Reggie Fils Aime

Reggie Fils-Aime has - as we observed during E3 - the propensity to talk a load of old PR guff at times, which to be fair is part of his job. His annual LA interviews conducted with Kotaku do occasionally get beyond copy-and-pasted standard responses, however, making the latest publication an interesting read.

First up we've picked out some of the Nintendo of America President's comments regarding Metroid Prime: Federation Force, which prompted an extraordinarily negative reaction when it was announced. Fils-Aime made a comparison that we made in our editorial during E3, highlighting that fans weren't exactly delighted by their first look at The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker either.

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Here's what I would state: we know what our fans want. We will also push the envelope in developing something that we know is high-quality and that we know will deliver in the marketplace. The best example I can give you of this, and I think you will appreciate it, is Legend of Zelda Wind Waker. Remember when that art style was first shown. The uproar from the Zelda community was intensely negative. If there had been social media then, there probably would have been a petition to make that game go away.

...So, the game is developed, becomes one of the most beloved games of all time, one of the most highly-rated games of all time, so I use that example to say: 'We know what we're doing, trust us, play the game and then we can have a conversation.

Continuing on the theme of understanding fan desires, Fils-Aime provided further re-assurance that a dedicated Samus Aran title is on the radar within Nintendo.

Look, we know that the fans want a straight Samus Aran game. We also know that the best way to launch a game like that is to surprise and delight them, to give them a launch date, in an environment like this let them play it vs. what other companies do which is to announce a project that you may not see for five, six years. It's just not the way we do things. We know the community wants to see a straight-up Metroid game. We know it.

On amiibo, Fils-Aime does go into a little more of an auto-pilot mode in his responses, reiterating a continued focus on improving supply to meet demand, even if results aren't immediately obvious in many cases on the ground. He acknowledges Nintendo's culpability, while also highlighting the role that retailer can play in tackling scalpers.

You don't sell through a million units by constraining supply. And, honestly, there is no business in disappointing your consumer. The mentality that suggests we are somehow constricting supply is rubbish. We want every consumer to be satisfied. We want every Amiibo player out there to be a completionist and have every single one. We're working hard to get the supply into stores.

...The flipper, you have to put them off to the side. This is a consumer who thinks these are like gold. We're focused on the everyday consumer, and we want that consumer to be completely satisifed. In the end, though, the retailer manages how they execute a pre-sale or how they make the product available. We certainly give suggestions and guidance. The retailer is making that call. And, again, to separate, when there's a supply issue, that's Nintendo's fault. but in terms of managing a pre-sale process, that's something that each individual retailer controls.

The full interview is certainly worth checking out at the link below, but in the meantime let us know what you think of Fils-Aime's comments around Metroid Prime: Federation Force and amiibo. In terms of the former, do you think that its eventual release and gameplay will shift perceptions away from the announcement backlash?

[source kotaku.com]