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Analysts react to Tatsumi Kimishima becoming Nintendo's president

14 September, 2015 by rawmeatcowboy | 15

"This is a solid and safe interim solution. It will probably bridge the gap until a 'true' successor is found without any big hiccups. All three Nintendo leaders are veterans that know the company in and out. Kimishima even has work experience in the US - that is a first for a Nintendo CEO."

"They had to react quickly, as the company we knew as Nintendo is set for a radical transformation: a new console is on the horizon, DeNA is a new close partner that will bring Nintendo games to smart devices, more and more Nintendo IP will be used by third parties - and all happens in a time when we have the biggest market for gaming that ever existed. In their initial reactions, many fans (at least those living outside Japan) seem to have described Kimishima as a bit stiff, a typical 'suit' who doesn't seem to have the charisma to represent Nintendo."

"However, Iwata also acted as and had the aura of a very serious Japanese businessman - but successfully broke expectations set by his appearance by being entertaining and ironic during Nintendo Direct, for example."

"But Iwata was a unique personality and can't be just replaced 1:1."

"Kimishima might be different after all and is likely to let other people, i.e. Shigeru Miyamoto and Reggie Fils-Aime, represent Nintendo going forward."--Serkan Toto, consultant with Tokyo-based Kantan Games Inc.

“Kimishima-san is an excellent choice, and could be seen by the markets as a clear statement of intent to continue Iwata-san’s strategy. So leveraging the installed base of Wii U and 3DS users to generate software sales, pushing into mobile with DeNA and Niantic, and launching Nintendo’s new console system NX in 2016. Whether NX is an augmented/virtual reality focused console or something else, it will define Nintendo’s future as an integrated hardware/software player. A steady hand is needed to maximize profitability in the coming years to support it, and Kimishima-san is that steady hand.”--Tim Merel, Managing Director of Silicon Valley based tech advisor Digi-Capital

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Rating: 3
Categories: Interviews

Comments

xcwarrior
Mon Sep 14 15 06:43pm

So he's a stop gap and they are admitting that. Interesting, and that's fine since we are at the end of botht he WiiU and 3DS cycle and they already know what the successors are going to be NX and mobile.

vonter
Mon Sep 14 15 07:01pm

Pretty much:

Mon Sep 14 15 07:17pm

If he can steer the company into a more core-gamer-friendly direction and image, I would be more than happy to support the man. Nintendo is in dire need of evolving.

sisibakbak
Mon Sep 14 15 08:16pm

Agreed. The Wii bubble has burst and trying to get it back like they did with Wii U just isn't going to happen. That audience has left to mobile, but hopefully that's where the Dena stuff will work out- get that audience through them and keep (and grow) the more traditional audience on consoles.

Mon Sep 14 15 10:08pm

Yep, casual gaming on consoles is virtually dead. It's a smartphone thing due to ease of access. I believe that moving smaller casual stuff to phone while focusing on hardcore experiences on consoles can only improve their standing.

nxenocity
Wed Sep 16 15 10:35am

To be Xenoblade Chronicles X is the closest thing Nintendo has made to core game in it's video game history.
Nintendo has never made a hardcore game to date on any of their systems.
Hardcore gaming has never been in Nintendo's wheel house.

The question is, is Nintendo capable of producing it's first hardcore game?

Wed Sep 16 15 02:27pm
(Updated 1 time)

Most of the NES to GC days games they made back in the day were actually hardcore games. Many accessible games are also fantastic core games. Super Mario Bros games tended to get progressively harder with Super Mario Bros 2 Japan being aimed at expert players only. F Zero games give a fair bit of challenge to any player and even lets theplayer flat out crash and he eliminated. Sta4 Fox SNES is clearly a hardcore arcade shooter with a fair amount of challenge, while Star Fox 64 has amazing score attack potential. Fire Emblem is one of the most hardcore strategy RPGs featuring permadeath and weapons management. Golden Sun is a classic RPG with a very in depth class system. Most Zelda games feature long adventures and some would be deemed hard by today's standards. Smash Bros. Melee is one of the deepest fighters ever made. Metroid games got more and deep as time went on, demanding time and some skillful maneouvering. Pokémon also has a thriving competitive scene and a very deep metagame. Xenoblade is also not "almost" a core game. It is one.

