Tag: Satoru Iwata - Page 4
News Nintendo Hints At An Additional Platform In The Future
Because Wii U and 3DS are not enough
Nintendo recently confirmed that it would be merging its handheld and console divisions into one single entity this month. The two departments have always run separately in the past, but Nintendo now feels the time is right to bring them together under one roof. With the two departments merged, Nintendo's...
News Nintendo Plans To Make It Easier For Developers To Share Their Assets Between Platforms
Expanding developer capabilities with technology like Unity, JavaScript and HTML5
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata recently held a financial briefing with investors that wasn't exactly brimming with good news for the company. Iwata-san revealed that Nintendo recorded an operating loss of 5.85 billion Yen in the nine month period and spoke about a...
News Latest Figures Show The Video Game Market Is Contracting
Satoru Iwata briefs investors and reveals many challenges for the industry
Nintendo is certainly having a good old time in Japan. The 3DS is dominating hardware sales in the region, so much so it has already surpassed the 10 million sales mark. However, things aren't looking as rosy in the overseas markets, namely the US and Europe, where Nintendo's...
News Iwata Implies That He Could Step Down Over Sluggish Sales Performance
"We feel greatly accountable for this severe outlook"
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has hinted that he will step down if goals for the next fiscal year are not met. Speaking in a Corporate Management Policy Briefing, Iwata addressed the thorny issue of two consecutive years of losses and recent financial troubles: We feel greatly accountable...
News Iwata: 10 Key 3DS Titles On The Way This Year
Nintendo President believes new games will boost handheld sales in the West
Nintendo is hoping to give the 3DS a boost of momentum this year by releasing around ten games of its own. In a meeting with investors during Nintendo’s latest financial results briefing, President Satoru Iwata said the company would be personally shipping ten games that...
Nintendo Direct Watch The Wii U Direct Presentation Live
We'll be watching with you
Today's Nintendo Direct presentation has a special title which should leave no doubt as to what the subject matter is going to be. "Wii U Direct" is going to be focused on new developments for Nintendo's newest home console, and will be hosted by Satoru Iwata himself. Tune in at 2PM GMT / 9AM EST to watch the...
News Wii U Direct Scheduled For Tomorrow
A look at new software and services for the Wii U console
Nintendo has today confirmed that a special "Wii U Direct - Nintendo Games" Nintendo Direct will be broadcast worldwide tomorrow (Wednesday 23rd January) and will be hosted by none other than Nintendo President Satoru Iwata. It's due to take place at 2PM GMT / 9AM EST. You can view the...
News Satoru Iwata: Customers Understanding The Wii U "Will Take a Little Time"
"We aim to leave a smile on our customer's faces"
With a New Year and Nintendo's upcoming announcement of its Q3 financial results, Satoru Iwata and his team have plenty to think about. 2013 will be an important year to continue momentum on 3DS with big releases, and more importantly to grow the Wii U audience as much as possible. Speaking to...
Nintendo Direct Watch The Special Pokémon Announcement Right Here
Gotta watch it all
Today, Nintendo will be broadcasting a Nintendo Direct focused solely on Pokémon news. The event will take place at 6 AM EST / 3 AM PST / 12 PM CET / 11 AM UK and will be hosted by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. You can watch the video unfold on this very page, and as usual we'll be providing comments during the broadcast...
News Iwata: Nintendo Open To "Free-To-Play" Gaming Model
But only if it suits the game in question
We've already reported on the Nikkei interview with Nintendo president Satoru Iwata regarding the success of Animal Crossing: New Leaf, but the news that it had shifted 500,000 downloads wasn't the only interesting info he had to share. Iwata was also keen to talk about the impact of Free-to-Play gam
News Nintendo Is Sorry For Wii U Load Times, Is Working On A Fix
Satoru Iwata apologises for lengthy waits when switching between applications
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has publicly apologised for the lengthy loading times endured by Wii U users when moving around the console's operating system. The comments were delivered in a Japanese Nintendo Direct broadcast. Iwata admitted that the load times were an...
Happy Birthday, Iwata-san
Today brings us another Birthday for one of Nintendo's most well-known figures, with President Satoru Iwata turning 53 today. It would seem that, should he want to, Iwata-san will be able to continue in his current role for many years to come. Satoru Iwata had a passion for video game development from a young age, deciding...
