Gaming Forums => Nintendo Gaming => Topic started by: Enner on July 13, 2015, 02:08:56 AM
Title: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Enner on July 13, 2015, 02:08:56 AM
After the tears, farewells, and remembrances comes the future. This thread is for discussion of where Mr. Iwata has left Nintendo as a company at the end of his tenure and to speculate on moves in the immediate and distant future.
A summary:
The Nintendo 3DS, released on February 26, 2011 in Japan, has sold 52.06 million hardware units and 225.66 million pieces of software (as of March 31, 2015).
The Nintendo Wii U, released on November 18, 2012 in North America, has sold 9.54 million hardware units and 56.68 pieces of software (as of March 31, 2015).
The next dedicated video game hardware platform, code named NX, is currently in development and promises "a brand new concept."
Nintendo has partnered with DeNA to develop an improved network service and applications for smart devices.
Nintendo has partnered with Universal Studios theme parks group to develop attractions based on Nintendo characters.
There are no announcements on who will permanently step in to the role of president of Nintendo Co. Ltd.
EDIT: The Quality-of Life initiative has been active for some time, but has yet to show its first product.
Hopefully, I didn't mess up too badly.
Nintendo is in a transitional period as the 3DS and Wii U wind down and the NX starts revving up. Multiple deals and partnerships are in place to expand Nintendo's reach outside of it usual hardware and software.
The question I find myself dwelling on is who will be the next president of Nintendo Co. Ltd. It is almost guaranteed that Nintendo will promote from within. However, lets have our heads in the clouds and think how wild it would be if Nintendo hires a person from outside of the company and possibly of non-Japanese nationality.
Nintendo has always been an interesting video game company to follow, but this is the most dynamic position for the company yet.
EDIT: I forgot to add, don't feel pressured to think about these things immediately! My desire was to create a thread to separate calculating criticism of Mr. Iwata's tenure at Nintendo in to a relevant and forward-looking discussion. I wanted this thread to be here once the tears have dried. Or for those that deal with grief by going straight back to work or a hobby.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Adrock on July 13, 2015, 05:28:02 AM
Like you said, Nintendo will most likely promote from within. There's a small chance it hires from outside of Nintendo but a literally zero percent chance it hires someone who is not Japanese. Due to Iwata's health concerns, Nintendo, like Apple toward the end of Steve Jobs' tenure, most likely already had a contingency plan in place. Iwata's successor is probably on the board of directors though I'm sure many of us aren't overly familiar with who some of those people are. Granted, we can google it, and I have, but I have no idea who Hirokazu Shinshi is for example. According to Bloomberg, he's currently the youngest member on the board at 49.
Still, with someone already in line to succeed Iwata, I can't imagine any sweeping changes which is bound to disappoint some here at NWR who called for Iwata to be fired over the years. Nintendo has a pretty strong and set company culture so the next person in line is going to tow the line. It's business as usual. Anyone who wants major changes, the best you can hope for is Iwata's successor being a little more lax on things like voice chat and region locking (though Iwata recently considered ending region locking). Any changes will have to start small then grow from there so, you know, manage your expectations.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: broodwars on July 13, 2015, 07:07:13 AM
Understandably, I'm not well-versed on Japanese corporate law, but since Iwata didn't name a successor, doesn't this mean that the next head of Nintendo would have to be picked by a special election from the stockholders (much like how Iwata recently "won re-election" to maintain his job)? If so, the next head of Nintendo could push for more sweeping changes than you'd think, having been picked by stockholders fed up with years of tradition, but we'll see.
In any case, as I've stated elsewhere Iwata's left Nintendo in an interesting situation for whoever picks up the torch: the company's not as bad off as it was a year ago in some respects thanks to Amiibo sales, but the Wii U is still practically a dead platform and 3DS is starting to slip in that direction as well. Nintendo right now is probably the most irrelevant in the general gaming landscape than it's ever been before, but NX; mobile support; and franchise licensing are coming. As Reggie noted in the E3 Direct, it's a time of transformation for the company. Iwata's death could be the perfect time to wipe the board clean and start fresh with new leadership that can steer the company in a new direction, but as has been noted Nintendo is an extremely traditional; stubborn; and incestual company so I can't say it's likely that they'll choose a radical new leader.
Personally, whoever takes over Nintendo needs to be young and have little to no ties to the old Yamauchi-era guard. Nintendo's a company in desperate need of new ideas, driven by a bold and charismatic person who is more open-minded towards embracing the West and 3rd parties. If that means hiring outside the company, so be it. When Disney was on the verge of bankruptcy in the 1980s after decades of "What Would Walt have done?", the company was saved in the 11th hour by the hiring of Michael Eisner, a ruthless but charismatic businessman from outside the company who didn't give a **** about "What Would Walt have done?" but knew exactly how to leverage Disney's catalog while pushing towards the future. Frankly, Nintendo needs someone like Michael Eisner to right the ship with new ideas and a fresh perspective, even if it means hiring outside the company.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Adrock on July 13, 2015, 07:42:18 AM
If the shareholders reelected Iwata, wouldn't it follow that they would elect a successor with similar ideals as him? Not saying that it's a given, but it just seems like Iwata could have been ousted if people were really that disappointed and appalled by his performance.