Nintendo used to make deep and accessible games. The traditional controls were intuitive, yes challenge did ramp up. To say that Nintendo has never made a hardcore game is factually wrong.

nxenocity
Wed Sep 16 15 03:19pm

That's revisionist history at it's finest.

Nintendo's NES output was openly mocked for being too childish and family friendly by arcade gamers and Atari fans.
The NES controller was decried as a gimmick because it lack at joystick and the extra buttons of the competition.
You went to the arcade if you hardcore gaming.
If you wanted to game with your family or kids, you played Nintendo (I lived it).

SNES came out, it was mocked for being weaker than Genesis and having a gimmicky controller with 4 face buttons in the shape of a diamond while having L&R shoulder buttons.
The competition either had 3 face buttons or 6 face buttons with no shoulder buttons.
Oh the system was regularly dogged for lacking hardcore and mature games, while being focused on family friendly and kiddy titles.
You played the competition and arcades if you wanted hardcore gaming, you played Nintendo if you wanted games for kids.

N64 obviously you don't remember the shock of the analog stick and how it was decried as a massive gimmick. Third parties openly refused to supposed to support the controller because of the analog stick (I remember the articles)
Also Nintendo tried to get a bloody M rated game at launch in the West, hoping it would convince the market that Nintendo 64 was good for hardcore gaming, it didn't work.

Super Mario 64 sealed the system's fate as kiddy system because it was E-rated and colorful.
Nintendo 64 is remembered for being 3D fully of E rated kiddy games.
PS1 is remembered for bringing game to adults and being littered with hardcore games
Saturn is remembered for niche arcade ports.

Gamecube also is highly remembered for being a system for children that gets whomped by PS2 and Xbox in the graphical department.
The Gamecube is fondly remembered for being an insult to hardcore gaming due to it's purpleness and only having kiddy games (despite having quite a few M rated games).
You played PS2 and Xbox if you wanted real games/hardcore games, a traditional pad (it's controller was decried as a gimmick too) and next gen graphics.

Wii was the first Nintendo system that wasn't derided for being kiddy and child oriented. Granted it never shook the "casual" and "feminine" labels. DS also had the same labels. Both were said to lack hardcore games.

Wii U is back to form as in people label it as system for children and a gimmicky controller.
All the gamers I know keep reminding me how my Nintendo systems lack hardcore games and wonder why I refuse to pay hardcore games.

Nintendo is family company and always will be.
The competition will always known for having hardcore games and systems.

And I hate to break to you, no Nintendo game has ever been accepted as hardcore by the hardcore gamers.
Gamers have debated whether or not Nintendo games fit the definition of core games since NES.

I've been gaming since 1989, I can tell you how hardcore gamers have been hating on us who play Nintendo games since the very beginning, if not whining about Nintendo ruining their beloved gaming too.

Wed Sep 16 15 05:14pm
(Updated 2 times)

Dude, you're the one refusing to look at facts. I gave you so much evidence to prove my point that you're looking silly arguing against it.

I have never seen any evidence stating that the NES controller was ever called a gimmick, and while some people did mock the NES (mostly due to their advertising) as being childish, the were a minority of individuals l. Plus, they were absolutely wrong. The only reason for a difference in game design standards is that games were not intending to make you lose intentionally so that they could take your money. Even then, the Nintendo hard expression was created to describe how insanely hard some NES games were.

Again, NO ONE considered the SNES controller a gimmick. It was widely called an amazing evolution of the NES controller. You are making things up as you go.

You keep arguing your point mentioning their reputation. However, the N64 had F-Zero X, Star Fox 64, Zelda OOT, Zelda MM, smash 64 Paper Mario... All of these games were harcore gamer centric. The Gamecube was the same with a thriving tournament scene (smash), one of the most hardcore racers ever made, a Zelda made specifically to appeal to the core, an FPS Metroid, several good RPGS, etc, mature games like Eternal Darkness, MGS The Twin Snake, Resident Evil, etc... People's perception do no necessary serve as an accurate representation of the company's direction. They used to go for simple to learn, complex to master. The Gamecube in particular was an amazing system that was unfortunately hindered by its inconsistent marketing. A hardcore game console marketed at children. The controller was unfortunately not given a fair chance, as it truly is a piece of art.

