Topic: Nintendo To Reorganize Board, Branch Presidents Taking Larger Role

[Shaymin]

Fils-Amie and Shibata have an additional job title.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/42620/nintendo-to-reorganize-board-branch-presidents-taking-larger-role

Nintendo's financial results included a change to the makeup of the company that could see international branches gain a larger voice in the company.

In a change announced in the financial statements (page 17, PDF link)Nintendo announced that Reggie Fils-Amie and Satoru Shibata would join a new internal board focused on product development.

The statement on Nintendo's investor site indicates that several external parties are slated to join Nintendo's Board of Directors following a vote at the annual shareholder's meeting on June 27. Nintendo will also appoint a slate of Executive Officers, including Shibata and Fils-Amie, at the same meeting.

[Enner]

With any luck, the new Executive Officer titles to Fils-Amie and Shibata aren't made of paper.

[ejamer]

With any luck, the new Executive Officer titles to Fils-Amie and Shibata aren't made of paper.

So you want them to go digital?


I am not thrilled by this news. Maybe it'll end up well, but I have vague memories of Reggie talking about how he didn't like RPGs and not being keen to see any released during the Wii generation.  He also seems keen to push digital-only content, especially if it's not a major franchise that can be relied on to push millions of units.


Giving him more power to decide what games NoA runs with isn't a thrilling concept to me.

[Evan_B]

I am not thrilled by this news. Maybe it'll end up well, but I have vague memories of Reggie talking about how he didn't like RPGs and not being keen to see any released during the Wii generation.  He also seems keen to push digital-only content, especially if it's not a major franchise that can be relied on to push millions of units.

Giving him more power to decide what games NoA runs with isn't a thrilling concept to me.

Considering Xenoblade Chronicles X and Tokyo Mirage Sessions have been slated as large releases for the Wii U and the original Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story, and Pandora's Tower received huge localization movements towards the end of the Wii's life, I would think Reggie at least acknowledges that RPGs serve a role in the library of a console. Plus, niche titles like the Souls games with rabid fanbases have helped support console launches and generate buzz in the West.

[ejamer]

...
Considering Xenoblade Chronicles X and Tokyo Mirage Sessions have been slated as large releases for the Wii U and the original Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story, and Pandora's Tower received huge localization movements towards the end of the Wii's life, I would think Reggie at least acknowledges that RPGs serve a role in the library of a console. Plus, niche titles like the Souls games with rabid fanbases have helped support console launches and generate buzz in the West.

That's fair - and while Fatal Frame was considered too niche (or maybe just not good enough) to get a retail release, Tokyo Mirage Sessions is getting a special edition and a significant amount of publicity in the west. Not sure if that's just due to a lack of competing options or a change in perspective, but it's not fair of me to dismiss the latter possibility.


Regardless, it will be interesting to see what effect (if any) this has over the next few years.

[supermario2k]

I think this is good news. If I am reading it right it means NOA will have more say in overall company strategies and that is nothing but good news considering how out of touch Japan is with American culture. I wouldn't be too worried about RPG's, if NX has a shared library and gets stronger output it will have, at the very least, the 3DS level of RPG's I would suspect and that should be more than good enough on top of VC and FF7 remake.

[Ian Sane]

I think the idea of giving the different branches more say in Nintendo's overall strategies is a great idea.  Too often NCL has shot themselves in the foot by making decisions for the world market based entirely on what's going on in Japan.  It's a challenge to make a product that will appeal to all markets so you need to take input from multiple markets.

The problem is that NOA have been the shitty branch since Reggie came along.  This strategy only works if I trust NOA, which I don't.  NCL doesn't know American culture, but Reggie doesn't know videogames.

[jarodea]

Considering Xenoblade Chronicles X and Tokyo Mirage Sessions have been slated as large releases for the Wii U and the original Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story, and Pandora's Tower received huge localization movements towards the end of the Wii's life, I would think Reggie at least acknowledges that RPGs serve a role in the library of a console. Plus, niche titles like the Souls games with rabid fanbases have helped support console launches and generate buzz in the West.

I'm pretty sure I read the Rainfall games only came out after the head of Monolith Soft was contacted by a Japanese twitter user and realized there was demand for it in NA.  Reggie did his damnedest to keep them out.  Which would make sense, Reggie is obsessed with low-cost high-profit casual games.  Prestige titles are not something he cares about.  Worked well with the Wii and DS until 2010, not so much since. 

I think the idea of giving the different branches more say in Nintendo's overall strategies is a great idea.  Too often NCL has shot themselves in the foot by making decisions for the world market based entirely on what's going on in Japan.  It's a challenge to make a product that will appeal to all markets so you need to take input from multiple markets.

The problem is that NOA have been the shitty branch since Reggie came along.  This strategy only works if I trust NOA, which I don't.  NCL doesn't know American culture, but Reggie doesn't know videogames.

I agree, especially with the latter.  It's good that Nintendo will finally be listening to non-Japanese branches, but I hope they listen more to Shibata than Reggie.  During Reggie's time at NoA it went from far better than NoE to good grief, I wish NoE was in charge here.

