Topic: Should Satoru Iwata Get Fired And Replaced With Someone New?

I didn't mean the games. I was referring more to the imposition of motion controls and the fact that they were still giving you Gamecube quality graphics on a next-gen platform...the fact that a lot of resources were put into creating software that aimed to attract people who didn't actually like video games.

I'm sorry, but I HATED motion controls. I never completed Mario Galaxy because I found the wii-mote so aggravating. As for LoZ Skyward Sword, they want you to actually physically do the motion of swinging your sword??? I mean, i'm sure some people found this fun, but I just want a traditional controller. It's a gimmick, and an annoying one at that...

Depends. I don't want a investors pushover at the head of Nintendo. If they can replace Iwata with someone who won't just aim to please investors, sure.

In all seriousness, you don't know if the new president will be better or worse than the old one. It's a gamble that has a huge risk with low assurance. Besides, many will forget Iwata's mistakes when Nintendo does a well-done job at E3 this year.

Ok let's get one thing straight.

Satoru Iwata isn't responsible for the absence of F-Zero, Star Fox or even Metroid. He isn't responsible for the brand being turned towards family.

He is responsible for maintaining Nintendo's profits, losses and so on which anyone will do as a CEO.

Its unbelievable that Hiroshi Yamauchi was responsible for the N64 and GCN and yet no one see's that as a bad thing but the Wii U and 3DS as bad ones instead. It just shows that people like to complain so much about Nintendo that they make sure that others get irritated about it.

What I think is interesting, is that it's still outselling PS Vita, but no one is even concerned about PS Vita.

3DS definitely isn't a "bad one". Anyone saying that is just clueless.

As for the WiiU, it's worse than both N64 & GC. It has a lower attach rate than both &, unlike N64 & GC, it's sold at a loss. At least GC & N64 were profitable.

The PSV has gotten loads of negative critique thrown at it.

If a CEO was fired every time a company doesn't make the money they predicted to make, most companies would be out of people. The Wii U isn't doing worse than the GameCube, and the 3DS is shaping up to become one of the most succesful systems ever made (Both the DS and the Wii were a great succes as well). Besides, who do you suggest replacing him with? There's no reason to yell at Iwata, and if you just want to complain for the sake of complaining, without providing an alternative solution, then there's no reason for the complaining to begin with.

Here's the problem. Simply firing Iwata won't solve Nintendo's problems. Changing Nintendo's culture is the only way to fix their issues. Sometimes culture is a great thing, but in Nintendo's hands they view culture as a way to not move forward. Nintendo needs to clean their house. Completely. That means Iwata and Miyamoto. Even Reggie. Now before you tell me about all the great things Miyamoto has done, I'll be the first to say he's the number one video game designer of all time. His contributions to the genre helped define the industry. But think about all of the sports greats who are in their respective hall of fames. There finally came a time when they needed to move on. Miyamoto's time is now. This industry has moved forward and Nintendo stayed put. Today people like to remember the past by calling it retro. We see it in the 99 cent games on the app stores. That old 2D side scrolling action. But stop and think about this ... Games can be retro, but when a company itself becomes retro, then that company has reached its end. Nintendo has its fans and Nintendo has its investors. At what point do both of these entities stop being ignored by Nintendo continuing to operate under its outdated operating procedure. When is the tipping point? That point where both the fans and the investors reach a singularity? That point is coming soon and Nintendo will either clean house and start fresh or they will continue their downward spiral. Sadly, my belief is that Nintendo will not make the necessary changes to become relevant again. That's a shame. The company would rather go down with ship, instead of righting the ship and sailing on to more prosperous waters.

Because internet gaming journalists and forum dwellers know how to run multi billion dollar companies

Sure, why the heck not

/thread

@TexCube If only it were that easy. What you call change is simply outselling in the gaming business. In many ways, games have become a hollow source of profit, used to attract people with short attention span and full wallets. And since many fall for these outsellings (smart/mobile gaming, microtransactions, paid subscriptions), it's become apparent that it's easy to rip off people. And while quite a few of Nintendo's marketing decisions were questionable, to say the least, they do one thing that many others simply can't: they put love and charm into their games. However, many people fail to acknowledge this nowadays, calling it kids games just because nobody's bleeding like a hand in a blender.

This brings a term to mind: image-gaming.
It doesn't matter if a game is good, it doesn't matter if a game has a lot of depth - it simply boils down to the most visually impressive/extreme titles, and if you don't play those, the average gamer considers you a casual. Some people don't care and just play what they like, others follow the trend instead, slowly losing any sense for quality in games. And many high-profile developers use this as a marketing ploy while distracting from numerous shortcomings in gameplay and creativity.

And that's where Nintendo made their decision: to keep gameplay quality and visual impressiveness on the same level. But this is hard to push today - not only on the gaming market, but also with investors loudly proclaiming to know how the gaming business works. But they do it, and that's how many veteran developers should've kept it.

That said, nobody except for Nintendo employee themselves have any right to judge whether Iwata (or anyone else) should be fired. Journalists and marketing 'experts' cannot see beyond the surface of profits and losses, just like we (as in both fans and haters alike) can't even begin to grasp the extend of Iwata's responsibility and the reasons behind his decisions. With that in mind, it's pretty obvious that people who demand Iwata to be fired just yearn for attention in a business filled to the brim with clashing opinions.

Heh. The IT Crowd.

Anyways, I don't think firing Iwata would fix anything. The problem, from how I'm looking at things, is that Nintendo of Japan simply doesn't get the western market.

Everyone here will pretend to know all the ins and outs of Nintendo's business and how they grade job performance. That being said they will almost all tell you no. This discussion has been had many times. The results are always the same.

So I was watching a video on Youtube **Look up "Reviewtechusa"** and you'll see what I'm talking about. He makes a **Bleep** good point on why Iwata should get fired.... Here's why. Did you know that Satoru Iwata approval rating has dropped over the past 3 YEARS IN A ROW!

Did you know that his approval rating is still over 70%? You should research more than just watch Youtube videos

Everyone here will pretend to know all the ins and outs of Nintendo's business and how they grade job performance. That being said they will almost all tell you no. This discussion has been had many times. The results are always the same.

I will admit neither side knows how to run a company, but most arguments are usually those that counter each side. One side says he should be fired and gives some rather ignorant reasons, and the other counters with general statements about companies.

Personally, I don't think he should be fired. We (all of society) put FAR too much emphasis on the CEOs and treat them like a scapegoat every time something goes wrong. Yes, they are responsible to an extent, but at the same time they cannot fully control their company like many people want to believe.

If e3 is a failure, then definitely he should be replaced. We need way more than just a new zelda game to have a good e3. We need multiple unexpected games to have a good e3. I have faith that Iwata has several tricks up his sleeve because he knows he's in serious trouble.

+1 from me just because IT Crowd.

No, I don't think he should be fired. He made some mistakes, but overall I like his philosophy of putting games first. Tells he's not just another CEO, he's a game designer.
For all the people who want him replaced, please do tell who should fare better as the CEO of Nintendo. Because I can't think of anyone who wouldn't be worse at the moment, the worse that could happen to the company, is if those "Mario on smartphones, free to play, 99 cents for 1UP mushroom" shareholders took control.

Well that's surprising. So, based on this you think he should be fired since Nintendo's annual profits have been dwindling for years now under his watch. And, like you said, that's what he's responsible for. Very surprised to see this coming from you since your previous posts made you sound like a blind fanboy.

I applaud your ability to actually be critical of Nintendo. Didn't think you had it in you. Good on ya, man!

Of course he should. Why not? He is responsible for all of Nintendo's greatest failures after all.