You have a strange vision of what a gimmick actually is. A gimmick is something like the Wiimote, which mutates the experience into something entirely different. The controllers before that merely were logical evolutions. They all let you sit on your butt and use reliable inputs. Playing using a GC controller is like playing with an NES controller with a better button setup and a stick to adapt to a 3D environment.

Whether people accept them as hardcore or not is an irrelevant fact. I have given you ample evidence that they have made a vast amount of them.

And you last paragraph hit me. I hope you are not one of those elitist casuals who illogically hate all core gamers. Intolerance does come from insecurity after all.

nxenocity
Wed Sep 16 15 06:34pm

You gave no facts, you gave your opinion and view
You also gave a misguided definition of hardcore and core.
I use to subscribe to numerous gaming publications from EGM, Next Gen, Nintendo Power to name a few.
The NES was decried as a gimmick because it had D-PAD instead of the joystick.

The SNES was not well beloved in its day, it was quite controversial amongst gamers while Genesis and NeoGeo were universally praised for their advancements in gaming and advancing hardcore gaming and mature gaming (I lived it and had the reading material).

SNES, as I've noted was known for having a processor that was 2x slower than Genesis/Mega Drive and ignoring the traditional controllers that the competition was using compared to Nintendo forcing unwanted change.

Nintendo 64 controller was very controversial the first three years when Sega and Sony openly mocked it as having too many inputs and using a gimmicky analog stick. Most 3rd parties refused to support the analog stick because they didn't want to be forced to move on from the D-pad (There are plenty of old magazines with developers talking about how they didn't like the Nintendo 64 analog stick being forced on them)

Ironically the first dual shock was the final PS1 controller.

Wii Remote was just gimmicky as every other Nintendo controller, which lead to pointer controls, motion controls and speakers being implemented across the board as an industry standard.
Dual Shock 4 has built in motion controls, speaker on the controller, a touch pad, and can be used a pointer.

PS Move is considered motion controls for the hardcore and is being revived as the primary input for PlaystationVR
Motion controls are also built into other VR controllers.

Here is the official Webster definition of the word gimmick:
1)
a : a mechanical device for secretly and dishonestly controlling gambling apparatus
b : an ingenious or novel mechanical device : gadget

2)
a : an important feature that is not immediately apparent : catch
b : an ingenious and usually new scheme or angle
c : a trick or device used to attract business or attention http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gimmick

Everything new is a gimmick until proven otherwise.

According to the official study done on gaming using statistics, this is the main qualifications of the hardcore gamer in 2002:

1)Prefer action/violent games
2)Are very competitive
3)Often have the latest consoles and/or high-end PCs
4)Are usually technologically savvy
5)Prefer to play games that have depth and complexity
6)Often seek out game-related information and participate in gaming communities http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131397/from_casual_to_core_a_statistical_.php

It also identifies the remaining group as:
*Ultra casual or non-gamers
*Casual
*Transitional/moderate
*Hardcore
*Ultra hardcore (obsessive)

---

On November 22nd 2013 leading up to the PS4 launch, NPR did segment on hardcore and casual gaming.
It argues that those playing Call of Duty and other violent video games are the hardcore gamer.
It calls those who show very little interest in them as "Casual" gamer. http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2013/11/29/246747168/hard-core-and-casual-gamers-play-in-different-worlds

---

Kotaku says Hardcore gaming is a myth in 2011 http://kotaku.com/5843253/the-hardcore-gaming-myth

---
The BBC (the gold standard in journalism) called the Hardcore/Serious gamers, those who play games such as Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition; Aliens: Colonial Marines; Mass Effect 3; Assassin's Creed 3 and ZombiU and other violent game.s

They called people who play games like these as casual gamers, New Mario Bros U, Pikmin 3 and Scribblenauts Unlimited, NintendoLand and most other Wii U games.
This from the unveil at E3 2012 http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18334462

Their reporting from E3 2001, called majority of the games shown for Gamecube as aimed for children not hardcore gamers (They received an earful from some gaming sites). http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18334462

Starting in 2013 NPD stated that there is 6 types of gamers:

1) Omni gamers (Multiplatform owners including PC/MAC)
2)Free and Mobile (Mainly smartphone and tablet gaming)
3)Core/Hardcore (Mainly plays on Xbox or Playstation systems, fitting the definitions as posted above, multiplatform owners aren't core gamers)
4)Casual Gamer (This and the one below it are where most Nintendo games and Nintendo owners fall)
5)Family Gamer (See above)
6)Social Gamer http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2013/06/05/free-an-mobile-gamers-outnumber-console-players.aspx?PostPageIndex=2

So where do you fall on NPD's labels?

