The next president?

Following the tragic death of Nintendo president Satoru Iwata there has been much speculation on who will take on his role within the company. Shigeru Miyamoto's name has been brought up - a logical choice, given his fame in the games industry - but it would appear that the smart money is on Genyo Takeda, who gave a touching eulogy at Iwata's funeral.

Speaking to Gamesindustry.biz, industry analysts stated that Takeda is the most likely candidate for the job thanks to his corporate experience and intimate understanding of Nintendo hardware.

The 66-year-old has been with Nintendo since 1971 and has had a hand in all of the company's console launches since 1981. He was instrumental in the development of the Wii, one of Nintendo's most successful consoles. He also created Nintendo's first ever arcade game, EVR Race, in 1975, and is credited with creating the Punch-Out!! and StarTropics series.

Parker Consulting's Nick Parker had this to say:

I am pretty sure that the candidate will come from within the business; the very essence of Nintendo games draws from decades of management recognising a market desire for mass market fun. The obvious two choices are Takeda-san or Miyamoto-san, the former a hardware technology company veteran, the latter, the king of Nintendo first party content. Although it would be a romantic dream to have the company lead by the father of Mario, I think Takeda-san has more corporate experience and really understands hardware; it was he who argued for a new interface for the Wii rather than just a faster Gamecube with better graphics.

EEDAR's Mike Schramm also feels that Takeda is the best choice:

Genyo Takeda, has a similar trajectory in the company as Iwata [and] is likely a lead candidate for the job. Nintendo also has a number of executives on its board of directors who also could step up into the spot.

It's very unlikely that the company would hire someone from outside Japan or from another corporation, as Nintendo doesn't need to (and shouldn't want to) make waves with this appointment. Most likely it'll be a senior Japanese executive at the company, ideally someone who has had a hand in game development at some point.

Takeda might not be as exciting a choice as Miyamoto, but he clearly knows Nintendo inside-out and would be deemed a safe pair of hands by the board of directors and shareholders.

What do you think? Would you be happy to see Takeda assume the role of company president? Cast your vote by posting a comment below.

[source gamesindustry.biz]