Iwata Thinks Nintendo Isn’t Suffering After 30 Years in the Business on the NES’ 30th Anniversary

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the release of the Nintendo Famicom in Japan, the same console that would then become massively popular in the west under the name Nintendo Entertainment System or NES for short.

On the occasion of this historical birthday Nintendo’s honcho Satoru Iwata expressed confidence in the future, strong of the company’s past:

[Mr_Nuts]

Suffering...no

Struggling...yes

How can they get better if they can't admit they are having trouble. Thats the thing about Iwata he lives in this dream world where everything is fine and dandy.

[Abriael]

At least Miyamoto did admit that they are in trouble. There is at least one person that knows what he's talking about there.

Well, happy birthday NES.

[lilbroRx]

Having the number 1 selling piece of gaming hardware and the most popular gaming series in the world is struggling?

The only thing that is having any problems on Nintendo front is the Wii U and that is simply because it lacks games and has hardly any major promotion being put behind it. That want remain the case.

Last I checked, Nintendo was posting profits.

[iamnsuperman]

I think they need to get rid of him and reggie and start to rebrand themselves. The problem is Nintendo still thinks its a toy company and gaming should be a child like toy thing. Things have drastically changed since the early days of Nintendo. It isn't helping with heads (I just named to for an example) are unable to adapt to a changing market. They need to get rid of the old and start bringing in the new to direct them to form a Modern Nintendo.

[gedden7]

You sir are wrong, you have no idea what you are talking about. Nintendo needs to fire Miyamoto? DUMBEST COMMENT EVER MADE!!!

[LOL_WUT]

^ Well, wasn't he supposed to retire? ;)

[lilbroRx]

Nintendo is the most successful gaming company on Earth.

They lead and others follow. They made motion controls and the others added variants. They made a controller with a second screen to bring forth dual screen gameplay and the others create a similar device.

Nintendo is advancing the gaming industry beyond being modern. Why would Nintendo want to drop this stance and take on less substantial methods? This statement is just a stupid as when people suggest Nintendo should stop using their older franchises which are the most popular and profitable gaming franchises on the planet. Why would Nintendo actively want to be "less" successful?

[iamnsuperman]

@lilbroRx

"Nintendo is the most successful gaming company on Earth."

No they are not. They hit big with motion controls but look at everything else in the last 15 years. The Wii was an anomaly. The sold a lot less (compared to their rivals) in their other home systems. I agree they have done well in the mobile gaming market but that is because their closest rival (Sony) is appealing to the wrong market (majority of people who by these systems are young teenagers and women). Essentially giving Nintendo a monopoly. Hell the 3DS didn't start selling well until the price was drastically dropped

"They made a controller with a second screen to bring forth dual screen gameplay and the others create a similar device"

No people didn't. Sony had remote play before the Wii U even came out. Smart glass is a natural progression from Microsoft when the big thing is integrating everything. Nintendo didn't really lead it except in the mobile sphere but that is where that kind of gaming it seems to fit. Not on the home console (evident by a market that doesn't want to buy into it). I would say the Wii U is becoming an advert for why two screen gaming is not what the market wants.

I feel people look at Nintendo from just the Wii's eyes which sold a lot being cheap and interesting but it sold fast and quick and thats it. It was poorly managed when it came to games and it is evident that a lot of people bought a small amount of, if not one, games for the Wii (Wii sports 81 million units compared to the next highest mario kart 34 million)

[jcnba28]

Dude are you on crack?

[Death]

The thing is Nintendo doesn't need to outsell anyone to be successful. Gamers lose sight of the fact a manufacturer doesn't have to sell the most units, it's the profit per machine and of course software that brings in revenue and operating income. Nintendo has always made money, even in the GameCube days. DS sales alone are enough to carry the compant. Home consoles for them is icing on the cake.

[stuna1]

But seriously do you really believe the gamers of today can really be connected to what we old school gamers grew up on? I'll answer that for you with a "NO"! The Mario's, Zelda's, Donkey Kong's! These are games that we enjoyed, and it is because of that, that most are in our households today.

Given the new breed of gamers today, most gamers wouldn't give those games I mentioned a second glance! By us introducing those self-same games to our young ones, it is us who have ensured the survival of these franchises.

