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]
Comments 105
It makes sense, even though I've always been a big Miyamoto fan. I don't think he'd want the job anyway honestly. I haven't done much research honestly on this guy honestly, though I've probably played games he's been involved with for years. Just not a name you hear as much.
Credited with the StarTropics series? This guys definitely has my vote.
There aren't that many potential candidates right now. And Miyamoto is needed for game design (and he is getting up there in age).
Takeda's never been the man in the spotlight. Always working quietly behind the scenes. That alone, plus his hardware expertise and design experience, makes him the perfect choice. Only issue is his age. He wouldn't last more than a decade on the job, certainly not as long as way Iwata did.
Maybe he will bring Star Tropics back. I loved that series.
Miyamoto is fine right where he is. To put him at the helm would take him away from the creative space in which he thrives, and I think that would be kind of tragic.
But he's 68 already. Isn't it time for him to think about retirement instead of taking such a responsibility ?
If i had to choose Miyamoto the man who lost the touch or Genyo Takeda . I'm picking Genyo Takeda. Why? Cause Miyamoto would burn the company down in my opinion.
At 66, I personally think Takeda is a bit too old to become president. Yamauchi retired at 75, so Takeda would probably have about a decade as president, give or take a few years.
Miyamoto hasn't exactly been at the top of his game lately. Between the two of them, I would prefer to see Takeda take the reins. Doubtful that this might happen, but my favorite scenario would be an outside hire or a younger president shaking things up a little bit.
@Nintend0ro Well, he might serve as an interim solution for a couple of years. What Nintendo needs now is stability and a man who has, firstly, great experience, and secondly, who was very close to Iwata. As Iwata had initiated change at Nintendo already, at this moment the company should do fine with someone who knows how things work, rather than someone who'd question the current direction. Iwata was young when he got the job, and that may likely be true for whoever comes after Takeda in a couple of years. I don't know if Takeda will ever enjoy the degree of sympathy that Iwata received, but then, Yamauchi that sort of popular figure either and yet the company had some of its greatest times under him. Takeda has my vote.
Takeda is a good choice.
Miyamoto should stay on the creative side of things.
Not sure how Miyamoto as president would be an exciting choice, unless you don't want him making games anymore. To my understanding Genyo Takeda does not actively participate in game creation as of late, so it stands to reason he'll have the least regrets in changing his responsibilities for those of a company president. I imagine Miyamoto would feel tied up - his place is developing games.
I can see him being a safe placeholder.obviously age is an issue but he'd probably come in to oversee the transition to the nx which Iwata had already been planning and step down somewhere after that when the company's future is more clear: ie If they're continuing with consoles etc whatever the post nx direction they'll probably want someone fresh.
@EXP Exactly. Anybody getting to old at that age can't run as a CEO because that's the age to think of retirement. Plus, I don't think Takeda would have that sort of passion to be the CEO because he can easily retire now.
I don't get the point of these analysts. Why can't they observe things carefully instead of just coming down to pointless opinions that matter a lot instead of your own.
This guy could be a good temporary president until the NX gets its feet off the ground.
@Artwark They are like sports analysts and announcers, who spend more time talking about the game than actually covering the game.
Hopefully he'll help modernize the company as well.
I like Takeda. But he's pretty old already. Eguchi would be nice, too.
No I want some fresh blood
Takeda is definitely the best choice even though he is kind of old. Miyamoto is way too out of touch to be the CEO.
Whoever it is, I hope they continue the Nintendo Directs.
Takashi Tezuka is also an interesting choice. Not only he designed most of the early Mario and Zelda games, but he's been on a supervising role for years now, and he's only 54.
If he doesn't care about 3rd party support then I don't want him hired.
I love Miyamoto but I don't think he would be a good choice.
On what basis have we concluded that Miyamoto is off his game? Super Mario Maker looks incredible, and no one has really played Star Fox Zero yet.
I still agree with others that I don't think Miyamoto is the right fit. He is definitely necessary in the creative department, and I don't think he would take well to the administrative presidential stuff. Also, he's generally a software guy, and I feel like the President at this point needs to be very hardware-focused.
This does make me think more about what a massive asset Iwata was. I just hope whoever comes next has as much enthusiasm as Iwata had.
@Nintend0ro This. He's nearly 70. I mean... honestly.
I want a young guy who also shares the view of Iwata.
crazy idea! what about Sakurai? he has a similar path as Iwata and he says he thinks he's reaching the end of his developing days
He could be a stop gap for a couple years, then they need someone in their 40s to steer Nintendo into the right times.
I certainly can't see Miyamoto even wanting to be the next president.
The stress would probably affect him.
