Respected Japanese news publication The Nikkei says June will be a major test for Nintendo president Satoru Iwata to turn things around for the company. Here’s some snippets from the article.
- Nintendo rejected the suggestion of a Hong Kong investor that Nintendo move towards smartphone games with the observation “are there any companies that have had sustained revenue growth from smartphone games?”
- The head of a large Chinese investment firm assigned to analyze Nintendo observed that “Nintendo must leverage its intellectual property, such as its characters.” As a matter of fact, a few years ago there were rumours that Nintendo was planning to open a theme park based on its characters in Kyoto, but the project has apparently been mothballed.
- These comments on Nintendo’s existing properties reflect the irritation of investors who believe that the company has not found new sources of revenue.
- Consolidated profits and earnings for the fiscal year ending in March showed a loss of 35 billion yen, (compared to a 36.4 billion yen loss the year previously) representing three consecutive years of losses.
- Iwata said “only after playing the WiiU is it possible to understand its appeal. Low sales are due to the console being not well-enough known.” Within the company, proposals for how to play the WiiU are being considered.
- Current cash reserves are over 500 billion yen, but whether Iwata will be given unlimited time is a separate question.
- At the general meeting in March 2011, Iwata was reappointed with 92.89% of the vote, but in 2013 he was reappointed with only 77.26%.
- This coming June will be a major test for Iwata.
Thanks, Kenny
Iwata out by June? Good riddance to bad rubbish
Sony is buying out Nintendo in June. It’s time for Yoshida to take over.
Are you here just to stir up flamewars? -_-
Sony( or MS) couldn’t afford nintendo. Did you miss the line stating they had 500 BILLION in cash reserves?
YEN.
That’s 5 billion US. About HALF of what they had six months ago. Nintendo is bleeding money at an unprecedented rate in an effort to right the ship. They forgot the Iwata anchor though.
http://i1342.photobucket.com/albums/o778/Chillguyx8/zYw1A_zps3ab31986.jpg
32 Billion dollars* lrn2troll
Those numbers are actualy incorrect. They have about 16 billion. 6 of which is just in invested assets alone
The $5-6b is just cash and deposits.
And nothing big changed, they had roughly the same six months ago. In fact they probably have more now than 6 months ago.
Dec 31, 2013 561m Yen
vs Sep 30 463m Yen (~6 mo. ago)
vs Mar 2013 478m Yen.
I meant billion Yen (b), not million yen (m).
Yen.
Nintendo has more money then Sony honestly it would be the other way around,
Sony is going out of business fast, Nintendo is in a rough spot, but their not in massive debt and selling off assets like Sony is
now look who is in denial….
Oh yea mr. Sony4life, hope you enjoy this story too…
http://gaminrealm.com/2014/04/01/kaz-harai-leaves-sony-af/
I love how that article is posted on the 4th of april XD
RIGHT :D April fools you all.
You cant buy a company with IOU notes. Sony has no money.
#FailTroll
Oh yes, lets kick out the guy who made two extremely successful consoles and a third success with the 3DS because the Wii U “isn’t as projected”.
Completely retarded, but have “investors” ever been any less?
You are right, but look what Iwata has done to Nintendo at all. They lost too many fans and so towards Sony and Microsoft. Iwata is a good guy but not for a videogames company.
Not to SONY or MS. They lost consumers due to mobile/smart devices.
I think that its Reggie that needs to go honestly, he hasn’t bin aggressive, and he should be keeping iyawata on track. He is one of the few CEOs of Nintendo that has authority to take charge. They need fresh blood and they need to be more aggressive. As well as excpand put of just games, their is no reason they shouldn’t be as big as Disney right now
Iwata had success but let the money go to his head. He needs to either leave or revert back to himself from before the DS.
Oh look. Another day another Iwata is doomed article. Can’t they come up with something else?
Bukkake Iwata’s wifes face?? Hang Reggie Fils-Aime’s decaying body from the Space Needle and sell his jew rug on ebay??
Hello! These PlayStation fanboys in the comments are just trying to stir up trouble, don’t give them your attention. They are just trolling. Mother and I are both very curious to see what Nintendo’s plan is with the smartphone market.
Uhh goodbye!
-Ben
They do need to have pretty much the best E3 NIntendo has ever had.
How they’d top the Twilight Princess, Smash Bros Melee or Wii reveals, I’ve no idea.