The present state of gaming is not mirrored by the present day gamer, it's mirrored by the gamers of yesteryear! I say this because we as gamers from yesterday greatly influence what were willing to allow our children to play on any Nintendo console as well as handhelds.

This is not so easy discernable on Sony or Microsoft console, because these are consoles that already had the title for moreso catering to the hardcore gamer (For lack of a better term). Nintendo on the other hand has for the most part portrayed the exact opposite, they've always have moreso catered to the casual crowd.

As far as making money, you're probably right, but as with any company, their main goal is to maximize profits, and in order to do that it's pretty obvious that some changes or tweaks will need to be made.

[PigPen]

That's a hard argument to make having billions of dollars in the bank.

[stuna1]

Money doesn't mean anything if you squander it!

[CEOSteveBallmer]

yes struggling is the word. Iwata thinks they can pull off another "Wii Success". he cannot count on the casuals anymore because they are happy on their tablets and smartphones. hardcore gamers are their only hope. Is it really hard to create a console which somehow can compete graphically with PS4 and xbox one and at the same time cheap? gameplay is number one yes but graphics is a next factor to think about. think about when final fantasy XV, kingdom hearts 3, fallout 4, and other 3rd party games with real next gen graphics, they will not come to Wii-U since its time consuming and expensive to downgrade graphics and port to wii-u. just like how mass effect, batman, resident evil 5,6 and others did not come to the Wii.

[dcj0524]

The 3DS is a mone¥ printer. That alone can sustain them.

[jcnba28]

Umm sony's CEO seems to be the one that's living in his own little world by not supporting the failing vita. At least Nintendo admit to their problems.

[Mr_Nuts]

Thats nice dear

[Dj7FairyTail]

sounds more like Jack Tretton in your last three lines. Where da price cut on Vita and MC sony?

[3-4-5]

They could outright FAIL...and still be in a good financial situation enough so that it wouldn't even phase them for the next gen.

That is how much money they have and what they are worth.

They aren't going anywhere.

[khowat]

Iwata has admitted many things
https://www.google.ca/searc...

[ShugaCane]

Resting on your laurels won't do you any good, though.

[andibandit]

Of course it will, you will be "well rested"

[SAYGUH]

Iwata. Step down

[Abriael]

Would it solve much? I doubt Nintendo's problems are to be chalked to one person.

[thecurseddevil]

i agree on your comment.
lol on the dislikes.

[Mr_Nuts]

He's too fixed on sticking to tradition, they need a fresh look on the company and get with the bloody times. If they don't they'll end up further and further away from the PS4/Xbox One that they could end up going down SEGAs path.

Sony realised they couldn't stick with tradition that's why they got Mark Cerny to help with the PS4 and now the PS4 looks fantastic. A huge improvement over the PS3, a console which tried to stick to tradition.

[Death]

I'm not sure I agree with why they went with Mark. All indications point to lack of financial resources on why they went to an outside source on the PS4. Sony has always used proprietary hardware of their own design to control costs in manufacturing and in licensing.

The PS3 was as untraditional as you could get. The design was radical and the inclusion of Blu-ray was to propel sales across all segments in the company. HDMI was relatively new and many needed a newer HDTV to get the most from the console. Blu-ray inclusion cemented the format over HD-DVD which helped out their movie/home video divisions. The fact Kutaragi wanted a second cell used as a GPU was insanely creative. Had his vision/gamble paid off we would have a completely different Sony today.

The PS4's architecture looks very similar to the XboxOne architecture for a reason. Microsoft has always gone after parts bin components due to the cost effectiveness. They have been PC partners for decades. The 360 with its relatively stock PowerPC chip was much less expensive than Sony's heavily modified PowerPC based "Cell". Mark went the least expensive route available this time which the Xbox has been patterned after since its inception.

[MizTv]

Nintendo make some real good games
But they are few and far between
It's all about the games

[jcnba28]

Wow. Could you be more wrong?

[TheFirstClassic]

Yeah Nintendo really hasnt been the same since he and Reggie came in. Miss the old nintendo.

