- Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata
Forbes.com scored an interview this week with Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata.
One of the things Iwata addressed was the disappointment the console’s hardcore fans expressed over Nintendo’s E3 news conference. He called any claims that Nintendo has been ignoring its core gamers “a misunderstanding.”
Normally at E3, Nintendo makes a major announcement, or at the very least talks about an upcoming Super Mario or Zelda game. But not this time around.
Read what Iwata had to say after the break.
Here’s an excerpt of the Forbes article:
While Nintendo has done an excellent job in attracting new players to the videogame industry, it has been harshly criticized for ignoring the people who stuck with the company through the lean years. Many hardcore gamers feel the company has abandoned them.
This was apparent at the company’s press conference at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo. Typically, Nintendo briefings are raucous affairs with frequent interruptions for applause. (Heck, I even saw one fanboy break into tears when the trailer for “The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” was first shown four years ago.)
This year, though, the conference was a muted affair–and not just because E3 was a smaller event.
“If there is any perception that Nintendo is ignoring the core gamers, it’s a misunderstanding and we really want to get rid of that misunderstanding by any means,” says Iwata. “We are sorry about [the E3] media briefings, specifically for those who were expecting to see Nintendo show something about ‘Super Mario’ or ‘Legend of Zelda.’
“However, the fact of the matter is the so-called ‘big titles’ need a long, long development period. … We really didn’t think this year’s E3 media briefing was the time to do so.”
The Nintendo faithful have forgiven the company before–and it’s likely they’ll do so again. But as non-core gamers contribute more and more to the company’s bottom line, their voices are likely to grow still louder.
For the full article, click here.