I have doubts that Nintendo's board will be wiped clean. Shigeru Miyamoto, for example, sits on Nintendo's board of directors. Does anyone really believe he's getting kicked to the curb?
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: broodwars on July 13, 2015, 07:46:54 AM
I have doubts that Nintendo's board will be wiped clean. Shigeru Miyamoto, for example, sits on Nintendo's board of directors. Does anyone really believe he's getting kicked to the curb?
I meant that in the metaphorical sense of "wiping the game board and starting over", not ACTUALLY removing the Board of Directors.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: ThePerm on July 13, 2015, 08:08:01 AM
Hideo Kojima recently became free.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: broodwars on July 13, 2015, 08:09:13 AM
I doubt Nintendo would want a guy whose projects hemmorage money to be its CEO.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Evan_B on July 13, 2015, 11:00:18 AM
I don't want Nintendo to embrace the west. Maybe third party gaming, but not the west. What they do differently is exactly what I love about them, and while embracing the west COULD be a positive change, it's not likely, considering our industry isn't doing much better.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: sudoshuff on July 13, 2015, 11:04:44 AM
I've been debating with myself about Miyamoto taking over. On the pro side, Miyamoto would be a unifying figure that most hard core Nintendo fans would rally behind (with an obvious record of accomplishments). I'm not convinced he has enough business prowess to handle the job, but I've been impressed lately with some of his answers to interview questions regarding the failure of the Wii U. He seems to have a grasp on what went wrong and what needs to be done to fix it. Also, there was the internal story that came out where he basically forced Nintendo to ship the New 3DS with super stable 3D at the last minute because "there'd be no point in releasing it without that feature". While the New 3DS still hasn't been justifiable for most, I think we can agree it would be completely useless without the stable 3D. So, I guess I'm hoping for Miyamoto to take over.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: lolmonade on July 13, 2015, 11:27:39 AM
Three things I'm sure of:
1). The new CEO will be Japanese (Sorry Reggie)
2). It will be a promotion from within the organization.
3). Miyamoto will not be chosen as the successor.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Adrock on July 13, 2015, 11:33:38 AM
I recall a few years ago that Miyamoto saying he wanted to scale back his responsibilities and work on smaller games. I can't see him succeeding Iwata either. That doesn't seem like it's up his alley.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Fatty The Hutt on July 13, 2015, 11:47:02 AM
I could see Miyamoto taking over. He has already been announced as half of the interim leadership. Plus, his answers to Nintendo questions often relect thinking at the corporate level, not just focussed on a particular game. He is also famous for not being afraid to make radical decisions (upending tea-tables) if it means improvement in quality and saleability. That said, I would also not at all be surprised to learn that Miyamoto was not the successor. He may not want it. I wonder if they will offer it to him anyway out of a sense of honour and respect, knowing he will refuse? He's been one of the key faces of Nintendo for so long.
I wonder also if Reggie will survive the transition? Iwata proclaimed himself CEO of NoA a few years back. Will that continue or will NoA become more independent again? Was Reggie being protected or propped up by Iwata? I have no evidence to suggest this but corporate wide shake-ups can occur when a leader goes.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: sudoshuff on July 13, 2015, 12:49:47 PM
I recall a few years ago that Miyamoto saying he wanted to scale back his responsibilities and work on smaller games. I can't see him succeeding Iwata either. That doesn't seem like it's up his alley.
Agreed, but I could see him in the "interim CEO position" until NX launches. Nintendo needs to quickly make a decision to show shareholders that they have things under control for the time being. I think Miyamoto is a safe choice given that he is a) extremely popular and likable and b) basically going to follow through with Iwata's original plans.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Soren on July 13, 2015, 01:10:41 PM
Enner: you forgot the Quality of Life tech stuff in your summary.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Ian Sane on July 13, 2015, 01:16:15 PM
The timing of this in regards to Nintendo's mobile plans is really bad. I criticized Iwata but I trusted him in regards to mobile that Nintendo wouldn't jump in with both feet and transform their whole output into mobile trash like so many other Japanese game companies. Iwata's careful approach to mobile gaming never got a chance to establish itself so his successor might go in a direction we don't want.
If I was cool with the status quo I would be fine with Miyamoto but I see him as an amazing game designer and pretty lousy executive. I haven't liked Nintendo's direction as much as he has taken on a more supervisory role. Plus I believe he was a big part of the idiotic decision to go with cartridges on the N64. He's the sort of guy I want making the game for my console but I sure as hell don't want him designing the console itself. He tends to have his own approach to making games but can't conceptualize how others do it. So he'll dictate hardware that works for JUST him and steer games under his supervision in questionable directions if it is not his type of game.
