Nintendo’s goals and challenges for 2009

“Firstly, it might sound a bit corny, but we don’t use the word “success” when we talk about Nintendo’s market position. It implies an end point, a place where we can sit back and rest on our past and assume we will continue to do well in the future. The reality is that we don’t want this journey to end.

In 2009, we will work hard to keep our momentum going by continuing to introduce new games and experiences. One thing that seemed to make a lot of people happy was Mr. Iwata’s announcement at the Game Developer’s Conference that Wii owners now have the ability to increase the system’s storage space. Now you can save your downloaded WiiWare and Virtual Console games onto an SD card and access them when you need them. Gamers have been asking for this feature, and we are happy to provide a solution that makes sense for everyone.

The SD card storage is just one element of our ongoing digital push. WiiWare is going strong. We add new games to the Wii Shop Channel every week. Have you tried out all the Art Style games or the new Bit.Trip Beat? WiiWare developers are passionate about their games, and WiiWare is a great showcase for the best new downloadable games. Wii has so many tools for WiiWare developers, and all of us at Nintendo are eager to see what creative new experiences they come up with. I should mention that the Virtual Console is expanding as well – you probably saw that we just started adding some original arcade games.

For the rest of 2009 we want our Wii momentum to keep growing and evolving. One way to do that, of course, is with new games. You’ve probably seen the list: Punch-Out!!, Excitebots: Trick Racing and New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. Not to mention all the great third-party games that are out now or coming soon, like MadWorld, The Conduit or the BOOMBLOX Bash Party, to name just a few.

You asked about challenges too. The economy of course is a challenge for everyone, and we recognize that. People have a limited amount of money to spend on their entertainment, and that’s why, as far as consoles are concerned, Wii offers the best value with games that groups of people can enjoy together for months or even years.

The other big challenge is to make sure we try our hardest to keep all of our different audiences entertained. Hopefully Mr. Iwata produced some surprises during GDC, and we’re always working on the next big surprise somewhere down the line.” – Denise Kaigler