Reggie says Nintendo doesn’t worry about competitors, hopes Zelda Wii will make it out this year, wants to wow people at E3, more
Reggie’s back, this time through a new interview with IGN. This one’s a bit juicer than the quotes we posted a little while ago. Fils-Aime discusses the PlayStation Move, Zelda Wii, talked a bit about E3, and much more…
IGN: So — you got anything that can compete against Sony’s revolutionary Move controller and sub-controller?
[Reggie leans back in his chair and laughs for several moments.]
Reggie Fils-Aime: So, if imitation is the most sincere form of flattery then I am blushing I’m so flattered.
You know, I didn’t see the announcement. I did spend some time at the booth and saw some of what they were demonstrating and I think the question isn’t how will we react — I think the question is, so what is it that’s going to be compelling to the consumer in what they’re doing? From our standpoint, motion control is core to what we do. We believe that we’ve brought a range of different experiences that utilize the motion controller and we pride ourselves on being innovators in the space and we’re going to continue to innovate. I think the key question is, how will they respond when we continue to innovate if this is their best effort?
IGN: So what are your thoughts on Natal at this point then?
Reggie Fils-Aime: I haven’t seen Natal. Haven’t played it and haven’t seen anything. But again, a lot of the same principles hold. It will not be core to what they are. It’s all going to come down to the software and how great the experience is, which translates to how good the value is. Value meaning what you get for what you pay. And we’ll see.
IGN: My first impression of Sony’s Move controller is that it has a lot of promise, but it’s not quite there yet. But for the sake of this interview, let’s assume it duplicates the Wii experience — nails the controls and they work just as well as Nintendo’s, if not better. What do you have to worry about then?
Reggie Fils-Aime: The interesting element is that we don’t worry about our competitors. Our focus is making sure we execute our game plan the best way we can. That means great products. Licensee support. Continuing to innovate. It’s all on us. So there is nothing that they are doing or will do that’s going to get us to change our game plan.
IGN: Part of that game plan has been an accessible price point for Wii. Sony wants to charge as much as one hundred bucks for the Move starter kit. Do you think that’s too much?
Reggie Fils-Aime: I actually that folks are missing the point. If what they’re trying to do is to provide a new and unique experience to their current consumers, then that $100 price differential is what you should look at. But all of the noise they’ve made is that they want to go after new consumers, so that means you’ve got to factor in the price of the console as well, and once you do that — again, is the value equation in the consumer’s favor or not? I don’t think so.
IGN: I know you’re probably sick of Apple questions, but here we go. The company is positioning its hardware more and more as gaming devices — iPod Touch, iPhone, and now iPad, which became available for pre-order today.
Reggie FIls-Aime: What are you going to do with your iPad?
IGN: Honestly, I don’t know yet, but I’m buying one.
[Reggie laughs]
IGN: In your recent Forbes interview, you said Apple’s products hadn’t resulted in any sales impact on DS yet. But it’s just a matter of time before Touch drops to $149 or maybe even $99. Then you’ve got a real competitor in the handheld space. What’re your thoughts on that?
Reggie Fils-Aime: All of our competitors need to be worried about what we’re going to do. I don’t worry about what they’re going to do. We’re going to continue to innovate. If things get to a point where their pricing comes down, my pricing probably has come down as well. Chances are I’ve innovated in a whole new way that they haven’t thought of before because that’s what we do at Nintendo. And so, the fact of the matter is, in the here and now they’re having no impact on our business.
IGN: You’re not seeing any impact on current sales then.
Reggie Fils-Aime We sold 600,000 DSs in the month of February. Best ever handheld month on record. I don’t think they’re having an impact.
IGN: Wii sales were very strong, but down in February. You guys attributed this to a hardware supply problem.
Reggie Fils-Aime: We sold 3.8 million units in the month of December. The only way we were able to do that is every piece of hardware that was in our barn, in retailer barns and on retailer shelves was sold. There are 18,000 points of retail that sell our products. So think about it: I now need to refill 18,000 points of distribution. Plus refill retailer warehouses. Plus refill my warehouses. That’s what we’re trying to do right now and as soon as product goes into the retail shelf — [he snaps] — it’s getting snapped up. That’s how we were able to sell roughly 400,000 pieces of hardware in February and still be out of stock in seven out of 10 locations. Until we are back at a point where those shelves are fully stocked and there’s product, we’re going to be chasing this. And it’s going to be a number of weeks.
IGN: You’re releasing Mario Galaxy 2, Sin & Punishment 2 and Metroid: Other M in the first half of the year. For me, this is like some fantasy bizarro world where all my dreams come true. But I can’t help but wonder, what have you got up your sleeves for the second half?
Reggie Fils-Aime: And we’ll have that conversation at E3.
IGN: However, I did, of course, read recent comments from Cammie Dunaway in which she very strongly hinted that we would see the new Wii Zelda unveiled at E3 and released before the end of the year. What’re your thoughts on that?
Reggie Fils-Aime: E3 — you’ll see what we have. I’ve learned that it’s not to Nintendo’s advantage for us to foreshadow what we’re going to have at E3 because even the smallest little hint or perspective gets blown out to huge proportions. So you’re not going to get any more information about E3.