But that’s what they need to do.
They did just open up a new dev studio (focusing on finishing games) we know they well have a new Zelda, we know they bought out a cgi studio a few years back, so I’m sure we well see at least. A clip of retros new project,(who just hired HUD specialist which screams star fox or metroid)
they won’t have a BIG show, they well have a BIG Nintendo direct, but I think their presence at e3 well be bigger this year.
but they need to expand their business, they need to do more then just games, they need to buy Sega and platinum, they need to work with cartoon network and Netflix for showed based on their IP
I really like Iwata, but they could need a few new minds up there, among with the others!
Clearly you know what you’re talking about.
So why not join them yourself big guy.
Big N doesn’t like money
We are the only ones making money though…
LOL @ Nintendo know it all fanboys who use the good ole “We are the only ones making money though”. Can’t you read bro? They have had losses 3 years in a row!!!! That is 3 years in a row!!!!
“Consolidated profits and earnings for the fiscal year ending in March showed a loss of 35 billion yen, (compared to a 36.4 billion yen loss the year previously) representing three consecutive years of losses.”
So, our Lord will be tested by the Titans…
Hopefully him and the rest of High Command proves them wrong and destroys them aswell…
The Titans Fall is just down the road.
He could also be referring to “Attack on Titan” aswell.
Amazing Manga and Anime!! :D <3
He better not do a Nintendo Direct before E3 because if he does than thats the Wii U’s death sentence.
You’re making it sound like E3 is the biggest thing ever.
It’s not. It only reaches out to a limited part of the society.
Personally I hope they do both.
Dude, I’ve been to E3 several times. It’s a fucking MASSIVE production. Way more important than any Nintendo Direct.
Will you be there this year?…
We could use an inside man serving our cause and act as a vigilante…
*wink*
LOL. I only wish I had that kind of power.
Yea, bigger than Direct, but E3 only reaches core gamers. I think that was the point: it doesn’t have a wide audience.
Nintendo can probably get more views with a few TV commercials compared to an E3 conference. Remember the “Wii would like to play” commercials, that did more for Nintendo than any E3 ever did.
Not just that, but it would make much more sense economically.
e3 is the worst place to do a reveal simply due to the huge competition at the event. Any announcement gets swallowed up next the other announcements. It makes more sense to do private reveals, just like Sony and ms did before the event last year.
I agree. If Iwata doesn’t do anything to help the Wii U like paying third parties to put games on the console instead of saying its up to them or more advertising or remove region locking, then yes he needs to go. It’s that simple.
Paying third parties is not the answer either.
Their presence at E3 well be bigger then last year, but their main strategy well be a BIG Nintendo direct maybe even 2
The one problem I have with Nintendo is the amount of games they release for their consoles. This year is the second year for the Wii U and only two games (retail) are being released in the first half of the year. That’s just not good enough. They need to buy more studios to create more games seeings how third parties are avoiding the console. Shoving a bunch of Indies in our face is not the answer even though there are some good indie games.
http://nintendoenthusiast.com/article/game-droughts-matter-perception/
I said shoving indies in our face is not the answer and the the guy who wrote the article said this:
“Meanwhile on eShop, there was Bit.Trip Presents Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien, CastleStorm, The Cave, Cloudberry Kingdom, Coaster Crazy Deluxe, Dr. Luigi, DuckTales Remastered, Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara, Edge, Festival of Magic, Forgotten Memories, Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams, Knyyt Underground, Little Inferno, Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition, Mutant Mudds Deluxe, Nano Assault Neo, NES Remix, New Super Luigi U, Puddle, RUSH, Spin the Bottle: Bumpie’s Party, Star Wars Pinball, TNT Racers – Nitro Machines Edition, Tank! Tank! Tank!, Trine 2: Director’s Cut, Unepic, Wii Sports Club and ZEN Pinball 2.”
Don’t use indies to cover up game droughts.
Don’t use twisted facts to cover up your lack of understanding.
Its a better answer than relying on the AAA third parties that only know how to do lack-luster Ports that aren’t even properly optimized for the wii u.
Buying more studios to create more games seems like a good idea to me but I know Nintendo is very stubborn. I just hope they surprise me at e3.
Either that or let more third parties that you trust make games with your IP’s.
They said they plan on doing that so we’ll see what happens.