News Iwata Explains Where The Name HAL Laboratory Came From
Not what you'd expect
We, like many other Nintendo fans out there, were under the pretense that HAL Laboratory - the company responsible for our lovable pink hero Kirby and the Super Smash Bros. series - was named after the computer from 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL 9000. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata even stated that the name was "very cool" during...
News Iwata: We Don't Want To Emulate Xbox Live and PSN
Nintendo president also sorry for 1GB day-one update
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has stated in an interview with IGN that his company is not attempting to play catch-up with rivals Microsoft and Sony when it comes to online services. With the recent launch of the Wii U and the establishment of Miiverse, Nintendo has recieved a few critical...
News Iwata Reveals How Nintendo Developed The Early Prototype For Wii U
Simply strap two Wii consoles together
With the immense success of the Wii, the folks at Nintendo certainly had their work cut out when developing its successor. It was around 2009 - with the Wii well into its third year of service - that Nintendo’s top men got around a table and started to discuss what their next move would be. The first task...
Nintendo Direct Watch The Japanese Wii U Presentation Live
Miiverse time, at last
So here we are, another Nintendo Direct broadcast to sink our teeth into, with the focus expected to be on Miiverse. The great news is that you can watch it right here: 11am UK time, 12pm Central European time, 6am Eastern, 5am Central and 3am Pacific. It'll be in Japanese, of course, but we'll be watching with you and...
News Nintendo Direct Broadcasts Attracting Around One Million Viewers
Videos proving popular with both core and casual players
The investor Q&A Nintendo held recently is throwing up all kinds of interesting stories. We already know that Nintendo President Satoru Iwata is warming to the idea of smartphones and has intentionally held back Wii U launch titles, and we now have some illuminating figures relating to the...
News Nintendo Is Holding Back Wii U Titles To Maintain Momentum Into 2013
"We realize the biggest challenge is to make sure that Wii U sells well even in the next year"
Talking in an investor's Q&A, Nintendo President and CEO Satoru Iwata has revealed that the company has intentionally held back certain Wii U launch titles to ensure that sales remain robust well into 2013. He said: If you look at how pre-orders are...
News Iwata: We Must Make Smart Devices Our Allies, Not Our Enemies
Nintendo President addresses the rise of mobile in recent investor Q&A
Nintendo President and CEO Satoru Iwata has spoken during an investor Q&A this week about the challenges Nintendo faces with mobile gaming on the rise. Iwata noted that devices like tablets and smartphones shouldn't be compared with traditional systems, as dedicated gaming...
News Watch the Translated GameCenter CX vs. Iwata Asks Segment Right Here
Fresh from Japan
If you watched last week's Japanese Nintendo Direct presentation you'll know that at the end there was a special GameCenter CX segment featuring none other than Nintendo President Satoru Iwata. For those of you that don't know, GameCenter CX (known in the west as Retro Game Master) is a TV show starring Shinya Arino, who plays...
News NSMB2 Nintendo Direct Mini Is Now Available In English Flavour
NSMB2 DLC released today in Europe, NoA broadcast on the way
Last Friday, Nintendo Japan released a short Nintendo Direct presentation which featured Satoru Iwata's disembodied head chatting about the brand new DLC packs for New Super Mario Bros. 2. A slightly different version of that same presentation is now available in English, thanks to...
News Your Japanese Nintendo Direct Wii U Preview Translation Awaits
Breaking the language barrier
This morning, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata held a special Nintendo Direct Wii U Preview. It was, as you might expect, conducted entirely in Japanese. With this in mind, we're here to provide a comprehensive rundown on everything that was revealed during the broadcast, as well as an idea of the message that Iwata was...
News Satoru Iwata: Miiverse is About More Than Competitive Multiplayer
It's a "social graph" for gamers
Since Miiverse was revealed during Nintendo's pre-E3 video presentation, it's become evident that it takes the Mii concept from Wii and expands it to something more than a humorous avatar that's playable in some games. Wii did allow some fun ways of sharing Mii characters and giving them more personality, and 3DS has...
News Satoru Iwata: Demand for Rich Experiences on Handhelds "Not Going to Go Away"
Smartphones provide "different" competition
For Satoru Iwata, there are plenty of priorities and challenges to face. Nintendo is currently preparing to brings its next home console to the market, while also generating and sustaining momentum for 3DS. Both are important, but it's perhaps 3DS, and dedicated handheld gaming as a whole, that has been...
