Miyamoto says Nintendo doesn’t want to become a company that simply grows in numbers

According to Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo isn’t simply interested in growing in numbers. 

Miyamoto was speaking about the company’s approach to movies and other videos. In order to enter that space, Nintendo began “considering what we could do together with people creating videos around the world.” Rather than simply growing so that it does everything internally, the company decided to partner with others – such as Illumination on The Super Mario Bros. Movie and the upcoming film based on Super Mario Galaxy.

Miyamoto said the following during an investor Q&A today:

“As an entertainment company, Nintendo has developed a wide variety of games, IP, and characters. Our next goal – to create a lasting entertainment experience as a company asset – was a major reason we began producing videos. Until then, we had focused on interactivity, but we decided to expand into the passive media of video.

Of course, creating videos requires people. So, will Nintendo continue to grow as an organization? We don’t want to become a company that simply grows in numbers. So, the idea began with us considering what we could do together with people creating videos around the world. In Japan, the expression “expanding overseas” is often used, but in reality, it often ends up being used within an overseas framework. The world is one market, and we have been working with a strong determination to invest in and develop content that can be enjoyed worldwide, regardless of where it originates. We now have an environment in place where we can discuss on an equal footing with various production companies and creators, and where Nintendo developers can work alongside them.

This will be a bit lengthy, but I’d like to talk about the specifics of our business. Film distribution companies manage films around the world, and it is already an established business. Careful production within this established structure has a proven track record of generating profits.

Meanwhile, Nintendo Pictures is not an organization specifically for producing films like The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Rather, we create our own films and continue to research them, exploring new challenges in the field of video. Unlike movies, where profitability is somewhat clear, we want to take on various challenges even in areas where the outlook is still unclear, and we’re creating an environment where we can steadily create things ourselves. One experimental video we produced based on this idea was the Pikmin-themed short film ‘Close to You,’ which was released the other day. We hope to provide people around the world with content that will spark conversation and become an important content asset for Nintendo, so please continue to support us.”

Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa also shared a few comments about movies. Here’s what he said on that front:

“Following the success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, I feel that we can offer unique Nintendo-like proposals in the film and video fields, which are a form of entertainment that is highly compatible with games. As I mentioned in my earlier presentation, this is an area we want to pursue more aggressively than ever before. We hope to increase our fan base through films and videos, which will eventually lead to interest in games and encourage support for our company across generations. We hope to continue building relationships with consumers who support us through our films and videos.”