He does however seem in-sync with Iwata so if Nintendo wants a temp CEO to continue on Iwata's vision for the NX then he's not a bad choice to fill in for a few years. With a new console presumably on the horizon this isn't the sort of timeframe where a company would choose to replace their CEO.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Evan_B on July 13, 2015, 01:56:13 PM
I can't imagine Miyamoto's decisions making all that much of a difference this late into the development of the NX, then again, he did push for super stable 3D but that was necessary.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: lolmonade on July 13, 2015, 04:05:47 PM
I could see Miyamoto taking over. He has already been announced as half of the interim leadership. Plus, his answers to Nintendo questions often relect thinking at the corporate level, not just focussed on a particular game. He is also famous for not being afraid to make radical decisions (upending tea-tables) if it means improvement in quality and saleability. That said, I would also not at all be surprised to learn that Miyamoto was not the successor. He may not want it. I wonder if they will offer it to him anyway out of a sense of honour and respect, knowing he will refuse? He's been one of the key faces of Nintendo for so long.
I wonder also if Reggie will survive the transition? Iwata proclaimed himself CEO of NoA a few years back. Will that continue or will NoA become more independent again? Was Reggie being protected or propped up by Iwata? I have no evidence to suggest this but corporate wide shake-ups can occur when a leader goes.
Even if he had the right mindset to continue fostering Nintendo's corporate culture, I have my doubts he'd be interested. The man is 62 years old, not far from the age where most decide to retire. With all the articles over the past several years that rumored Miyamoto trying to pass on his knowledge to subordinates before he decides to hang them up, I find it a bit pie in the sky to think he'd then take over as CEO.
Iwata comparably was 55 years old at the time he passed, having filled the role of CEO for 12-13 years prior to his death. I'd guess that whomever they choose to steer the ship, they'd want someone who'll be there for a substantive amount of time. Just don't see that happening with Miyamoto.
So....whose at Nintendo that is A) under 50 years old, and B) would seem like a good Steward of S.S. Nintendo?
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: ThePerm on July 13, 2015, 04:23:20 PM
The head of Dena? What happens when a young entrepreneuer suddenly gets a fortune 500 company?
it falls in line with how Iwata was picked by Yamauchi. Its a far shot though.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Louieturkey on July 13, 2015, 06:10:38 PM
The relationship is too young. DeNA has yet to prove anything. That'd be a ginormous show of confidence for someone who has shown nothing (at least publicly).
As was stated, the oldest board member for Nintendo is 49 years old so if they are hiring from within, they had to go with a lead game designer. Would Aonuma be a good replacement?
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: ThePerm on July 13, 2015, 06:20:42 PM
Aonuma would be good. He is used to handling a lot of people.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Shaymin on July 13, 2015, 07:19:22 PM
If the shareholders reelected Iwata, wouldn't it follow that they would elect a successor with similar ideals as him? Not saying that it's a given, but it just seems like Iwata could have been ousted if people were really that disappointed and appalled by his performance.
I meant to address this earlier, but the re-election really isn't all that unusual. As much as people disliked Eisner towards the end of his reign with Disney, stockholders still kept him in power as CEO even after Roy Disney Jr.'s "Save Disney" campaign removed him as Chairman of the Board. I get the feeling it's a "devil you know vs. devil you don't" situation, so no matter how badly things got Iwata was probably never going to be removed. However, with no successor in the wings I could see the shareholders pushing for someone a little less traditional than Iwata. ****, these are the same people who wasted a stockholder question on a baseball retirement number. It could really go either way.
As for the idea of Miyamoto as CEO, honestly I never got the impression that Iwata was happy as CEO (he always looked uncomfortable and awkward in that fancy suit speaking in an official capacity) and I doubt Miyamoto would be happy as one either. Just from the way his projects have been described afterwards, he sounds like someone who's quite happy just being the guy who works on his toys in the back and occasionally trots out on stage with a sword. He would probably take an interim position just to keep things moving, but he'd probably be eager to be rid of the job as soon as an official successor was found.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Enner on July 13, 2015, 10:58:05 PM
Something to consider: I've read some comments that speculate that Mr. Iwata was diagnosed with Bile Duct (Cholangiocarcinoma) Cancer. That's probably the case given what happened.
If Mr. Iwata was diagnosed with this as early as last year, it is possible that he and Nintendo Co. Ltd. already have a contingency plan in place.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: lolmonade on July 14, 2015, 12:22:52 AM
Something to consider: I've read some comments that speculate that Mr. Iwata was diagnosed with Bile Duct (Cholangiocarcinoma) Cancer. That's probably the case given what happened.
If Mr. Iwata was diagnosed with this as early as last year, it is possible that he and Nintendo Co. Ltd. already have a contingency plan in place.
I'm sure they have a short list of candidates, but as someone who works in a large corporate structure, I'd be shocked if they already had a specific successor planned.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Luigi Dude on July 14, 2015, 02:38:02 AM
There's probably some younger members of Nintendo management that we don't know about that Iwata and management have been grooming for larger roles. The next several years of Nintendo's future have already been decided and set in motion before Iwata died, so I wouldn't be surprised if the new president is someone from the current board who could easily be in their 60's, but they only plan on being president for the next few years to finish what Iwata started.
But during this time I imagine they'll be actively training several of these younger members in the company to get them prepared and finally choose the one they feel is the best to lead the company in the long term after they feel the company is running smoothly again.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Adrock on July 14, 2015, 06:51:22 AM
Some food for thought.