That is because hd development has been a huge hurdle for them. Everyone else went through this last generation (remember the first 2 years for ps3 and 360).
They need to double down on development and produce/publish more mature games in order to get more relevant. They can do this in tandem with their normal family friendly titles. Titles like fire emblem and xenoblade show that there is an audience and it is possible. They can even start a new brand for this type of development to get positive attention/buzz.
There’s too much competition to be kids only anymore.
They have been going through consistent game droughts since the Gamecube.
Wii didn’t have game droughts…
Yes it did. I sold mine because of it.
We must have had different experiences then…
I bought it again later on though. I wanted to play Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Skyward Sword. I missed out on Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Xenoblade Chronicles which was annoying.
You should play them both if you still haven’t…
You can’t buy Xenoblade new anymore and I haven’t seen Metroid Prime 3 in stock for a while.
Too bad…
Hopefully they release digital copies of Wii games on the Wii U later…
Yeah, I expect 2014 to be his last chance to make things happen before they appoint someone else to be CEO of Nintendo.
It’s sad, he was a humble man, and I always loved watching his Nintendo Directs. I just hope he turns things around soon.
They need to take to the stage this year for E3.
They need to buy all stages at E3 and never let anyone else in…
Frankly I think that we need change but I haven’t given up faith in Iwata… although if we continue the way we are doing now, Nintendo may not survive, Iwata’s issue is that he is not putting enough energy into the Wii U, but if that means that we have to let him go, so be it I suppose…
Our new Lord would probably be like this if Lord Iwata resigns…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vyj6_4SlUA
Oh well, as long as I am commanded by a lord…
Was meant to put this one…
So the upcoming June may be a major turn for the company.
Can’t wait to see that, I’m tired of Iwata’s bullshit.
Oh yes, Master Iwata the “great one” who has turned Nintendo into the toddler games company. Nintendo used to be a much more diversified company back in the day when they had Rare and the rest of their 2nd party studios. But the brilliants in charge decided to sell Rare and the rest of them. The one western studio they have left (Retro) was put to work on another toddler game (Donkey Kong TF). Don’t worry though, Iwata is going to save the Baby U with his QOL and his “non wearable devices” approach. LOLOLOLOL!!!
1. They were forced to sell Rare…
2. Retro chose to make DKCRTP…
3. Have fun raising babies…
Don’t encourage him… retards should not reproduce.
Personally, this is the key ingridient to the flaw of the Wii U:
Lord Iwata: “only after playing the Wii U is it possible to understand its appeal. Low sales are due to the console being not well-enough known.”
Both sentences are a result of no advertising and hype…
As well as the complete lack of news between major releases, and even when the opportunity arises for a big reveal, nadda
At this point I would like to hear more about this:
Pokemon Z
Legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask 3D or HD
Zelda U
A new Metroid game would be a surprise
A new IP (This is a must)
Less 3DS, more Wii U and not to say cut support for the 3DS but put more resources into the Wii U, like a Majora’s Mask remake, make it HD instead of 3D
Anything else I am forgetting?
Starfox and F-Zero with online…
And frankly, they should just forget about the meaning of things…
A real open-world Pokemon game online would solve all the problems in one blow and the Gamepad could be used as an excuse for “Pocketmonster” with the connectivity to X/Y and the next generation of games…
Seriously, Pokemon is the bane of the handhelds and could be used as a great weapon to aid the Wii U…
On the Contrary, Pokemon was made for handhelds, although Nintendo can create a Wii U spinoff such as a new Pokemon Battle Revolution (especially since effective May 20 the existing Pokemon Battle Revolution will be made irrelevant)
People have suggested a Pokemon Stadium 2 for the Wii U as well as a Pokemon Snap 2
Perhaps even a Pokemon XD/Colosseum sequel
Spin-offs have never sold even half the amount of the real games and I’ve never liked them so much that I want to keep playing them for hundreds of hours like the real ones and today, specially in the west, a real game with online would make them forget about Xboxes and leave the Sonyans…
Well a spinoff Pokemon game is all the Wii U will get, main series Pokemon games are made specifically for handhelds and are better suited for them, so a spinoff Pokemon game for the Wii U is better than nothing but there will never EVER be a main series Pokemon game for any home console
They need to break that chain of order if they want to put the Wii U on the map…
Not even the next Zelda game will help it go up to a level were civilians and new recruits alike will buy like hell…
And I think that my 2 points of making a valid Pokemon game on the Wii U are good enough to consider them “Pocket”…
To be frank, no, it’s easy to say that making Pokemon on Wii U is a good idea but in actually fact they have been doing handhelds for over 15 years and each game has been more successful than the last
Also Zelda will make the Wii U sell, after all The Legend of Zelda is one of the most renowned gaming series of all time
Pokemon was made for handhelds, case closed, besides even if Nintendo wanted to do Pokemon for the Wii U it’s the decision of Game Freak after all, they are the ones who develop Pokemon
I agree, Pokemon on anything but handhelds is a horrible idea,
Even a HD Pokemon remake with added online functionality of a main series game would sell like crazy (say Ruby and Sapphire). People said the same thing about Smash Bros. being console only. People need to drop the mentality that any game is handheld or console only. Pokemon is Nintendo’s best-selling franchise after Mario. It’s the fastest selling game on 3DS, almost 12 million copies sold. Pokemon fans bought a 3DS just for Pokemon and they would do the same for the Wii U. The main series games always sell several million copies. They are missing out on a huge opportunity here.