News Nintendo Only Plans to Make One 2D Mario Per Platform
Plumber deal
The idea of Mario fatigue has been wafting through the air recently, thanks to New Super Mario Bros. 2 launching on 3DS this weekend as another 2D Mario, New Super Mario Bros. U, is being prepared for release in a few months at Wii U's launch. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata insists that this won't be a regular thing, however —...
News Satoru Iwata: 'We Have Not Changed Our Strategy'
Return to profitability not far away
With Wii U getting closer, and various opinions swirling around about the system's capabilities and even Nintendo's long term future in the industry, Satoru Iwata has spoken to Gamasutra to once again outline Nintendo's philosophy and plans. On the subject of profitability, Iwata has reiterated that the company...
News Nintendo Direct Next Week Focused on Demon Training
10 minutes in hell with Demon Kawashima
Get out your diaries and Japanese dictionaries, as Nintendo will be hosting a 'mini' Nintendo Direct conference on 18th July, next week. The broadcast will only be ten minutes long and will centre entirely around the upcoming 3DS game, Dr Kawashima's Demon Training, a sequel to the hugely successful Dr...
News Iwata Explains Lack of Second Circle Pad on the 3DS XL
Size matters
In an interview with The Independent, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata explained why the upcoming Nintendo 3DS XL has not squeezed in an extra Circle Pad. According to Iwata, while it would have been "possible", Nintendo would have needed to make the 3DS XL body even bigger in order for the second Circle Pad to fit. Iwata expands...
News 3D Won't Be a "Key Feature" of Future Nintendo Consoles
Taking a backseat
Nintendo global president Satoru Iwata has revealed that stereoscopic 3D will play a role in future systems — but it won't be one of the "key features". Speaking to The Independent, Iwata insisted that Nintendo remains enthusiastic about 3D, but also acknowledged that some people tire of the effect's novelty quickly. As such,...
News Secret Third-Party Wii U Games Under Wraps Until Autumn
More in the pipeline
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has revealed we'll see brand new third-party Wii U games later this year when Nintendo reveals the console's price and release date. Iwata told The Independent that while we've seen some of the machine's third-party line-up, there's more to see: I think some of these projects have already been...
News Nintendo Determined to Beat Hackers with Wii U and 3DS
Pirates beware
Most will agree that, when it came to online functionality and security, Wii and DS were both below par. Hacking and modding on both systems appears to have been widespread, which not only led to issues with some online games but, most importantly for Nintendo, cost the company money due to the extensive number of pirated games on...
News 3DS Sales Momentum in U.S. and Europe is 'Not so Good'
Post-Holiday slump
When it comes to sales in Japan, 3DS has been the undisputed number one for a number of months, finishing top of the hardware charts and often out-selling all other consoles combined. The story elsewhere, however, isn't as rosy, and while we're probably not looking at poor sales of the level that prompted a significant price-drop...
News Iwata Expects Wii U to Last a Generation
Microsoft doesn't seem to agree
An obsession that has plagued video gaming since its earliest days is power, whether it was the 'BIT' wars of the 1990s or the current-day complexities of graphics processors. Wii has been a staggering success that has faded away in its twilight years, arguably because its lack of power has deprived it of many big...
News Satoru Iwata: 'Deep' Online Services May Have a Cost
'Ordinary' services should be free
Satoru Iwata has recently chaired the latest Nintendo Shareholder's AGM, and as expected faced some tough questions about the future of the company and its plans. One subject that came up was online services, primarily whether the enhanced functionality on Wii U and the developing role of Nintendo Network on 3DS...
News Satoru Iwata Acknowledges Possibility of Free-To-Play Games
Only for different, more suitable concepts
While many of us watched Nintendo's formal presentations at E3, as would be expected of a trade event there were low-key meetings and Q&A sessions as well. An analyst Q&A has been published by Nintendo, where Satoru Iwata was grilled on a range of topics such as Wii U hardware, costs and bundles,...
E3 2012 Probably The Best E3 Video Of All Time
Prepare yourself
Nintendo's E3 showing this year gave plenty of stage time to some less familiar faces: Katsuya Eguchi and Scott Moffitt both spoke at length about Wii U and 3DS respectively, while president Satoru Iwata — traditionally the conference mainstay — mostly stayed behind the scenes to tweet. This video is probably his finest ever...
News Nintendo to Offer Triple Layer of Miiverse Moderation
Don't be naughty
One of Wii U's biggest features so far is Miiverse. It promises to be a social network on the console, infused with typical Nintendo touches to make it as charming and fun as possible. From a practical perspective, the idea is to communicate with other Wii U gamers to receive game tips, arrange online play and make friends. Another...