In 2011, the Wall Street Journal asked Miyamoto whether he felt he deserved to be the president of Nintendo. He said, "I never wanted to be president. I know it’s presumptuous but my concern was what I would do if I was chosen. I knew if I was chosen, I’d have to run away. I’m not suited for that kind of job. I like being a little on the outside.”
Granted, that was four years ago and things can change (though with age, I can see him leaning even more towards this line of thinking). Additionally, I'd imagine it's tough to answer that question honestly when the actual president is your direct supervisor and likely the only person in the entire company you answer to. With Iwata's passing, Miyamoto may be forced to take on some extra responsibilities in the short-term. If he was even moderately on the fence before, he'll know for sure in the next few weeks.
I still think Iwata and Nintendo's board of directors had a contingency plan in place even if that involves Miyamoto and Genyo Takeda acting as interim presidents and handling those responsibilities while a true successor is promoted and installed. Iwata was ill for over a year to the point where he took a leave of absence for health reasons. Under those circumstances, I doubt Nintendo's board of directors shrugged and said, "Beh, it'll work itself out."
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: sudoshuff on July 14, 2015, 08:34:52 AM
The Wall Street Journal has an article today that focuses on the possibility of Miyamoto taking over. I'm sure Nintendo's been working out a plan for someone else internally who has a better business sense to take the reigns, but it seems like the media is really soaking up the idea of "the father of Mario" leading the company. Again, it's not a feasible long-term option, but I kind of think Nintendo should at least name Miyamoto interim CEO and take advantage of all the positive press attention they will get--they could certainly use it right now.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Adrock on July 14, 2015, 09:08:06 AM
I see Miyamoto closer to retirement than becoming president of the entire company. I thought it was relevant to post that quote in which he was flat-out asked about being president and his response was essentially, "Goodness, no. No thank you."
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: lolmonade on July 14, 2015, 11:58:35 AM
The Wall Street Journal has an article today that focuses on the possibility of Miyamoto taking over. I'm sure Nintendo's been working out a plan for someone else internally who has a better business sense to take the reigns, but it seems like the media is really soaking up the idea of "the father of Mario" leading the company. Again, it's not a feasible long-term option, but I kind of think Nintendo should at least name Miyamoto interim CEO and take advantage of all the positive press attention they will get--they could certainly use it right now.
Having an interim anything doesn't really help them. They already have the interim solution, having an interim CEO after having those two as interim company heads doesn't do anything of value, they're gonna wanna take a little bit of time and decide on who will lead the company long-term.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Ian Sane on July 14, 2015, 12:06:14 PM
When Miyamoto said he didn't want to do it he naturally would have been assuming some situation where Iwata retired or was let go and the position would be permanent. This situation is obviously different. This is more like the company needing him to step up temporarily.
It might also be good for stock purposes because he's a name everyone is familiar with. The stock might drop if an unknown is given the position. Go with Miyamoto for a year or so and at the same time involve the proper successor in public facing events like E3 and Nintendo Directs so that we become familiar with him. Then when the transition occurs the person is already a "name" and thus seen as a safe choice.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Evan_B on July 14, 2015, 12:45:48 PM
I sure hope it's not the fellow who was on the last Japanese Nintendo Direct because he was depressing as hell.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Adrock on July 14, 2015, 01:00:16 PM
It should be the lady who talked about making Yoshi dolls for roughly 37% of the Nintendo E3 Digital Event.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Luigi Dude on July 14, 2015, 02:07:55 PM
The reason I doubt Miyamoto will take the job is because he'd have less time to be involved with actual game development which he still loves to do. This is why I'd lean more on Takeda taking the job the next couple years since he's still a well known and loved figure to the stockholders so it wouldn't cause a panic to investors. Plus since he was the guy in charge of hardware, he has more experience on the business side of things and dealing with other companies which is going to be very important this next year with the NX getting ready to be released.
Yeah he's 66, but after Iwata has tragically died so early, I wouldn't be surprised if he's willing to stay with the company longer along with other older members of the board, since Nintendo's future has become a lot more emotional to them now.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: ThePerm on July 14, 2015, 04:06:44 PM
It would be crazy if it was Bill Trinen.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Soren on July 14, 2015, 04:51:11 PM
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Luigi Dude on July 14, 2015, 05:38:00 PM
I wouldn't be surprised if Bill becomes the President of NOA in the next few years. Notice how Bill started being shown more after Iwata become CEO of NOA just a few years ago. He's been getting a lot more public these last few years which leads me to believe they might have already been trying to prepare him for that role even when Iwata was still alive.
With the CEO position of NOA now open, it wouldn't surprised me if Reggie is given the job so he can focus on the pure business side of things, while Bill is promoted to Present to help give NOA a new face for the coming generations that's actually more experienced with the games unlike Reggie's who's always been a marketing man. Bill has been with the company for a long time, has lots of experience localizing the games and even being involved with development by giving actual feedback to the teams in Japan based on reactions in the West, plus he's fluent in Japanese so he can actually communicate a lot easier with NCL.
Even though we don't know who Iwata wanted to succeed him at NCL, I wouldn't be surprised if Bill was his number one choice to eventually be the president of NOA.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: MrPhishfood on July 14, 2015, 09:48:23 PM
I thought you guys might like one of the Iwata Asks parodies I read a long time ago.
