastes if it hopes to survive the company's current dire financial straits. "We need to work even more closely with the U.S. team," Iwata said, noting that "[i]t's all about balance." [Image: The Pokemon Company]
3DS life sim Tomodachi Collection heading West
Tomodachi Collection: New Life is coming to North America, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata has confirmed to the Wall Street Journal. Iwata didn't provide a time table for the Western launch. A Nintendo representative told Joystiq that the company "has nothing to announce at this time." Tomodachi Collection, which translates to Friend Collection, is a series where Miis interact with one another across a variety of everyday activities, like going out to dinner and playing in a band. The first Tomodachi Collection launched on the DS in 2009, was turned into a TV show a year later, then made its debut on the 3DS in 2013 with Tomodachi Collection: New Life. As of last October, the game has sold 1.63 million copies in Japan. The 3DS localization news follows an eventful week for Nintendo, which held an investor's meeting in Japan where CEO Satoru Iwata outlined plans to bring the company back to profitability. Ideas included non-wearable health tech, bringing DS games to the Wii U and a new on-demand games service spanning multiple devices. Image: Nintendo
Iwata: Nintendo considering mergers and acquisitions as an option
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said mergers and acquisitions are an option for turning the company's fortunes around in a Nikkei interview. Iwata said the company "should abandon old assumptions about our businesses. We are considering M&As as an option. For this reason, we'll step up share buybacks." This echos Iwata's statements during a press conference earlier this month in which he said Nintendo is "thinking about a new business structure" and is specifically "studying how smart devices can be used to grow the game-player business." It also follows news of the company having to drastically cut its forecasts for the fiscal year, taking its expected Wii U shipments down from 9 million to 2.8 million. Additionally, Iwata commented on the option of Nintendo delisting itself from the stock market, saying that "quarterly earnings reporting is not a good fit for Nintendo." He said that even when Nintendo thinks a goal is reachable, it doesn't for sure know whether a product will be a hit. "But it is thanks to the stock market that Nintendo has grown to what it is today. I don't want to turn to a management buyout just because we are inconvenienced now," he added.
Nintendo envisions on-demand service tied to IDs across hardware
In a follow-up report to Nintendo's financial briefing today, an on-demand gaming service spanning multiple pieces of hardware is described as part of CEO Satoru Iwata's longterms plans. The first step toward this new on-demand service, the report says, was introducing Nintendo Network IDs on both Wii U and 3DS. This on-demand service would be tied to your Nintendo Network ID as opposed to the individual hardware being used – one ID for multiple devices, rewarding customers loyalty to an account as opposed to an individual piece of hardware, which may be replaced some day. And when the next version of that hardware comes along, certain features or content may not carry over, so for heavy users this loss of content ultimately shapes their habits and loyalty going forward.
Nintendo bringing DS to Wii U Virtual Console
Nintendo's recently cleared technical hurdles regarding the Wii U's Virtual Console offerings have a clear result - the company announced plans for Nintendo DS titles to join the Wii U's current offering. Nintendo's quarterly financial meeting in Japan, in which Nintendo President Satoru Iwata laid out immediate and longterm plans for the company, also mentioned plans to license Nintendo characters to new partners. Who those partners may be is currently unclear, but the suggestion follows the company's Yoshi Island DLC for Sega's Sonic: Lost World and the recently revealed action game set in The Legend of Zelda universe, Hyrule Warriors.
Nintendo working on non-wearable health monitoring tech
Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata revealed the company is looking into non-wearable health monitors during a financial briefing in Japan today. New details on this venture, Iwata said, would be revealed this year, with a planned launch for Nintendo's fiscal year ending March 31, 2016. Iwata said, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, that Nintendo's main theme for the next 10 years will be enhancing the quality of life through entertainment. Health is a large part of that, and Iwata even called out the cadre of wearable health devices already available on the market as evidence of the sector's importance to consumers. Still, this is an especially odd direction granted Nintendo's inability to launch its first foray into health tech, the Wii Vitality Sensor. The Vitality Sensor was announced in 2009 and was designed to monitor the users' heart rate while playing games. Nintendo cited a problem with Wii Vitality Sensor prototypes reading a small percentage of users as the reason for canceling it.
Iwata: Nintendo to entice customers through smart phones, stronger Wii U Gamepad software
Following a mildly profitable financial quarter, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata shared details of Nintendo's future strategies during its quarterly financial results briefing in Japan. Wall Street Journal's live translation of the event reports that these plans will include attracting customers through smart phones, as well as an invigorated effort to support the Wii U Gamepad in new software. During the conference, Iwata noted plans to "actively" use smart devices to "make connections with customers." Iwata dismissed previously reported ideas of releasing games on other platforms, instead suggesting that Nintendo will use smart devices to attract customers to its hardware. Iwata said the company will focus on making software that showcases the Gamepad's capabilities, including its Near Field Communication technology. Iwata also said that Nintendo has overcome technological problems to making Virtual Console titles, a success that would be welcome by Wii U owners frustrated by the console's sparse retro offerings. Plans to utilize the Gamepad's features will also reduce the waiting time for starting up games. A conceptual video on Nintendo's report depicts a Wii U user tapping the power button on the Gamepad. A line of software icons is displayed, allowing the player to immediately boot up a game and select a user account without visiting the Wii U's Wara Wara Plaza first.
Mario Kart 8 starts its engines on Wii U this May
During a corporate briefing today in Japan, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata confirmed Mario Kart 8 would launch on Wii U some time in May. The Wall Street Journal's Digits blog picked up the news during a Nintendo business briefing held in Japan. Mario Kart 8, announced during E3 last year, is the latest in Nintendo's long-running arcade racing series. This new installment includes a gravity-defying mechanic that lets racers ride along walls. Last week, Nintendo had to slash financial forecasts in light of weak Wii U sales. Originally the company had projected Wii U sales to reach a total of 9 million from March 2013 to March 2014. Nintendo now anticipates Wii U shipments will reach 2.8 million in that timeframe.
