Topic: New Nintendo President: Tatsumi Kimishima

Tatsumi Kimishima has been appointed as the new president of Nintendo.

Tatsumi Kimishima used to be president of NOA from 2002 until 2006. Before that, he also was the president of Pokémon USA for a short while.

Source: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2015/150914e.pdf

A new beginning now begins...

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. He's a bussinessman with experience in both the Japanese and the western markets.

I'm hoping that his experience with NOA brings some much needed strategies to NOJ. It would be a welcome change for Nintendo to operate from a global perspective rather than focussed on a Japanese one. They've been making small changes here and there but Tatsumi could really bring about some bold and interesting directions.

Dude is 65 years old, so this is probably just a temporary thing until a new CEO is groomed. Iwata's passing was untimely and probably not expected prior to 2015, so there hasn't really been any time. Kimishima is a good choice for now though. His background is financial and he's a strong businessman, so he should be able to at least keep the company in the black until a more permanent solution is found.

Notably, he played an integral part in bringing Pokemon to the west and also heavily believed in western design influence during the Gamecube era. That's... something.

@CaviarMeths: that's not nothing at all, that is probably a clear and conscious decision by nintendo.

My first thoughts:

1 He has advocated western design influences and experience within that market. Nintendo wants to be a strong, unified business with international appeal and signals this.
2 He is old, but experienced. Nintendo can sail a steady course with him, while looking for the best fit in talent and devotion from someone else for the long term will be easier and less pressured now.
3 The transition nintendo hinted at the last few years is already in full swing at the company. There is no old nintendo, just in our minds… Iwata had probably set out the entire chess board already.
4 He really does sound like a boss in tekken.

Make no mistake. This guy is a businessman, not a developer. He started out working for a bank, and started at Nintendo under the business-centric Pokemon company.

But that may be just what Nintendo needs to get back up. Better IP management and better advertising.

This is going to be so interesting. I am interested and scared for where nintendo going to go now.

I think what is important is that he should could keep in mind the creative spirit of Nintendo while hopefully trying to integrate some better business skills into the company.

I hope the guy loves JRPGS and making Nintendo prosper in areas they are lacking.

Well..... tbh, I didn't think Miyamoto-san and Takeda-san would appoint him as CEO.

I did some research before this happened about him and he seems to be very experienced. But at the same time, I'm scared because this guy may push Nintendo to go just mobile......something which I fear for the worst.

So basically he's open to Nintendo being acquired by another company...? This doesn't bode well for Nintendo's future.

By "outsider" he most definitely means someone from outside Japan. Not that a different company should run it.

@Neko_Rukiafan: I think you misinterpreted that phrase. I think he means that Nintendo in the the future might have a president appointed that didn't have a background as a Nintendo employee. This happens all the time in business. For instance, the current CEO of Yahoo!, Marissa Mayer, was recruited from its rival company Google. Maybe in the future Nintendo won't be run by a Japanese, even.
In no way that points out a desire to sell the company.

Assuming you're directing this at NintyMan's comment - he's open to somebody from outside of Nintendo (or outside of Japan entirely) taking on his role as CEO once he's no longer needed. Nintendo's might not be as financially stable as they used to be, but they are still self-sufficient enough to not be looking for acquisition any time soon.

I'm sure he'll do well. The tie to the west is a plus.

One thing that surprised me was that Reggie has been the president for a short amount of time. I thought he was in the position much longer.

He does look a bit dry and unfriendly.

Yeah the comment section of that article is silly. People are so emotionally attached to this position that the only president they'd tolerate apparently would be Miyamoto. Let's think about Nintendo's bottom line for a second and not get caught up on how well someone smiles lol

Some new info on Kimishima's position coming from Serkan Toto:

1) In yet another Nikkei article (last I summarize/translate), new Nintendo boss Kimishima’s personality is described as “soft+friendly”.
2) According to the Nikkei, Kimishima predicted Wii U’s failure when it was introduced by warning it’s too similar to the original Wii.
3) Despite his business background, he is quoted as saying it’s wrong to lead a gaming company on numbers alone.
4) The Nikkei claims Kimishima wasn’t Iwata’s favorite choice. Nintendo was 1st looking for somebody younger but didn’t have the personnel.
5) The article also suggests the troika was a rushed decision because the holiday season, where Nintendo makes 50%+ of sales, is near.
6) Accordingly, Kimishima is quoted as saying one task for him will be to develop the next group leadership structure for Nintendo.

https://twitter.com/serkantoto

If he thought the Wii U was too similar to the Wii (while that's debatable in terms of hardware, it's undeniable that the branding was very similar) I wonder what that means for the NX. It might be too late to implement any radical changes in the hardware philosophy (what that even is) but he could very well take it in a new direction when it comes to branding and marketing the product.