I wouldn't be completely shocked if he ended up in that job someday, I think he's got the best chance of anyone who's not Japanese, but it's not happening now.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: sudoshuff on July 16, 2015, 11:36:45 AM
I wouldn't be completely shocked if he ended up in that job someday, I think he's got the best chance of anyone who's not Japanese, but it's not happening now.
Yes, especially since his Japanese is supposedly nearly perfect. I think it's more likely that he will lead NOA someday.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Enner on September 14, 2015, 02:29:35 AM
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2015/150914e.pdf
Tatsumi Kimishima is now President of Nintendo Co., Ltd.
From the IR:
(3) Career Record of new Representative Director Date of Birth : April 21, 1950 Education : Faculty of Law, Hitotsubashi University Birthplace : Tokyo Career Record : Apr. 1973 Joined The Sanwa Bank, Ltd. (currently The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd.) Oct. 1998 Appointed as General Manager of Shinbashi Branch of The Sanwa Bank, Ltd. Dec. 2000 Appointed as Representative Director of The Pokémon Company Jan. 2002 Appointed as Director of Nintendo of America Inc. (to present) Jun. 2002 Appointed as Director of the Company (to present) May 2006 Appointed as Director and Chairman (CEO) of Nintendo of America Inc. Jun. 2013 Appointed as Managing Director (to present) General Manager, Corporate Analysis & Administration Division (to present) and General Manager, General Affairs Division (to present) Jun. 2014 In charge of Human Resources Division (to present) -----
From my meager understanding, a lawyer-by-education became a bank man. Now his path as a management executive brought him all the way to the big chair.
Perhaps this is the safest and most obvious choice for Nintendo? To have an old business executive that has been with the company for some time be their new leader?
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: broodwars on September 14, 2015, 02:33:57 AM
Because nothing screams "I'm the leader of a company that makes toys & games for children!"...
I really don't know what to make of this. The guy's a former head of NoA that no one heard of until he got promoted out of NoA so Iwata could (incompetently) run it. I have no idea what kind of Nintendo to expect from this. *shrugs*
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: NWR_insanolord on September 14, 2015, 02:40:29 AM
Having it be someone who worked in the American branch for as long as he did could produce some interesting results. People always complain that Nintendo doesn't care enough about what happens in western markets, and a guy with his background might change things significantly in that regard.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Enner on September 14, 2015, 04:05:11 AM
It's hard to get a read on the man given his lack of publicity. He went from being a banker to director of The Pokemon Company and then to Nintendo of America. While NoA has its problems, I always saw The Pokemon Company as more progressive compared to NCL. But who knows if Kimishima had anything to do with my impression of The Pokemon Company.
My big question is if he was pushing forward or holding back the branches he was in charge of. I'm finding it impossible to answer that. The only thing I can be sure of is that Kimishima is a business man that is going to business.
Chirs Kohlar has made the observation that EAD and SPD may have been merged in to the Entertainment Planning & Development Division under the direction of Shinya Takahashi.
Also that Miyamoto and Takeda are now Creative Fellow and Technology Fellow, respectively. A sign of those two backing away from the business side of Nintendo?
EDIT: Lastly, note that Kimishima is 65 years old. Even taking in to consideration Japan's idiosyncrasies, one wonders how long of a term Kimishima will serve.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Enner on September 14, 2015, 04:51:13 PM
And there are a bunch of other tweets by https://twitter.com/serkantoto relating to Kimishima.
The gist of it is that Kimishima is staying the course set by Iwata and will be Nintendo's steady hand at the wheel. The challenges Kimishima identifies are finding new projects, cultivating the right human resources for Nintendo-like profits, and establishing "a future-proof group leadership system inside Nintendo."
Given his, Miyamoto's, and Takeda's age, it is looking more likely that Kimishima's leadership will be a short one that focuses on raising younger executive, creative, and technical talent to be the next leaders of Nintendo.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Khushrenada on September 15, 2015, 03:30:57 AM
According to IGN, he's stating he'll only be president for a year. Guess we'll see if that really happens but it's looking a bit like Nintendo's Next Top Talent President Search is still just beginning until we get ourselves a winner crowned next year at the end of this year's TV season in the big season finale!
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Shaymin on September 15, 2015, 07:11:48 AM
He signed a one year contract with the option for renewal next year, and the year after that, and so on.
Kimishima is the fifth President in the history of the company. They don't change that often.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Luigi Dude on September 15, 2015, 03:30:35 PM
From the looks of things, Shinya Takahashi is the man they want to set up as the next long term President. For fucks sake they just combined EAD and SPD and put him in charge of all of it. The man is basically responsible for most of Nintendo's studio's now so that's a pretty big promotion.
That would explain why someone as old as Kimishima is the new president now with a one year contract that can keep being renewed each year. Takahashi was probably the guy Iwata wanted to be his successor since he's been rising through the company pretty quickly the last few years but Iwata died before Takahashi was ready to take on the role.
Basically if Takahashi can successfully manage the newly merged EAD/SPD division he'll probably be president several years from now since his fast rise seem to be pointing to it.
