Topic: Satoru Iwata Named CEO of Nintendo of America

[CurtDogg]

Iwata to dual-wield regional CEO positions.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/33989

In a recent press release, Nintendo has announced that Satoru Iwata will be taking over duties as Nintendo of America's CEO, alongside his current position. Iwata will be taking over for Tatsumi Kimishima, the current NoA CEO, as he will be transferring to Nintendo's Kyoto offices to act as NCL's managing director. Nintendo claims that the move "will support the company’s unified global strategy, allow streamlined decision making and enhance Nintendo's organizational agility in the current competitive environment."

Reggie Fils-Aime will be continuing his day-to-day duties as Nintendo of America's President/COO, but will now be reporting directly to Iwata, instead of Kimishima.

[azeke]

I don't understand what this actually means and what this changes, i'm sure our resident Iwata experts here who know NCL's ins and outs will be eager to clear this out for me.

[Pixelated Pixies]

For a minute there I misunderstood and thought Iwata was replacing Reggie.
 
'My name is Satoru, I'm about kicking ass, I'm about taking names, and we're about making games.'
 
It doesn't quite work does it?

[pokepal148]

it could mean a more unified strategy... he probably wants a better idea of what's going on in the largest consumer market but this is an interesting development...

[Pixelated Pixies]

I hope this organisational change will result in more call conferences like this.
 

 
'Yeah...ok' - At 01:10. For some reason that cracks me up every time I hear it. It sounds almost as if Iwata thinks Reggie is pandering to him, so he changes the topic by asking Reggie to draw something, lol.

[Ceric]

I like to know how becoming a general manager is a promotion from CEO of a large branch.
The good news is at least we know NCL will know about NA issues.
 
 

[StrikerObi]

I'm no expert on matters at NCL, but it sounds like the move of Iwata to NOA's CEO means he wants to have more direct control over the branch, which makes perfect sense as they definitely need some better guidance right now.

[Adrock]

Maybe Kimishima wanted to move back to Japan and Iwata wanted to keep him at Nintendo.

I wonder if Iwata's more direct influence on Nintendo of America will help niche titles like the Rainfall games get pushed to market quicker and without the hassle.

This also doesn't seem like Iwata is going anywhere so nuts to anyone who wanted him ousted.

[Shaymin]

If Iwata wants to make US$1bn in operating profit (100bn yen), it makes sense to double down on North America.

Still, if two decades of pro wrestling have taught me anything, this usually ends up with someone getting kicked through a plate-glass window. Hope your body's ready, Fils-Amie.

[llaffer]

Shows you what I know ... I didn't know that there was anyone above Reggie in NoA.  So when I read the headline, I thought Reggie was out (or it was April 1st).  But this makes a little more sense now that I've read the article.

Makes you wonder what the "critics" will say about this call, when they're not sure if Iwata's a good person to be running NCL, either. 

[Ceric]

I think that might have been a Problem in its own right.  I knew their was someone else just not who and what their actual role was.  I thought Reggie was already a direct connect to Iwata besides the other head.  Some things now make a little more sense.  You have someone over NoA that looks to have NO game industry experience.  NO retail North America experience.   Banking experience of all things.  I'm a little surprised NoA is doing as well as it is...

[xcwarrior]

People retired, and they shuffled their duties onto other people in the company rather than hire new ones. It's called cutting costs by saving money on salaries.

Probably a good idea, Iwata's had pretty much complete say in all 3 territories as it is, so don't expect major changes. Just helps the bottom line.

[TheFleece]

I was a little confused by all the jargon, but I'm just going to take Iwata working directly with NOA will actually give us things that we've wanted from Nintendo: a unified id system for their platforms among other things. I think this could be a fresh reset for how Nintendo has been operating in general.

[ShyGuy]

Iwata rules the world!

Another way to look at this is Reggie got passed over for a promotion. I wouldn't be suprised if he moves on in a year or two, just like I expect Peter Moore to move on from EA if he doesn't get the CEO gig.

[NWR_insanolord]

And if Reggie leaves, there will be no one in Bill Trinen's way (except the several people between them).

[mysticgohan]

Nothing will stop the Trinenatior, everything's going accordingly

[NWR_Neal]

My gut tells me nothing will change.
My head tells me this is a stupid move and Iwata is taking off far more than he can chew.
My heart dreams that this will mean we'll get more localized releases, more VC games, and more happiness.
My gut's likely on the money, my head is probably not far off, and my heart is full of ****.

[Ceric]

I thought this the first time I read this and didn't post it.  I'm Rectifying that.

If he's Dual-Wielding he'll take a hit to his Accuracy.

[broodwars]

I'm really not sure what to make of this, though if I were Reggie I'd certainly interpret this as a vote of "No Confidence" in his previous leadership of NoA.  I wouldn't be surprised if Reggie left the company in the very near future.

I don't know how I feel about this move.  I'm somewhat annoyed by Iwata seemingly bringing the iron fist of direct NCL control back upon NoA, but Reggie's so badly managed the company over the last few years that it's probably necessary.  Maybe this is just a temporary move until Iwata can find someone competent to take Reggie's place (hint: Bill Trinnen), because it's probably a considerable strain directly managing two divisions of Nintendo at once.  NoA needs more autonomy to establish studios and get games made for the Western audience,not less so I hope this is just a temporary arrangement.

[NWR_insanolord]

I think the fact that the guy Iwata's replacing is someone you pretty much never heard about until this point is important. My money's on this being meaningless.

[broodwars]

I think the fact that the guy Iwata's replacing is someone you pretty much never heard about until this point is important. My money's on this being meaningless.

I would agree with you, but Iwata's feeling the heat from the shareholders right now.  He's the leader of the company, and now he's assuming direct control over the division NCL probably regards as their most troubled.  I think he's going to feel compelled to "look good for the shareholders" and openly demonstrate his authority (and thereby demonstrating Japanese leadership over NA) rather than Kimishima's quiet approach.

[llaffer]

My gut tells me nothing will change.
My head tells me this is a stupid move and Iwata is taking off far more than he can chew.
My heart dreams that this will mean we'll get more localized releases, more VC games, and more happiness.
My gut's likely on the money, my head is probably not far off, and my heart is full of ****.

Beautfully written. I don't think I could have worded that any better, myself.   I'm in complete agreement with your gut, head, and heart.
Main reason why I think nothing will change, is that NCL (as far as I know) still has NoA and other regions on a short leash.  Removing one person from the chain of command isn't going to make things any different.  There's just one less person to go through from Iwata to Reggie, to whatever comes out of his mouth.

[Ian Sane]

I guess Iwata's talk about stepping down if the Wii U doesn't get its act together was all talk.  I can't see him even remotely thinking of doing such a thing after taking on more responsibility.

[Fatty The Hutt]

All communications between CEO and COO will now be done though Wii U video-conferencing. That "test call" between Iwata and Reggie was the pilot for this corporate re-org.

[NWR_insanolord]

I guess Iwata's talk about stepping down if the Wii U doesn't get its act together was all talk.  I can't see him even remotely thinking of doing such a thing after taking on more responsibility.

Anyone who honestly believed there was a realistic chance of Iwata stepping down over all this was delusional.