I was going to put it above, but that's also why it makes sense that Reggie hasn't done well after the Wii/DS lightening-in-a-bottle bubble, it's not his background.  He knows how to sell pizza and do so profitably, but pizzas aren't video games.  The business structure is entirely different but he is fixated on the find the lowest-cost highest-profit model that works with goods producing businesses (which is basically what pizza places are).  Dealing with the razor blade, IP/mindshare focused model of the video game industry doesn't seem to be something he is capable of learning.

[ejamer]

...  During Reggie's time at NoA it went from far better than NoE to good grief, I wish NoE was in charge here. ...

I think that is an over-simplification of why comparative status for NoA/NoE has switched - but I'm not disagreeing.

[Enner]

Jeez, tough crowd for Reggie here.

I can not follow given the utter lack of public knowledge of the inner workings of Nintendo of America. I would rather not lay the failings and disappointments in Nintendo's North American efforts always on one person or the local branch. But I can't say the ire is undeserved or misplaced.

[ejamer]

Jeez, tough crowd for Reggie here.

I can not follow given the utter lack of public knowledge of the inner workings of Nintendo of America. I would rather not lay the failings and disappointments in Nintendo's North American efforts always on one person or the local branch. But I can't say the ire is undeserved or misplaced.

I think it's just because he is the most visible figurehead that people can point to - when Nintendo is doing "good things" (whatever that means) he gets credit, and when Nintendo make choices that aren't liked he bears the  blame.


It's very possible that Reggie's ability to make the decisions that are being judged is limited, with real power to make decisions nestled away elsewhere in the company. In fact, given this announcement I'd suggest that's almost a certainty.  But human nature demands that we choose a specific face to hold accountable - and after all the memes and E3 appearances who could better fill that role?

[nickmitch]

This can only be good news.  I think Nintendo needs to be able to better respond to the needs of the local markets, and giving more power and input to the branches helps with that.  Nintendo has traditionally always run things out of Japan.  We still aren't even sure how much input Reggie gets, so while I understand some of the blame cast on him, I can't get behind all of the hate.  Hopefully, we'll really see how well he can operate with the NX.

Just gotta cross my fingers that this new internal board has a sub-committee on scarves.

[broodwars]

I'll be curious to see whether this does end up with Branch Presidents having a much larger say in control of their respective markets...or if this just means Nintendo will be even more homogeneous with the entire company's actions determined by this one board.

[ThePerm]

Wow, missed this topic. I just always thought it was odd that NOA had become the puppet of NCL. There are simple decisions that could have been made in the past to improve Nintendo's standing with the public. Stupid console names could have been avoided, certain 3rd parties could have been worked with to maximize output.

When Howard Lincoln, Peter Main, and Arakawa were running NOA it seemed like they had more atonomy(and or running the whole company).

[Mop it up]

Yeah, I think the idea itself is good, but I'm not so sure Reggie is the best person for the job. It's tough to say how much say he's had in previous decisions, though.

[Wah]

Reggie would turn localization into americanization.

[supermario2k]

Reggie would turn localization into americanization.

What's wrong with that? He is the president of the US branch. Canada has their own branch don't they? Plus I am not sure if you are aware of this but Canadian culture and US culture are, for the most part, interchangeable. The little things we differ on aren't likely to show up in a video game anyways.

[ThePerm]

Actually, maybe Nintendo of Canada will hit the ball out of the park. There are good game developers in Canada.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Actually, maybe Nintendo of Canada will hit the ball out of the park. There are good game developers in Canada.

You think they'll finally fund another Eternal Darkenss!? I can't wait!! /s

[ThePerm]

The Shadow of the Eternals people have mostly moved on, but whatever development cycle for whatever projects those guys were on might be over. They might be ready enough to regroup.

[UncleBob]

11 Years later and PlanetGameCube finally managed to #FreeNoA!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/editorial/547/free-noa

[sudoshuff]

It would be nice if NOA had control over the naming of the NX for the western market.  Every single console name since the Wii has been atrocious.  I'd like to see a return to the split naming conventions like NES/Famicom.

[TOPHATANT123]

I'm sure they already had the power to change names of consoles if they needed to, eg 3DS LL -> 3DS XL. They just chose not to.

[nickmitch]

I don't think that's a fair example. "LL" is a standard sizing name that exists in Japan and not the US (or the rest of the west?).  However, "XL" not only is common, it also is a fair translation of "LL".  They are both pretty much named "3DS The Size Bigger Than Large".

In fact, I think if NOA had more control over the names, the ~new~ 3DS would've been named "3DS+" or something.

[TOPHATANT123]

2DS was a purely Western joint for a while, they could have called that whatever they wanted. I actually like it myself but I don't speak for everyone.

NOA also barred the petite New 3DS entry to the US apart from a few willy nilly bundles here and there. I think the issues lie with the decisions that were made rather than not having the power to make decisions at all.