Title: Nintendo's Kimishima-Takeda-Miyamoto TROIKA
Post by: Enner on September 17, 2015, 12:50:37 AM
"(Kimishima) will work with the company's two top developers -- Genyo Takeda, 66, and "Super Mario Bros." creator Shigeru Miyamoto, 62 -- in what is expected to be a troika.
Takeda, now in charge of game systems, will assume the newly created post of technology fellow. Miyamoto, who is in charge of software, will take up the new position of creative fellow.
The move detaches the two general managers from day-to-day responsibilities so that they can focus on leading the company, pursuing reforms with the president. The new appointments take effect Wednesday." - - - "Kimishima was not the favorite among Iwata's possible successors. After Iwata died on July 11 at age 55, Nintendo had initially explored younger candidates among its employees, believing that the president of a game company must be in touch with youth, according to a senior official.
But the screening process ran into hurdles due to the dearth of talent ready for the role. As the president's chair remained vacant for two months, preparations loomed for year-end sales -- the source of half of annual revenue.
The pressing situation apparently pushed Nintendo to seek a leader with rich managerial experience for a smooth transition." -----
The article is an interesting read. It helps define Nintendo's road ahead under Kimishima.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Luigi Dude on September 17, 2015, 01:32:51 AM
So yeah, it pretty much confirms up what many of us assumed. The younger management (most likely Takahashi) that Iwata wanted to take his spot aren't ready for the job yet so they picked the old business man that can safety keep things moving before they're ready.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: broodwars on September 17, 2015, 04:48:17 AM
So yeah, it pretty much confirms up what many of us assumed. The younger management (most likely Takahashi) that Iwata wanted to take his spot aren't ready for the job yet so they picked the old business man that can safety keep things moving before they're ready.
Yeah, it makes sense. My main concern, though (and I talked about this on our Nintendo Free Radio episode about Iwata's passing), is that Nintendo can't get caught in the trap of "what would Iwata have done?" It's the trap that Disney fell into with the passing of Walt: its leaders so caught up in "What Would Walt have done?" that they spent decades chasing after projects they didn't really believe in because it's something they thought Walt would have approved. That, on top of a number of other screw-ups like EPCOT, nearly drove the company into bankruptcy until Eisner, a guy who didn't give a **** what Walt would have done, saved the company.
So here we have Kimishima, who's stated purpose as President of Nintendo is to basically sit in a chair and go "What would Iwata have done, based on the initiatives he started before his death?" For all we know, this could end up being much more of a long-term presidency than it seems at the outset, depending on just how raw the prospective candidates are. I wonder at what point Nintendo stops being led by a dead man.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Adrock on September 17, 2015, 06:34:53 AM
Nintendo's current plan with mobile, NX, etc. is not exclusively Iwata's, even if he greatly influenced it. Hiroshi Yamauchi admitted while he was president that he was outvoted by the board which was the entire point of instituting that system.
In the short term, it's likely Nintendo's course is set, and it doesn't make sense to deviate from it. The further away the company gets from what Iwata was involved with, the stronger Kimishima's influence will be. I don't share the same concerns over Nintendo asking what Iwata would do. It restructured management and the internal development teams. Kimishima was chosen for stability. He's a seasoned businessman, and the logical, shot-term choice. Iwata was a very different president than Yamauchi, and Kimishima will be a very different than Iwata. Look at what he's already said in his first week. Those are things Iwata never would have said in public.
I think Nintendo knows it can't run a company based on Iwata's memory. I'd liken it to Apple. The iPhone 4S launched shortly before Steve Jobs passed, and subsequent models were very much in line with Jobs' choices. The years passed and the company matched forward. We have larger screen iPhones, a mini iPad, a ginormous iPad with a stylus. Those aren't Steve Jobs' decisions. It takes time to move away from past leadership and institute a new culture. Nintendo has been through this before albeit not as abruptly.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Luigi Dude on September 17, 2015, 04:07:43 PM
Iwata originally said Nintendo was against their series appearing on mobile because it'd cheapen the brands but the Dena deal to make Nintendo mobile games happened while he was still alive and President. They also changed their licensing agreements for there franchises during Iwata's final year as well, something they used to be way more protective about as well. This logic that Nintendo will spend the next couple decades trying to run it like Iwata would have makes no sense when Iwata himself was constantly changing things all the time and personally made some huge changes during his final years.
Hell, that's the reason why he wanted a younger person to succeed him since he felt a younger member would be more in touch with the actual gaming market and would make better decisions based on said changes in this market. The last thing Iwata would have wanted is for someone to try and literally be like him when if you read Iwata Ask interviews, he was always in favor of the younger generation of developers trying to experiment and do new things. No surprise it looks like Takahashi was Iwata's main choice and is still being groomed for the role years from now. SPD was the division behind more new IP's then any other Nintendo division under Iwata's Presidency, and was the studio that dealt directly with more third parties during the development of Nintendo funded third party projects as well.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Ian Sane on September 17, 2015, 05:18:59 PM
Iwata's legacy is that he alienated the traditional gaming market in favour of mainstream casuals that dug Nintendo's product as a fad and then went on to something else, leaving the Wii U struggling to find an audience. He burned bridges with the only audience in a post-smartphone market that will support a dedicated videogame machine. So if Nintendo plays "what would Iwata do?" that will lead them to ruin.