Firstly, no one said Smash was console only, alot of people actually wanted it on handheld as well, Pokemon comes from the words “Pocket Monsters” you want to fuck that up be changing it to “Monsters you can only play with at home”???
What do you think Pokemon is for? It is to carry around, battling people you meet with, trade maybe
not to mention that putting Pokemon on a home console will fuck up the VGC and competitive battling
A lot of people want Pokemon on console in case you didn’t know. The name is just a title, otherwise there would never have been a single spin-off on console because you can’t fit your console in your pocket obviously.
You don’t even need to carry the 3DS everywhere to battle or trade. It’s called Wi-Fi. Which would be even better on the Wii U.
How would it fuck up competitive battling?
Smash is proof that any game can work on any platform. Nothing is set in stone for all eternity.
Firstly, 3DS CAN battle/trade anywhere, it’s called infer red dumbass, Wi-Fi isn’t the only way to connect to other players,
Secondly, there has never been a main series Pokemon game on any Nintendo home console, that is true Pocket Monsters
And how do you think the VGC or any local Pokemon game tournament functions Einstein? you think people are gonna be like “Oh the next local VGC tourny is going to be in LA next week? Let me just unplug and carry my entire Wii U and TV IN MY CAR TO GO TO IT WHY DON”T I!!!
Yes that sounds so much simpler than putting my little 3DS in my POCKET AND GOING THERE NO PROBLEM EH?
“What do you think Pokemon is for? It is to carry around, battling people you meet with, trade maybe”
Firstly, you’re the one that implied that the only way to battle or trade was to carry hardware around.
Secondly, no, there hasn’t been a main series Pokemon game on console yet. Just like there wasn’t a single Smash game on handheld up until this generation. But there is no legit reason why there cannot be. Smash Bros is proof of that. Why are you even arguing this? It is a fact.
How do you think that Smash Bros at Evo functions? People don’t have to carry GameCubes to the event, only their controller. Pokemon events would have Wii U’s set up.
You started with the name calling because you know that you lost.
Things need to change sometimes, specially on dire times…
But, I’ll keep my ideas closed at the moment and see how things turn out after Mario Kart 8 is released…
ohh a pokemon snap 2 would be great.
I would love a Bomberman game, like bomberman 64..but Konami bought the hudson soft.. but I can dream..
I really want to see Twilight Princess HD Remake. And a new Golden Sun by a studio that will know what they’re doing.
The Wii U has a lot of potential they’re not taking advantage of. As the guy above me mentioned, an open world online Pokemon game would be awesome, but could only be done on Wii U. The handheld exclusivity of a huge title like that is stupid. The Wii U’s first issue is being named with the Wii name. It should have been a completely new name, period. It’s confusing, especially since it uses the same controller and everything. And calling it an upgrade? Asking for trouble. While it is certainly not on par with PS4 and XBOX One, it still is by no means a bad system. It’s just being marketed wrong and the right games aren’t being put out. Nintendo is not by any means out of the game though. The 3DS isn’t nearly as powerful as the Vita (it can play PS4 games streamed from the PS4, so it’s clearly got some power) yet it still sells more. So clearly the fanbase for Nintendo products is there, they just aren’t buying Wii U. So no, they don’t need smartphone crap. They could make some apps that can enhance game experience though, like a Pokédex to go along with X and Y, a Green star guide for Mario 3D World…. there’s so much simple things they could do to get a bit of revenue that way without resorting to making games on the platform. Nintendo has been in the gaming market longer than Sony and Microsoft so they have the longevity, but they’re losing respect because of Wii U. And to be honest, the 3DS’s main feature, the 3D, is a bit of a joke. I don’t know ANYONE who uses it besides me. So Nintendo… please blow us away at E3. You need to get the Wii U known as a separate system so you can remain in the game.