[jcnba28]

Hirai. Step down

[Dj7FairyTail]

telling da man who took a pay cut, refuses to layoff employee and staff for money, rebuild buildings instead of selling, doesn't close down studios, actually worked on games, and try to improve his company on the recent mistake.

Tell me how in 2012 Sony
- layed off over 10,000
- sold their Tokyo building for 1.2b
- closed down over 3 studios
- Vita failure refuses to drop MC prices or get rid of them for SD cards
- Jack Tretton refuses to accept Vita failure
- Didn't take pay cut
- Made little money from PS division in 2012

that they shouldnt step down. And dont bring up PS4 hardware.

[EXVirtual]

Listen, I'm a huge fan of Nintendo and Sony. But honestly, the Nintendo fanboys need to stop defending them every step of the way. Nintendo should've made there big 1st party games as launch titles or launch windows. If they had a full fledged Zelda on release, they would've sold an untold amount of units. If something like Mario Kart was on release... you don't even wanna know. Then after that, it 2014, they could've been working on stuff like Metroid and maybe even new IPs. It's 2013. HD games are hard to make for Nintendo, because they're so stuck in the past. The industry has evolved, in both good and bad ways (the bad being over use of AAA games, too many multiplats and over saturation of FPS') but Nintendo need to get with the times. SSB for Wii U and especially 3DS should've been out ages ago. AT LAUNCH. It's an HD fighting game that could be run on the PS3. On the 3DS, it should be 1 year development at the most. It was announced back at E3 2011. It does not take 3 years to make a fighting game. I know, the process of choosing characters is hard, but if ya can't come up with movesets, don't do em. Megaman was important however. The point is, Nintendo needs to get with the times when it comes to consoles. At the moment the 3DS is beasting. But the Wii U... not so much.

[Mr_Nuts]

Thats the problem I have with Nintendo at the moment. They said Mario Kart wasn't put into development barley over a year ago. Now Mario Kart is a big franchise why wasn't this put into development when the Wii U was finished development, we could of had the game by now and they could of had a Metroid/Star Fox game in the making for the end of this year instead.

Who knows when they actually started Zelda U

Then you have the fact they are making Smash Bros U alongside the 3DS version despite them saying it could hold the console version back...I mean come on, these are just silly decisions on their part, hell I don't even want to get into the online problem.

[Dj7FairyTail]

news flash
Mario Kart Double Dash and Wii came out a year or two after both system launches.

[PigPen]

The same could be said about Sony. The PS4 is ugly but I hear, it grew on me. Sony is now charging for online but I hear, we get free games so it's worth it. Sony have the worst controller but I hear, PS4 controller is the superior. Sony has sold buildings and has no money but I hear, they have other divisions. Sony forever is copying competitors but I hear, Sony is the future. But honestly, Sony fanboys need to stop defending them every step of the way.

[EXVirtual]

Dafuq? I'm not saying Sony is perfect. Did I say anything about the PS4 controller? NO. Did I say the PS4 was beautiful? NO. Did I say Nintendo has less money than Sony? NO. Did I say I WANT to pay for online (Even though I don't use it much anyway)? NO. And BTW, I've seen your comments before and you seem like an Xbox fan. Is Microsoft innocent when it comes to copying competitors? NO. All of your claims are personal opinions (Apart from the paid online and Sony selling buildings) and that's fine. But what I said was true. Just like I'll say that Sony screwed up bigtime with the $600 price tag on the PS3. You can't deny that the PS4 and even the Xbox One are getting more demand than the Wii U AT THE MOMENT. I'm not saying Nintendo is doomed, I'm just saying they need to up their game. Sony still needs to push. MS did show MORE games at E3. Not better in my opinion, but definitely more. Sony need to get more exclusive JRPGs and more Japanese 3rd party exclusives in general. That's what I want to see from them. In the future especially. I was disappointed KH3 and FFXV weren't exclusive to PS4. So in the future, Sony need to improve on getting 3rd party exclusives from Japanese developers, including Square Enix. I just said I'm a huge Sony and Nintendo fan. Not that Sony is perfect or that Nintendo is doomed. Because both those claims are BS. You don't need to get defensive when I have a structured critical opinion on Nintendo, which a lot of people agree with. People on youtube have said it and people here agree with.

EDIT: Didn't I praise Nintendo on the performance of the 3DS?