Though he certainly was talking it up like he was going to change course. And we all kind of know that the Wii U is getting replaced next year, right? There isn't time for the new president to overhaul everything for next gen. Whatever Iwata had cooking has to go through unless Nintendo wants to sit on the unhealthy status quo for a bit longer to rethink their strategy. I don't trust Iwata's vision, whatever it is, because I had no faith in him, but I can't see any other course of action than to stick with his short term plans.
Obviously I'm not happy he died but the real time to have replaced Iwata was when that disastrous financial report came out that more or less confirmed the Wii U as a flop. That was the time to try someone new. They didn't and if Iwata was in good health they wouldn't even consider replacing him until after the NX had come out and had been given some time to assess it's success or failure. I highly doubt if the NX flopped that Iwata's job would have been safe. So Nintendo might as well act as if he hadn't died and was given the chance with the Wii U successor that Nintendo's board had given him. Then act like he was planning on retiring after seeing where the NX goes and then transition to his successor.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Luigi Dude on September 17, 2015, 07:25:29 PM
Iwata's legacy is that he alienated the traditional gaming market in favour of mainstream casuals
Once again the 3DS shows you're full of **** and have no idea what you're talking about. Many of Nintendo's traditional series on the 3DS are just as popular as they were before the Wii and DS with the gaming market so these people clearly didn't get your memo. The traditional market you keep talking about is the casual Halo/Madden/GTA dudebro home console lovers who were never with Nintendo in the first place outside of the maybe the NES as a kid.
It doesn't matter what your definition is, because the actual facts show Nintendo is still releasing some of the highest selling games on a dedicated gaming system in a post-smartphone world that are selling just as good or better then many of their pre Wii and DS systems as well. The Wii U's biggest problems have nothing to do with adult men being butthurt Iwata allowed Wii Sports to be made.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Ian Sane on September 17, 2015, 08:04:40 PM
Nintendo consoles are seen as casual fluff and that more than anything is why the Wii U has sold like crap. Iwata completely destroyed Nintendo's console reputation and no one but the most dedicated Nintendo fan was willing to give the Wii U the time of day.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: TOPHATANT123 on September 17, 2015, 08:11:44 PM
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Shaymin on September 17, 2015, 08:29:42 PM
I get the feeling Ian and the rest of the world are talking at cross purposes here.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Evan_B on September 17, 2015, 09:17:18 PM
Nintendo's consoles are seen as casual fluff by morons.
Bayonetta 2, Devil's Third, XCX, Zombi U, Hyrule Warriors and such don't give off much of a casual image.
But, you know, the majority of the gaming population can't tell the difference between casual and accessible, so I guess the moron banner should stick.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: NWR_insanolord on September 17, 2015, 11:45:49 PM
Nintendo consoles are seen as casual fluff and that more than anything is why the Wii U has sold like crap. Iwata completely destroyed Nintendo's console reputation and no one but the most dedicated Nintendo fan was willing to give the Wii U the time of day.
Iwata was playing the hand he was dealt. If he's the one who ruined things he must have had access to a time machine, because that situation was bad well before he took over. The fact is, Yamauchi burned a lot of bridges with third parties, and the lack of their support is what has hurt Nintendo consoles the most.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Ian Sane on September 18, 2015, 01:18:44 PM
Nintendo consoles are seen as casual fluff and that more than anything is why the Wii U has sold like crap. Iwata completely destroyed Nintendo's console reputation and no one but the most dedicated Nintendo fan was willing to give the Wii U the time of day.
Iwata was playing the hand he was dealt. If he's the one who ruined things he must have had access to a time machine, because that situation was bad well before he took over. The fact is, Yamauchi burned a lot of bridges with third parties, and the lack of their support is what has hurt Nintendo consoles the most.
Nintendo was "kiddy" before Iwata but no one was ever called "casual" until the Wii. Yamauchi also never had a console sell better than everything else but have the WORST third party support because the hardware was so out-of-date that ports were near impossible. In fact no videogame company in history ever has done that except Iwata-led Nintendo.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: NWR_insanolord on September 18, 2015, 01:27:55 PM
Fine, if you narrow the criteria down that specifically, it was all Iwata's fault. In reality, though, the difference between being labeled "kiddy" and being labeled "casual" is mostly semantic, and the only way Nintendo was able to be the highest seller in that generation was to appeal to the casual "rubes" you're so fond of disparaging. If they'd stayed with the model you want they'd have had the commercial success of the GameCube all over again instead of just the hardware.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Ian Sane on September 18, 2015, 03:25:21 PM
Fine, if you narrow the criteria down that specifically, it was all Iwata's fault. In reality, though, the difference between being labeled "kiddy" and being labeled "casual" is mostly semantic, and the only way Nintendo was able to be the highest seller in that generation was to appeal to the casual "rubes" you're so fond of disparaging. If they'd stayed with the model you want they'd have had the commercial success of the GameCube all over again instead of just the hardware.
