Satoru Iwata did not share the same corporate mindset which a typical CEO would. Iwata at heart was a gamer, and to him Nintendo was all about pleasing their audience rather than just money-making. Nintendo’s 2015 Corporate Social Responsibility report shares perhaps the last notes we’ll ever see from Iwata again; notably he claims that Nintendo’s “assets are intangible” and discusses his adoration of making “families smile”.
The Wii U has essentially been a financial disappointment; as of March 31st 2015, there’s accordingly only been 9.54 million Wii U units sold. As of such, it’s interesting to see Iwata’s final perspective as he took pride of Nintendo’s charming IP’s – something which cannot be financially measured. While the Wii U may seem unsuccessful on paper, it’s been the platform featuring amazing first-party content such as Yoshi’s Wooly World, Splatoon, Mario Kart 8, Super Mario 3D World and more. These games have received a positive reception despite the lack of sales, and could illustrate how Nintendo’s success is “intangible”.
Originality, Flexibility and Sincerity.
Iwata further stated that “Nintendo’s DNA” – originality, flexibility and sincerity – lives within all Nintendo employees. Whatever Nintendo plans with their upcoming NX project, there should be a reflection of Nintendo “being different”. This individual approach has been apparent throughout Nintendo’s history, particularly as they distanced themselves from the console wars between Sony and Microsoft. It seems there’s this continued belief in Nintendo that they must “think outside the box” to win their fanbase’s hearts.
Quality of Life- “Living life in your own way, you will find happiness”.
It’s no secret that Nintendo intend to not only focus on games, but also to enhance the Quality of Life. It’s been previously confirmed that this Quality of Life movement will remain separate from their main gaming platforms, instead it will attract more audiences in other ways than gaming. The report reflects that Nintendo has not always been a video-game based company, and Iwata in particular notes how this Quality of Life product will remind audiences that. The comments about this platform remain vague, however it seems that sleep and fatigue will be a core element in improving the Quality of Life. Of course more news on such will be revealed in a later announcement.
The rest of the CSR report explores the importance of Amiibo’s, which as of far have had 10.5 million units sold. The whole PDF is available to read here.
yBaX |> PLAY 