I personally would have liked if it wa sjust called the U…
The blue U scene is just great…
And when it comes to the 3DS, I can’t play games wihout the 3D, it just adds that little extra flavour to it, specially on games like Kid Icarus Uprising or Luigi’s Mansion…
There is a lot of Japanese games as well for the wii U that arnt here in the states. A simple translation patch and you put in little effort with a great amount of game library as well
To whoever above mentioned Rare, their track history post-Nintendo only proves Nintendo made the right choice regarding them. Nowadays, Rare are a laughing stock – they couldn’t even make a good Banjo game when they were given the chance. And don’t get me started on Kinect Sports – seriously, there’s no talent left at Rare, and it was a godsend they let them go before the company became what it is today. Retro > Rare, any day.
It’s also not too late to rebrand the Wii U. The console’s name sucks and has a lot to answer for when it comes to the lackluster sales – a lot of people just don’t seem to recognize that the console is it’s own console, not a Wii peripheral. A rebranding under a new title at E3 could help significantly if released alongside a stellar line-up of games, and would perhaps increase recognition of the machine as it’s own console.
Meh! As a Nintendo fan the thing that the console needs is more games, less Mario, and more mature or action games since teens and adults are the ones buying more video games these days.
When did kids ever buy anything?…
Unless they were a very special case…
Silence Inferior Being.
I wish that Nintendo stop being stubborn. This is 21st Century, come on guys. You guys need to go to Nintendo of America’s webform to input your comments within the general comments to encourage Nintendo not to surrender to Microsoft and Sony.
Incredible how people still mistakes Iwata as some kind of sports coach. A buisness man can only be replaced by another buisness man, that’s why Iwata is still in his job, and also have the fact that Iwata was trained by Yamauchi in order to assume Nintendo.
Mothballed?
The people saying that E3 isn’t a big deal are completely off. Nintendo’s absence from E3 last year hurt them. They claimed that they wanted to “appeal to western media and developers” by not going. Yet, E3 is a conference full of media and developers…. so wtf? One part of the Wii U’s lackluster sales is a lack of AAA titles at launch which was caused from a lack of preparation and thinking. Even of it meant waiting a little longer for the consoles release, I bet we’d see better sales from the get-go. Another is awareness and understanding of what a Wii U even is to the common consumer. To this day people still get confused between the original Wii and Wii U and only gamers like you and I who bother to read these aeticles will ever know what a ‘Nintendo Direct’ even is or what its about. Third, but least importantly (IMO), is its hardware capabilities, which aren’t that of ‘next’ generation power, which is one of many shallow, but true reasons why 3rd parties are uninterested.
Street Smash meeting bros. Iwata vs Investors.
Im calling it now, developed by Capcom exclusively for WiiU. It will be a huge hit.
When Iwata beats his opponent he will say “you must defeat Reggie and his body in order to stand a chance, i hope you understand this situation” seriously this kinda game would be awesome!
“Iwata said “only after playing the WiiU is it possible to understand its appeal. Low sales are due to the console being not well-enough known.” Within the company, proposals for how to play the WiiU are being considered.”
I can understand that some people need to people need to play it. To be fair I am surprised if not a lot of people know what it is.
I mean it’s not like no one knows about it after all the bad press it’s getting (in which I wish it didn’t get”.
Hopefully when MK8 is out, sales shall increase.
Reggie.. “My body is ready” to pummel your face in…
Oh wow, only MK8 can save him!
What does he has to prove? Wii U is the best system! It’s not his fault that the 3rd parties are against Nintendo. Wii U is the best system and the only one taht can do the 1080p! WHAT ELSE CAN HE DO?
Wii U need Zelda U & Metroid U to sell.
http://www.cinemablend.com/m/games/Nintendo-Now-Worth-More-Than-Sony-61509.html
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