He would be a good choice. I'm please understanding anyway.
I prefer either Masahiro Sakurai or Shigesato Itoi.
Takeda can fill the void perfectly, at least for the time being. Taking from what some of you have said, his time as CEO can very well serve as buying more time to find a younger CEO within Nintendo.
@abe_hikura
I've thought the same thing. He's got the right kind of experience in many ways having but despite managing his own studio he's still possibly short in managerial experience, but who's to say Takeda and Miyamoto can't help him with that. Sakurai i think would inject some more conventional ideas while still honoring the legacy of innovation and forward thinking of Iwata. He's an interesting person to consider IMO, but having been outside of Nintendo for so long i highly doubt it.
Miyamoto is not a businessman so Takeda seems better. He may be an relative unknown but so was iwata at first. I'm not sure if he'll be as fun but he has sense
Takeda is the probable choice, but if they want long term now then he is not the right choice as he has maybe a decade before retirement and I'm pretty sure he's older than Miyamoto. He'd be a temporary President and CEO.
Then again, having Takeda in that role means someone else will be in charge of hardware most likely. Possibly someone younger and more in line with the modern market's wants and needs.
Hmmm... Whatever the case, Takeda will be the one to be related to the NX's success, aside from Iwata had done.
Not a terrible choice, considering his accomplishments, experience, and skills, but he'll be about 20 years older than Iwata was upon becoming president. I doubt he will remain President for too long before retiring, though he may be a particularly healthy person.
Yamauchi only retired in his 70's, so Takeda isn't too old. But he's older than preferable.
The only problem I'd find with Takeda is that he wouldn't be president that long, and they'd probably want someone to take the role for the long term. Other than that, I think he'd do good.
We do need someone on the business side of things right now. Would love Miyamoto, since he saved the industry and whatnot, but Takeda seems like he'll lead Nintendo in a better direction. Plus, Miyamoto should stick to making games, as that seems to be his forté. Maybe he can be vice-president or something?
he has my vote
It's a safe choice. But when you think of Nintendo, you think of Miyamoto. He's been the face and spirit of Nintendo since DK. Takeda is probably the smarter "buisness" choice, but Miyamoto, to me, is the smarter "fun" choice. If that's a thing. haha.
@VeeFlamesNL
Iwata's view? Man his view was "fun games over system power". I hope whoever takes over Nintendo steering wheel will have "system power and fun are equally important" for a view
He's 66, no please
I'd say Takeda or Miyamoto would both be solid candidates, for now. They're not exactly spring chickens, so they'd want to retire within 10-20 years.
He'd certainly be the lesser of two evils compared to Miyamoto, but I'd like someone younger who has more of a modern perspective on gaming.
Hopefully if he does get the job he'll push for a new Startropics game
I can't believe I actually forgot about Takeda-- he definitely would be a solid choice, even if only an interim CEO. I'd rather leave Miyamoto as the head software and I think he'd be better suited at that. These days, especially with the fact that the Wii U isn't working out for Nintendo in the console department as originally hoped, Takeda may make hardware (a weakpoint for Nintendo) an agenda as CEO going into the NX. Of course, that's all speculation on my part, but all in all, I think he would be a wise choice. I never thought I'd be more excited to know the next CEO rather than the next game coming out for a company. Strange times indeed.
PS "credited with creating the Punch-Out!! and StarTropics"
StarTropics credit... Yeah... Takeda should be CEO
Miyamoto better not be the president. Don't get me wrong, I love him as much as any Nintendo fan, but he is just not molded for the job. He's a creator not a business man.
@Ryno If anything, a VC release of the original on Wii U VC would be quite likely under his wing.
Hell, maybe like how Urban Champion kept getting rereleased, maybe he'll relaunch the Nintendo 3D Classics line with a 3D Classics port of that... XD
I agree that it makes sense. Also, Takeda is basically listed as the leader on the death announcement form thingy.
Most signs so far point to him as the successor, but of course, you never know.
My preferred (realistic) choice is current NoE President Satoru Shibata,He's Japanese and has some Presidential experience and of course us Europeans know he's awesome presenting Directs.
He created Startropics? Give him the job!
More seriously, I do think Nintendo should have another president with hands-on experience making games.
Or we see a Nintendo that may surprise us even in it's choosing of a president.
Takeda knows his stuff. I'd be more than okay with it if he became president. Miyamoto is a game developer, 100%. Takeda knows a bit more about the business side of things, and I think he'd be able to hold strong against the shareholder/analyst sharks that try to pressure Nintendo into stupid things like mobile gaming. I trust Takeda.
@Bolt_Strike Be careful what you wish for. Get someone who's too modern thinking and it's goodbye dedicated systems, hello mobile gaming.
