Iwata – We’re trying to make games that can please 2 types of gamers

“General marketing wisdom says that customers need to be segmented. For product planning, the target audience needs to be identified and narrowed down… The fact of the matter is, [Shigeru] Miyamoto is the head of one R&D division, which can only launch a few titles each year. To maximise the result, we have decided to counter the common marketing wisdom and go anti-segmentation if everyone else is segmenting everything. This is easier said than done. It is a huge challenge to make a game that will please and be fun for both veteran gamers with the expected depth and novice gamers who say ‘I don’t get it’ but provide them with particular depth that can lead them to deeper points just as they become eager to play longer. Nintendo would like to tackle this enormous challenge.” – Satoru Iwata

This is one thing that I think Nintendo is doing extraordinarily well. If you look at Mario Galaxy, it was clearly a core title, yet it was accessible and easy to play. You can even date back to the days of the original Mario Bros. and see that (even though they seem to flaunt it more-so now) Nintendo has always been making titles that are both accessible and hardcore, which is something very few developers have achieved in the past.

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• Fact: Only casual gamers play video games
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