However, a product like Zelda will launch truly when it’s perfect and the best person to answer that question is going to be Mr. Miyamoto. Hopefully, hopefully it’s going to be a title that we can bring to market this year. But it’s not something that we’re going to commit to until we have a much better sense of whether Mr. Miyamoto is going to upend the tea cart and challenge Mr. Aonuma to do new things or whether the development plan is going to stay on track.
IGN: Sounds good. Same goes for Pikmin 3. Are we going to be hearing about that any time soon?
Reggie Fils-Aime: We’ll have a conversation at E3.
IGN: And I’ve got to ask about Retro Studios’ new game. They’ve been pumping away on a new game forever and we haven’t seen anything yet. Will we finally see it at E3?
Reggie Fils-Aime: It’s because we’re really good at not disclosing things before they’re ready.
IGN: Too good. Too good, I say. Is that E3 as well?
Reggie Fils-Aime: You’ll find out what the lineup is and who’s doing what at E3.
IGN: No more than that?
Reggie Fils-Aime: No more than that.
IGN: The Capcom Monster Hunter Tri bundle. Really fantastic cross-promotion with Nintendo aid. Are we going to see Nintendo lending a hand — perhaps with bundles and other incentives — to support future third-party blockbusters?
Reggie Fils-Aime: Absolutely. We did it with Tiger with MotionPlus. We’re doing it with Red Steel 2 with MotionPlus. Obviously Monster Hunter Tri. We’re finding unique ways to partner with third-parties to help them be successful and to help drive our business, so certainly there’s going to be more. What I would tell you, though, is that it’s not just accessory bundles. We’re looking at a wide range of different ways to help third-parties be effective on our platform.
IGN: Can you give me another example?
Reggie Fils-Aime: Sure. Sure. Dragon Quest IX and the fact that NOA is going to publish it. Think about that. I mean, a core franchise for Square that we’re going to publish. When was the last time that ever happened? Those are the types of things that we’re looking to do out of the box different to help key third-parties and key franchises be successful on our platforms.
IGN: Wii sales were great in February, even if they dipped due to supply constraints. That said, Wii was outsold by a major competitor. So what kind of position would you be in if this happened consecutively for the next, say, six months?
Reggie Fils-Aime: What a ‘what if’ scenario.
IGN: It really is a ‘what if’ scenario, I know.
Reggie Fils-Aime: Focusing on the home console side of the business, we’ve got Monster Hunter Tri coming in April. Oh, by the way, GameStop is doing a great job driving pre-sales and getting consumers excited about it. I got Galaxy 2 coming May 23. I’ve got Sin & Punishment coming in early June. I’ve got Metroid: Other M coming in late June.
IGN: And then Zelda in November — let’s not forget that.
Reggie Fils-Aime: That’s what you’re saying. So I’m feeling pretty good about my lineup and software drives hardware. My biggest issue, is that I need to make sure I’ve got the inventory to support those fantastic launches and that’s what we’re focuses on.
IGN: Wii 2 — got to talk about it. I know you hate it. Seems like this will happen at some point, but I want to get a definitive answer because I’ve seen some wishy-washiness. Is the next Wii going to be high-definition or not?
Reggie Fils-Aime: [Laughs] Oh, I’ve never been called wishy-washy. What can I tell you, you know? The way we think about systems — and it’s the beauty of software developers side-by-side with hardware developers — it’s all about when a software developer says, “I’ve got this wonderful idea, but the hardware doesn’t support it.” That’s when we get serious about the next-generation. And we’re not there yet. What that next-generation looks like is going to be dependent on what’s going on at the time. What the consumer is ready for. Who knows? Maybe we’ll leapfrog this HD generation in its entirety because at some point in the future maybe there’s something better going on. All of this is conjecture at this point. The fact of the matter is, when we can’t do a great idea, that’s when we will work on the next platform. And that next platform will be a ‘wow’ for the consumer.
IGN: Can I assume, though, that hardware is constantly being worked on.
Reggie Fils-Aime: That is absolutely true.
IGN: I just heard from a development source who said they talked to Nintendo and Nintendo told them it would be ready to roll out the successor to Wii in 2012. Is that true?
Reggie Fils-Aime: [Laughs] You know, how do I comment to that speculation?
IGN: Just say yes.
Reggie Fils-Aime: That is all rumor and speculation.
IGN: All righty. All I got. Unless you want to give me some big tease for E3. On Zelda.
Reggie Fils-Aime: On Zelda specifically? I like the way you posed that. “I’m looking for any kind of tease. On Zelda.”
IGN: I’ll take anything. I have no shame.
Reggie Fils-Aime: Well, you would’ve had a much better chance on that. Matt, the way we approach E3 is to wow the consumer, wow the audience — the audience that’s physically there and the audience that’s tuning in on the Internet. That’s our goal. Hopefully we’ll do it.
IGN: Can we expect both traditional and casual-style games at this year’s E3?
Reggie Fils-Aime: You can expect what you want. But what we’ll have — we’ll let you know hopefully on that nice sunny day in June.
IGN: You’re not going to give me anything.
Reggie Fils-Aime: [Laughs] I’m not going to give you anything.