Reality is, anyone who puts dedicated gaming first is technically behind the times. We want someone who is only slightly behind the times like Phil Spencer and Shuhei Yoshida are.
God, I really need more sleep. When I saw the headline, I only read up to "Genyo", and immediately thought Genya Arikado would be the next president. And my mind was just rolling with it at first, until I started wondering why that reminded me of Castlevania... urgh, not a good sign.
I don't know anything about Takeda, so I can't say anything about this. What I can say is that Miyamoto wouldn't be well-suited for the president's chair. He's a creative mind, and he's at his best when he gets to fully draw out his creativity - being president would vastly reduce his freedom to create games, and subsequently, be very counterproductive for Miyamoto in every way.
@IceClimbers By "behind the times", I don't mean someone who wants Nintendo to go mobile (or at least not unless they really have to). I want to see them apply their philosophy to a more modern environment. Continue to make dedicated gaming devices, but they have to start appealing to a broader audience and make a broader variety of games, they don't have to go full into the Microsoft/Sony market but they do have to start making more games that would appeal to that audience for them to at least consider it as a secondary console. Pair that with the broader platform they're already planning to appeal to audiences that don't buy dedicated gaming devices, and then they've got a winning strategy.
"Quick, Robin, to the Reggiemobile!"
Reggie wins the Nintendo Presidential Election 2016. 😂😂😂
It needs to be someone younger, preferably in their 40's, imo.
Genyo Takeda is the guy we have to thank for Nintendo's consoles being underpowered, so he might not be the best candidate if Nintendo wishes to remain relevant in the console industry.
I'd like to see Shibata become CEO. He had youth on his side, experience of regional responsibility, reporting directly to Iwata, while most crucially at a time when Nintendo needs to shake off it's heavily Japanese image and become more international in order to compete, Shibata speaks fluent Engrish and Gelman!
It sounds like he's got suitable experience in Nintendo for this job. However, I don't know much about him, so I don't know whether or not I'd agree with his business decisions.
Also, I don't think age should be a factor in this decision. As long as they're healthy, Nintendo should just go with the person who will be best at the job.
If he doesn't speak English then no, otherwise who's going to host the Nintendo Directs and stuff?
Takeda and Miyamoto are both the most sensible, but Takeda is getting too old to rely on him more than a couple of years and Miyamoto has admitted to never being all that comfortable as a team director, so probably would be less comfortable as president.
I think it's time Nintendo pull a Sony and have NOA president Reggie Fils-Amie step in as the Nintendo Ltd. president. He's more than earned the position and would be the next most-likely known contact for Nintendo's newest business partners. If anyone else steps in, they might have to face rebuilding bridges.
While I'm sure Shigeru Miyamoto would do well as the new company president, I get the feeling he'd be happier on the creative side of things, and I think we fans would benefit more from keeping Mr. Miyamoto on the creative side as well.
I've seen a lot of comments here about Takeda's age, but let me just put my opinion in here on this:
Yes, 66 is rather old to helm a company, but if he's in good health and was close to Iwata and understands corporate business, then he should be Iwata's successor. He most likely won't be president as long as Iwata was, but if he can get the NX off the ground and get Nintendo headed towards the following generation (like Iwata did before his passing), that would be good enough.
I do agree that Miyamoto is not the right person to be Nintendo's CEO. His speciality is game design and development and, as had been pointed out numerous times, he doesn't know that much about hardware development and business.
My vote is for Takeda.
@GloryQuestor Not sure how that's pulling a Sony. They have Japanese in charge of Sony as a whole (Kaz Hirai) and for SCE (Shuhei Yoshida). Andrew House is only in charge of SCEA, no different than Reggie is for NoA.
@Peace-Boy Don't worry, Nintendo Directs are in good hands. Game Freak's Shigeki Morimoto has been Iwata's co-host for the Japanese Directs, and will likely serve as the main host now. Meanwhile, the European Directs are taken care of by Satoru Shibata, while the American Directs have Reggie and members of the Treehouse team.
I would pick Shibata but if it has to be one of either Miyamoto or Takeda i would pick Takeda in a heartbeat.
Miyamoto is just not someone i would like to see in charge. He made too many mistakes in the last couple of years already.
I really don't get the Miyamoto speculation, as I don't believe he would even want the job. I get the feeling he'll want to spend his last years before retirement overseeing game design rather than the "business" side of the company.
@IceClimbers But at the start of both the European and American Directs, and sometimes the end, it's been Iwata who was the president. So is it just going to be the respective regions hosts doing it? :/
And I wonder what's going to happen to Iwata Asks, hopefully the new president and future ones continue that.