My approach is more "Gamecube without the easily avoidable screw-ups" which I think would have sold better than the Cube ever did. The Cube was conventional compared to the Wii and Wii U but it had lots of dumb typical Nintendo goof-ups. Nintendo hasn't done a console where they didn't handcuff it with their own stupidity since the SNES. Nintendo needed someone to clean up all the bad habits and clueless stupidity that was holding Nintendo back and if anything I feel Iwata doubled-down on those bad habits. The Wii U is the exact sort of disaster you would expect if the sort of stupid idiots in Nintendo that thought making their console look like a purple purse and not going online when everyone else did were good ideas were calling the shots.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on September 18, 2015, 10:53:25 PM
OMG... I am so out of the loop... I had no idea that Iwata had passed away.... :(
I was wondering why there was talk of a new president. This saddens me. I'm gonna go think on this for a little bit. But hopefully the next president has just as much passion for the product and and the creation of. I'm sure I missed lots of nice words around here on the subject.
RIP Iwata.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: ThePerm on September 19, 2015, 10:58:58 PM
the casual hardcore stuff seems thrown around these forums a lot. I don't know about other forums..they're usually messes.
Wii U is a system for hardcore gamers. Wii was not.
The perception of Nintendo is not because of Nintendo. Its because of everyone else. Everyone lives in their own version of reality. Most people live in the Sony Xbox reality where Conkers Bad Fur Day, Perfect Dark, Eternal Darkness, Resident Evil: Remake, Resident Evil 4 like a year exclusive for GCN never existed. Some of these people don't all know about Wii U. Some think its an add-on for wii u. You could show them a mature game, tell them that its exclusive for a Nintendo system and their next question would be "when can I play it on my Xbox?" These people are in a feedback loop and it does not include free or credible information about Nintendo.
Speaking of Idiots. I was at a video store like 2 months ago and this guy was having a conversation with his girlfriend about H-DVD vs Bluray. This guy looked like meth city. Anyhow, he was talking to his girlfriend and this guy seemed like he had been living under a damn rock for like 5 years. We got into a conversation about it, just because I couldn't let it go and I explained to him HD-DVD has been dead for like 5 years. Bluray overtook it. Bluray won. His next question for me was which gaming systems do I like better "Xbox or PlayStation?"
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: Enner on December 11, 2015, 06:20:36 AM
Time talked a bit with Kimishima. http://time.com/4129171/nintendo-tatsumi-kimishima/ Exclusive: Nintendo’s New President on the Icon’s Future
http://time.com/4131306/nintendo-kimishima-interview/ 14 Things Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima Told Us
Reading the new articles, I have a better sense of Kimishima. He's looking to be the best-possible leader for Nintendo now.
Title: Re: A Post-"Please Understand" Company: Nintendo After Mr. Iwata's Passing
Post by: michaelbaysuperfan616 on December 11, 2015, 07:03:26 PM
the casual hardcore stuff seems thrown around these forums a lot. I don't know about other forums..they're usually messes.
Wii U is a system for hardcore gamers. Wii was not.
The perception of Nintendo is not because of Nintendo. Its because of everyone else. Everyone lives in their own version of reality. Most people live in the Sony Xbox reality where Conkers Bad Fur Day, Perfect Dark, Eternal Darkness, Resident Evil: Remake, Resident Evil 4 like a year exclusive for GCN never existed. Some of these people don't all know about Wii U. Some think its an add-on for wii u. You could show them a mature game, tell them that its exclusive for a Nintendo system and their next question would be "when can I play it on my Xbox?" These people are in a feedback loop and it does not include free or credible information about Nintendo.
Speaking of Idiots. I was at a video store like 2 months ago and this guy was having a conversation with his girlfriend about H-DVD vs Bluray. This guy looked like meth city. Anyhow, he was talking to his girlfriend and this guy seemed like he had been living under a damn rock for like 5 years. We got into a conversation about it, just because I couldn't let it go and I explained to him HD-DVD has been dead for like 5 years. Bluray overtook it. Bluray won. His next question for me was which gaming systems do I like better "Xbox or PlayStation?"
Game Cube was called kiddie because it looked like a toy and many of it's flagship titles were slightly more kid friendly than previous entries rather than just neutral as in the past, especially Sunshine and Toon link. Wii earned the casual label there is really no denying that, but Wii was a success as a casual machine it failed as a traditional core or hardcore gamer console which is why Wii U is struggling because Wii U has an identity crisis and a severe lack of proper 3rd party support. Wii U might appear to be more focused on traditional gamers but it launched with too much "Wiiness" seeping through. Also despite the Game Pad being in many ways better than just the default Remote and Nunchuck of Wii, the buttons are too far spaced out and the analog sticks don't feel quite right.
I remember Game Cube days being able to talk to people about it and it was always something little that kept them from getting one, but it wasn't hard to bring them over and invite them to play a game or two and show how wrong their misconceptions were. This is not the case with Wii U pretty much it is what people say it is, a barren wasteland with a select few ultra-conservative appeal only to the super loyal fans first party titles. It has little room to grow beyond those of us who bought it just for the one game or another that we got it for.
