Pokemon CEO told Nintendo that Switch wouldn’t be successful before it launched
There’s one last noteworthy excerpt from Bloomberg’s interview with Pokemon CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara. As part of the discussion, Ishihara spoke about he initially doubted Switch’s success, and even told Nintendo as such.
Ishihara added that he “came to realize the key to a successful game is quite simple: software with absolute quality leads sales of hardware.” He did acknowledge Switch’s early success, but Ishihara feels that it needs to take another step to reach a wider audience. While the potential is there, “one shouldn’t overestimate its potential.”
Ishihara’s full words:
“I told Nintendo that Switch wouldn’t be a success before it went on sale, because I thought that in the age of the smartphone, no one would carry out a game console. It’s obvious I was wrong. I came to realize the key to a successful game is quite simple: software with absolute quality leads sales of hardware. Playing style can be flexible if the software is attractive enough. Currently, it’s popular among the early adopters, but there needs to be one more step to attract a wider audience. I see more potential in Switch, but one shouldn’t overestimate its potential.”