I think Takeda would be a perfect choice, with the only issue being his age. But if he's up to the task, sure go right ahead.
@Peace-Boy Yes, the respective regions will have their own hosts most likely. As for Iwata Asks, I have no idea if they'll continue something like that.
Seems legit. Takeda seems like he knows how Iwata works and what to do or what not to do.
Mr. Takeda is a strong candidate and would be potentially as instrumental as Mr. Iwata in the role of president. I remember reading an Iwata Asks with Mr. Takeda in it, and I quite enjoyed his thoughts and views on game design as it pertains to hardware development. I don't understand the negative comments about his age. For a man with his amount of experience and accomplishments, he's not going to be so young. It is a natural side effect of wisdom. I'd gladly have someone in his mid-60s lead Nintendo after Mr. Iwata than some young guy with half the experience and half the achievements.
I want a younger Iwata
I am a bit concerned that Takeda would keep Nintendo on a Japanese Centric path.. Nintendo has so much potential they need someone young open to social gaming and broadening the Nintendo brand globally... Takeda will give us an under powered NX and repeat mistakes rather than learn from past mistakes
It's not the NX that's underpowered. It's the XOne and PS4 that are overpowered to compensate for the sheer incompetence of western developers to properly program and take advantage of the hardware they're working on. Nintendo-developed games run just fine on their hardware.
I think Miyamoto is better off making games than running a company as co as it would be.
Clearly the next Nintendo President should be someone from the NintendoLife community!
I'm fine with this, he just doesn't feel as enigmatic as Iwata
If you had to choose between the two then Takeda is a much better fit. Miyamoto's role as a developer is too important to make him a business exec and he probably wouldn't accept the job if appointed on a permanent basis. Takeda has more proven business acumen too.
@GloryQuestor Why do people think Reggie is up to a task like running NOJ? He's a pr guy. He has no where near the relevant experience that iwata had. He's struggling to run NOA efficiently. I mean the fact that he's president and not a full blown Ceo shows that his superior's in JP can't have that much faith in him.
Eh takeda is kinda old for the job. My vote is for Eguchi
@ningeek185 F*** no. If Reggie became Nintendo president I would stop supporting Nintendo immediately. Besides with Reggie in charge Nintendo would really be done for.
@Tasuki I couldn't agree more.
I'd probably want someone from outside of Nintendo. Probably someone like Sakurai or Hideo Kojima.
@Tasuki Dear God, it was a joke.
Called it.
Mr Takeda has my vote for president!
Hmm, he is pretty old. I rather would like to see a younger person, who can lead Nintendo for a longer time-period.
@EXP
I agree with you. He is not a long term solution. I could see him maybe getting them through the NX release, but I really think they need something more than that in this position. I'm not saying he's a bad choice. He's a safe choice. I think I'd rather see something a little more dynamic, and Miyamoto is not the guy either for that.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/miyamoto-takeda-shibata-who-will-succeed-satoru-iwata-next-nintendo-president-1510734 were first in with this article way back on the 14th and looked at many Nintendo possibilities.
Is Jack Tretton doing anything these days?
I choose Genyo Takeda, so miyamoto san can concentrate in the software side instead of doing corporate stuff!!
The people that are saying Miyamoto sux are a joke. Seriously how could you ask for any more from this guy? Even if he stopped making games in 1990 his career output would be phenomenal
Whoever takes the company third party faster. That's what they need. They're halfway their with their mobile strategy. They just need to step over the line and go full 3rd party on MS and Sony machines, and Steam.
This wouldn't surprise me. Assuming I'm recalling correctly, not too long ago Miyamoto downplayed his business duties to get back to game making.
Having the same trajectory as Iwata isn't necessarily a good thing...
@Quorthon
Whoever makes a powerful console faster. That's what they need. They're halfway there with third party support. They just need to step over the line and make a powerful console and attract all the third parties, then they'll dominate the market.
I'd vote Eguchi.
@John_Enigma Both Sakurai and Itoi don't work for Nintendo. Sakurai has his own company, and Itoi is a writer, he worked on the Mother series, but that's pretty much all he did for Nintendo.
Miyamoto and Tezuka aren't business men. I fail to see how they'd run a large company like Nintendo succesfully.
Takeda is a solid choice. He probably won't run Nintendo for more than a decade, but it's a safe choice if they're looking for someone from inside the company.
I think Takeda would be an excellent choice. He meets the right requirements for the job and Miyamoto should obviously stick with game creation!
@IceClimbers Yoshida is actually in charge of SCE Worldwide Studios, not SCE as a whole, and Shaun Lynden is SCEA president. Andrew House is SCE President period.
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