There’s been a lot of controversy surrounding Yasha Haddaji over the years, but it’s now been confirmed that he’s no longer the company’s CEO in Russia. His contract ended on May 31.

Haddaji was most recently accused that he formed a side company, Achivka, to circumvent an official sales ban. Haddaji’s conduct also came into question in 2018 with other allegations were swirling around as well.

Something important to note is that while he’s no longer an official employee, Haddaji will remain in the picture as Achivka will provide customer support for Nintendo in Russia. You can read the official statement below.

Former Sonic Team head Yuji Naka arrested over insider trading

Posted on 1 year ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Original: Reports out of Japan indicate that Yuji Naka has been arrested by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office. A case has been kicking around this week regarding insider trading, and it seems Naka is now involved.

It was already reported earlier today that Square Enix employee Taisuke Sazaki and their acquaintance Fumiaki Suzuki were arrested for unfairly acquiring stock in Aiming. Square Enix works with Aiming on mobile games, including Dragon Quest Tact and Gestalt Odin. Sazaki and Suzuki were arrested under suspicions of purchasing around 47 million yen of stock in Aiming before it was officially revealed that they would be working with Square Enix on Dragon Quest Tact.

More: Square Enix, top, Yuji Naka

The Super Mario Bros. Movie surpasses Minions to become fourth-highest grossing animated film ever

Posted on 1 year ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Original (5/14): Based on the latest box office numbers for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it’s now the fourth-highest grossing animated film ever. It took over that achievement from Minions.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie has earned $536 million domestically. In total, it’s collected $1.21 million.

More: Mario movie, movie, top

Nintendo Live 2023 U.S. event dated, new details revealed

Posted on 1 year ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Original (5/8): New details are in about the upcoming Nintendo Live 2023 event that will be held in the United States for the first time.

Nintendo has now dated the experience, which will be held between September 1 and September 4 at the Seattle Convention Center. Fans can look forward to playable Switch titles, live stage performances, tournaments, photo ops, event merchandise, and more. It’s said to be “designed for people of all ages and gaming experience.”

Here’s some additional information:

More: Nintendo Live, top

Vanpool, dev behind Dillon’s Rolling Western, is shutting down

Posted on 1 year ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

According to a notice posted on Vanpool’s website, the studio is closing down. The company will be dissolved as of May 31, 2023 – which is today.

Vanpool is perhaps best known for the Dillon’s Rolling Western series on 3DS. The first game came out in 2012, followed by The Last Ranger in 2013 and finally Dillon’s Dead-Heat Breakers in 2018. It has since been working on the Kirby series with HAL Laboratory – specifically Super Kirby Clash, Kirby Fighters 2, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe.

More: top, Vanpool

Mega Man producer Kazuhiro Tsuchiya has left Capcom

Posted on 1 year ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Kazuhiro Tsuchiya has left Capcom, it’s been revealed. Tsuchiya updated his Twitter bio recently which shows that he is no longer with the company.

Arguably the biggest credit for Tsuchiya is serving as producer on Mega Man 11. Additionally, he was involved with the Mega Man Legacy Collections. It seems that his time at Capcom stretches back to Mega Man 7 as a programmer on that title. Overall, Tsuchiya was at Capcom for nearly three decades.

More: Capcom, Kazuhiro Tsuchiya, Mega Man

2023 Devolver Direct announced for June 8

Posted on 1 year ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Switch | 0 comments

The 2023 Devolver Direct will air on June 8, it’s been announced. Fans can tune in starting at 3 PM PT / 6 PM ET / 11 PM in the UK / 12 AM in Europe.

Devolver Direct: The Return of Volvy will feature new game reveals, announcements, and surprises.

Here’s a teaser for the 2023 Devolver Direct:

More: Devolver Digital

Sebastian Maniscalco read for Mario in the new movie, but was given the role of Spike instead

Posted on 1 year ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

The Super Mario Bros. Movie ultimately cast Chris Pratt as the voice of Mario, but it turns out Sebastian Maniscalco also threw his hat into the ring in hopes of nabbing the role.

Maniscalco recently appeared on Live with Kelly and Mark, and one of the hosts asks how he didn’t end up playing Nintendo’s plumber. He revealed that he actually read for Mario, but was given the role of Spike instead. For what it’s worth, Maniscalco believes Pratt “did a great job.”

More: Mario movie, movie

Nintendo issues statement on DMCA given to Dolphin Steam release

Posted on 1 year ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

The team behind the Dolphin emulator has been forced to indefinitely postpone its release on Steam following a DMCA notice. In a statement, Nintendo explained why it went after the listing.

Kotaku grabbed a statement from the company which states that the emulator “illegally circumvents Nintendo’s protection measures and runs illegal copies of games.” Further mentioned, “Using illegal emulators or illegal copies of games harms development and ultimately stifles innovation.”

The full statement reads:

Dolphin emulator Steam release delayed indefinitely following Nintendo DMCA

Posted on 1 year ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

The Steam listing for Dolphin has been pulled and its release has been delayed indefinitely after Nintendo submitted a DMCA takedown request with Valve.

It was announced at the end of March that the emulator would be joining the distribution service with its launch targeted for later in the year. However, it’s now unclear if and when that will be happening.