I don't believe in gaming labels, I don't believe there is such things as hardcore, kiddy, casual gamers and games.

I play nearly all genre of games except for most shooters, which just don't; appeal to me.
I've also been multiplatform owner since 1993 (including PC)

Wed Sep 16 15 09:37pm

I don't have the option to answer you, so I'll answer myself:

Sure, I gave facts. I named dozens of games that have a hardcore audience in mind. I hav eproven you to be factually wrong.

A core gamer is one who is very dedicated to gaming, I think it's quite easy to give as a definition. it often translates to greater skill and preference for traditional controls due to its reliability. As for your definition of gimmick, it doesn't add up. In gaming, we use a very specific meaning for the word "gimmick". It is something that derails from the standard experience in a way that transforms it into something else altogether. A motion controller is not the same experience as playing with a traditional controller, not even remotely. Even the mindset you need to have is different. I therefore state that the NES until the GC were not gimmick consoles but the natural evolution of a medium. o amount of straw-grasping will change this fact. And no, the NES was certainly not seen as a gimmick. Also, you can't name rival companies making fun of their competitors as the feelings of the majority.

The changes made from system to system were meant to evolves gaming, using a logical assessement of how the medium keeps changing. the joystick became necessary due tot he idea of moving along a 3D field. By your definition, it is not "a trick or device used to attract business or attention". The Wiimote however was certainly it, a gimmick.

The great thing about DualShock 4 is that it rarely if ever forces those gimmicks on you.And no, no hardcore gamer worth his salt considers any sort of motion device viable.

Also, please, please do not use Kotaku as a source. They are part of the awful Gawker media. They are trash at any kind of research, and them calling out a definition doesn't make them right. They were those who called gamers dead after all....

As for you study, it needs to divulge its margin of error, effect size, methodology and beyond that... it doesn't prove any of your points, so I find it strange that you even bring it up.

And come on, the BBC still believes that games cause mass murder violence. You are going to source that? They are hardly professionals in the field.

jayvir
Mon Sep 14 15 08:36pm

Like others have said, he's a stop-gap. His term is only for 1 year to just buy some time.

With that being said, what he's said regarding Nintendo recently, I completely like hearing. You can't do business based on numbers alone. Combine that with the fact that the Wii U, despite being a great system, was not a good choice. Focusing on the West and providing great software is definitely a positive.

tellis429
Mon Sep 14 15 10:03pm
(Updated 1 time)

I've been extremely wary of Nintendo as of late and that's not something I can pin on Iwata alone. Nintendo as a whole needs to change and it appears that they are attempting to do so no matter how small/slow that change is. I just hope this guy pumps out some interesting results during his short/long term or whatever they decided he will fill.

lokamp
Tue Sep 15 15 03:02am

I'd be curious to know from who come the "Iwata Appreciation" quotes; it's horrifying how double-faced have been many people on the Internet about Iwata after his death, throwing the worst sh*t to his work when alive and then acclaiming him as a saint the day after.

Hell, for all the people who dislike Patcher, you have to admit that he has been 100% coherent to his stance even after Iwata's death, while still sending his condolences to friends and family members...

nurio
Tue Sep 15 15 08:20am

I can actually really agree with this. (Patcher, though. It's Pachter!)
I don't understand the outcry people had against Pachter when he said what he has always said while also extending his condolences to friends and family. Did people actually expect Pachter to suddenly praise Iwata because he's dead? That would actually be disrespectful in its own way...
It kind of reminds me of Michael Jackson. He got a lot of shovel thrown at him, but the moment he died, he was suddenly the best guy on Earth, and no one could think of a bad thing to say about him.

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