[dcj0524]

Ps move is the only copy I recall. Refresh my memory, list what they copied. If they had no money, there would be no ps4.

[Firan]

You also should stop bringing Sony and fanboyism every time someone mentions something negative about Nintendo.

Your hate against Sony is no different than Sony fanboys hating Nintendo.

[solidjun5]

And you're just a sad little fanboy. Seriously, just stop.

[jairusmonillas]

Nintendo is still living in the early 90s.

PS1 and PS2 dominated gaming like never before, wake me up when a Nintendo console outsells PS2 and its awesome library of games.

[andrewer]

PS2 is the best console ever IMO. But for me, since the PS3 they just crapped.

[Dan_scruggs]

Who is living in the 90's again? Since the Nintendo Wii already handily beat the PS3.

[CEOSteveBallmer]

you need to think that Yes salewise wii is a success. thanks to casuals around the world. the casuals outnumber us core gamers. the grandpas grandmas, little kids and parents who are not tech savvy likes the wii so much regardless of the graphics capability. but this time, the casuals are happy with their tablets and smartphones. nintendo can only count on us core gamers to buy the wii-u. I think they really need to compete at the "same level" of graphics fidelity but not necessarily have an expensive hardware. ala PS2 vs. Xbox. xbox is powerful yes but they are still both on the same wavelentgh. all of their multiplat games look similar. unlike wii to ps3 and 360

[PigPen]

Sony have been on a decline as far as the company and their consoles. The PS3, PSP, Vita all are spanked, nothing to brag about here.

[dcj0524]

PS3&PSP sold well. VITA is gaining speed much like how the first 2 years of psp and ps3 were "doomed" even though they weren't. Same situation with vita except its gaining momentun slightly quicker. Spanked by what? Money?

[jcnba28]

Sony are the one's living in the 90's by just caring about graphics. Where are the innovative games that Nintendo always deliver on? Hmm? All I see are shooters, shooters everywhere. You call that fun? I feel sorry for you.

[Jay70sgamer]

Jcnba28 I've been saying the same thing shooters shooters shooters and they call that innovative .....after awhile you want something different ..not the same ole same ole ...to all the people that's gonna say oh nintendo repeats mario ,Zelda etc not one Mario or Zelda is the same or plays the same ..that's fact and truth ....last time I remember gameplay trumps graphics oh I forgot I'm on an Sony fanboy page lol go ahead disagree me to death because I tell the truth

[Firan]

"wake me up when a Nintendo console outsells PS2 and its awesome library of games."

DS says hi. It's unclear if it's already outsold PS2 or not. Some sources say it is while other say it's not. Either way it's really close.

inb4 "it's a handheld"

[PigPen]

Lol, so you're the article police. You're here to serve and protect the innocent and uphold the law. I should stop bringing Sony and fanboyism into the conversation every time somebody mentions something negative about Nintendo, what. You see Sony hate, I call it tough love. I hate to hear crazy talk so I fire back. And where do you stand article officer. Don't tell me you're just here to keep the piece.

[Dj7FairyTail]

why isnt Sony oh yeah no wonder Sony is in last they went to crater western games with ps3 and powerful hardware insteas doing a moderate hardware, with strong exclusive japanese support and bring it old ips back.

[whitesoxfalife1976]

The problem is that they haven't changed with the times....
Sega understood they cudn compete no more went only software.... jus sayn Nintendo so go software as well.... I think it will help them in long run still keep portable tho

[Death]

SEGA went broke. They couldn't find a buyer for their assets and seperated into multiple smaller entities. Many of the dev houses simply closed their doors. Nintendo has always made it with the business model they have. It's primarily a first party console with more limited third party support.

No one likes to hear it, but Sony is much closer to being a third party than Nintendo. Nintendo's assets are huge while Sony has been struggling for years. Now that they aren't creating custom hardware the lines between Microsoft and Sony aren't as clear with the main focus being on software.

[whitesoxfalife1976]

I dunno bout Sony being closer to a software only like Sega but I agree tho

[PSK22]

You see, It Nintendo. The fact the they been through it all, it makes their reputation stay alive. History makes them strong.

