Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa on giving devs freedom, entertainment, mobile monetization, not copying Disney
Time has published a few choice words with Shuntaro Furukawa after speaking with the Nintendo president at the company’s headquarters in Japan earlier this month. Furukawa weighed in on the importance of giving teams freedom, focusing on entertainment above all else, approach to mobile monetization, and not copying companies – including Disney – in light of the Big N’s IP expansion plans over the past few years.
You can find Furukawa’s comments on these topics below. For Time’s full piece, which also includes comments from Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser and more, head on over here.
On giving devs freedom…
“Above all else, I base my decisions on the development leader’s way of thinking. Nintendo is Nintendo because of our games, characters and IP. So giving our teams the freedom to experiment with new ideas is something I strongly agree with. Expansion can’t happen without the freedom to try something new, and the courage to step into unfamiliar territory.”
On focusing on entertainment…
“Not just streaming, but any kind of new technology, whether that is going to be appealing to the consumer or not really depends on the quality of the experience that we can provide. Nintendo continues to search for new ways to enhance the fun that people can have through their gaming experience.”
On mobile monetization…
“In terms of monetization, that’s something that we decided on an app basis. It’s something we decide looking at the game content of each app, as well as the IP used and the player that we’re targeting. We also look at how we can best have the players enjoy the game, as well as how they would be comfortable in spending money.”
On whether Disney is a model for Nintendo’s future…
“We’ve never tried to imitate any other company… the idea of using our IP in things like theme parks or movies is simply an extension of the philosophy we’ve had all along.”
