Iwata: Success mustn't make us complacent

via Computer and Video Games


Wii and DS have been such a huge success that Nintendo must now avoid that breeding complacency within its corridors, the company's president Satoru Iwata has stated.

"...probably Nintendo's next obstacle is to not lose its internal energy and internal momentum", he told Newsweek, adding that the company needs to be wary of the danger of believing it can't put a foot wrong with new products like the Wii Balance Board because everyone declares it fantastic simply due to Wii's popularity.

"...if you're introducing these new things and everyone's saying, 'Oh yeah, this is great', 'We'll take that', 'That's a great idea', it's very difficult to maintain within the company the energy it takes to be always looking forward".

Looking inward further, Iwata said that he personally has to work hard to ensure the world's perception of Nintendo remains positive.

"I believe my most important role right now is to prevent Nintendo from being in a company where people say, 'Oh, Nintendo is arrogant', 'Nintendo has let its guard down', or 'Nintendo has lost its challenging spirit'. We want to avoid all of the pitfalls that can come from losing one's momentum."

He spoke too about the balance of still appealing to Nintendo's traditional hardcore fanbase while sinking hooks into a broader audience.

"...we have no intention of abandoning our core players and the people who have been Nintendo fans over the course of our history... we really believe that part of our mission is to make traditional games for our traditional audience", said Iwata, but added too that the company will produce unique things people aren't expecting.