[Kurt Russell]

Learning from history makes people strong. Looking to the future makes people strong.

Living in the past and sitting on your laurels doesn't... Sega had a great history when the Playstation was born, then it became it.

[andrewer]

Nintendo learned from history that the most powerful console never wins and released the Wii. They looked at the future and saw a possibility with motion control, and now, a tablet as a controller. So I guess your point is...graphix, right?

[Kurt Russell]

Not at all. My point was clearly stated in the words of my previous post... no mention of graphics, no mention of Nintendo.

I was simply replying to PSK22 and explaining that "History makes them strong" is not always the case and constantly changing and adapting to suit the newer environment is the only way to stay afloat.

Don't be so defensive Andrew.

[gedden7]

Suffering NO! Struggling NO....

Only struggling with how the media perceives them.

FACTS
Nintendo took a "lost" last fiscal year. A Lost not went NEGATIVE they still made a great Profit. Nintendo is still in the black (profitable) where Sony and MS ALWAYS take are close to the red because they rather take a lost in hardware and try to make profit on software... Which that is biting them in the ass because these super HIGH powered systems which produce great visuals (which we all love) are driving up dev costs, extremely.... Any game that has to sale more than 4+ million just "break even" is insanity and bad for business...

Back to Nintendo, N has been making PROFITS since the 80s, whereas Sony's and MS' gaming division has been in the negative... Not to mention Sony's electronics are doing very bad and MS' red ring of death fiasco really HURT their profits last gen. The only thing really keeping both those companies up are the other business that they own. Nintendo just only games, so you tell me who is really struggling. But media outlets will have you thinking something totally different of course because most of these annalists, sites, articles and editors have their own agenda and rather not focus on N's positives and only focus their negatives and blow it out of proportion and write doom and gloom articles after articles after articles.

Even some of these 3rd party companies are into it (EA).. They are so pissed about the EA Origin deal with N, they just make up crap instead of just saying they are made @ N because of that.

Nintendo is here to stay even if you like it or not. They just make TOO much $$$$$ (Billions) and are damn good at what they do!

[andrewer]

Right on!
Never seen so much truth in a comment lol

[MilkMan]

Let me tell you something, the 3DS is awesome. They keep pumping content into that piece of tech and I NEVER leave my home without it. Its just one of the best portable gaming devices I've ever had and I have them all.
I was about to sell my Vita, but I will hold on to it a little while longer because I feel there will be new life flowing into that device with the intro of PS4. If Nintendo can get their software right, WiiU will be a banger.

[solidworm]

How the hell are Nintendo supposed to turn the corner if the people in charge are sleep walking into oblivion? Nutters.

[maniac76]

They only still around cause of its video game characters lol

[SprigganN4G]

Game Boy: 120 million
Game Boy Advance: 82 million
Nintendo DS: 154 Million
Nintendo 3DS: 31 Million and counting

In home consoles, they ruled the NES and SNES era, but since N64 (1996) they are not relevant anymore in the home console market.

Focus on handhelds Nintendo

[PigPen]

Don't forget the Wii selling 100 million, almost.

[thomasmiller]

yes if it wasn't for nintendo where would video games be!!! microsoft and sony trolls should remember this the next time they want to shoot off their big mouths trashing nintendo!!

[jairusmonillas]

Sony save gaming with PS1 and PS2. Thank you Sony.

[LOL_WUT]

Step down Iwata please you're only hurting the company. The Wii was such a success because it was aimed at the casuals the sooner you fanboys realize this the better. ;)

[thomasmiller]

yes! bayonetta 2, pikmin 3, zelda, metroid, monolith x, love those causual games!! DUH! DUH! DUH! DUH! DUH! DUH! DUH! DUH! DUH! DUH! DUH! DUH!

[akaihana86plus]

Like he is gonna read your comment LMAO!!!!, awwww :3♥

[khowat]

I agree but I think Nintendo has always opted for revolution over evolution

They would always rather revolt against the norm of the industry than evolve with it, and that should change

But I must say the wii truly was a success because it was aimed where the other two competitors weren't, the blue ocean strategy.

Also I assume you don't work for nintendo, if you don't it is unfair to aasume that all this mess is solely on Iwata (Although he represents the company)it could just the company culture