News Nintendo "Very Eager" to Help Third Party 3DS Developers
Mi casa es su casa
As we all expected, so far Nintendo's arguably made the best use of the 3DS's stereoscopic screen, but it's not all high and mighty about it — it wants to help third party developers get up to the same level. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told investors the company would happily pass on knowledge of how to leverage the 3DS...
News Iwata Defends Identical Digital and Retail Prices
Value perception is key
When retail games hit the 3DS eShop in August, they'll cost around the same as they do in stores, a practice many believe is counter-intuitive: without the costs of physical manufacturing and distribution, digital games sidestep many costs. But Nintendo president Satoru Iwata disagrees, claiming download games have a...
News Iwata Won't Promise "Overwhelmingly Rich" Wii U Launch Line-Up
Has "several proposals"
The 3DS had a lacklustre line-up of games. You know it, we know it and Nintendo knows it. The real question is how the company will avoid a similar situation with Wii U when it launches later this year. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told investors that it has plans in place but that it pledges to create...
News Download Your Wii U Games Overnight
10GB? No problem
Wii U will launch with a digital store offering downloads of retail games, but with the Wii U disc holding up to 25GB you could probably learn a sport to an Olympic standard in the time it'll take to download Pikmin 3. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata knows this, so Wii U will let you download games overnight. Iwata told investors:...
News Iwata: "Animal Crossing 3DS Won't Rely on Add-On Content"
Get what you pay for
To some, Animal Crossing on 3DS sounds like the ideal opportunity to sell as much digital add-on content as possible, but Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has again stated the company's strong opposition to this model. Iwata told investors Nintendo will stick to its ethos of not selling products that consumers would deem...
News Wii U Will Launch With Digital Store
And full retail downloads
One of the biggest criticisms levelled against 3DS was the lack of a digital store at launch, but Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has assured investors Wii U will land with a full download store. Iwata didn't discuss the available types of software — Virtual Console, WiiWare etc. — but did confirm that Wii U owners can...
News Wii U Release Date and Price Announcements to Come After E3
Surprised?
Nintendo will reveal the release date and price for Wii U after its E3 show, president Satoru Iwata has revealed. Speaking at a financial results briefing, Iwata didn't reveal much about Wii U, other than emphasising that Nintendo would reveal the system's final format and software lineup during E3. Iwata then said: Please also be...
News Mobile Dev: "Iwata Makes Me Fear for Nintendo's Future"
Troubled times
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said last year that Nintendo is not interested in producing free-to-play software, displeasing Ben Cousins, director of free-to-play software company Ngmoco. Speaking to Develop, Cousins discussed his belief that console manufacturers are frightened of free to play games: The only platform where...
News Iwata Hits Out at Nikkei's "Gossip Magazine" Tactics
Don't annoy the big man
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata was very unhappy a quote attributed to him in Nikkei's report about Nintendo resurrecting Seaman for 3DS, and took to Twitter to give his side of the story. While most outlets — including this one — picked up just on the Seaman story, apparently the original Japanese article quoted Iwata as...
News Miyamoto Focused on New Franchises
Handing over the Master Sword
In December last year rumours swirled around the internet that Shigeru Miyamoto was planning to retire from his role, reports of which were swiftly denied. Although it transpired as a misinterpreted comment in an interview, it still led to a number of questions about the future of Nintendo and its major franchises...
News "Trustworthy" Third Parties Get Microtransactions Go-Ahead
Horse armour anybody?
Downloadable content, software updates and microtransactions are not things that owners of Nintendo systems have been hugely exposed to in the past, but things are about to change. With expanded online offering Nintendo Network on the cards for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, third party developers will soon be allowed to sell...
News Iwata: Zelda on Wii U Won't Look Cheap
Rolling out the barrel
We all know The Legend of Zelda will come to Wii U, but whether it'll look as good as the Zelda HD Experience from E3 is another matter. Nintendo knows it has to deliver on the graphical front though, as president Satoru Iwata told investors. Explaining that not all Wii U games will take the ultra-realistic, high cost...
News Nintendo Wants to Keep Old Titles Fresh with DLC
Add-ons a-go-go
It's a common problem in these days of overly crammed release schedules: wait around for a few weeks and you might find that the game you've just spent your precious pennies on is already considered old hat. The community has already moved on to the next title, nobody wants to talk about it any longer and, while it might still be...
