Reggie on Nintendo’s changed mobile stance, Pokemon GO affect on 3DS hardware, mobile won’t hurt Switch

Engadget published a few new quotes from Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime. With Super Mario Run taking the spotlight this month, the discussion focused on mobile.

Reggie spoke about Satoru Iwata’s comments from 2011 and how Nintendo’s stance on mobile has changed since then. He also talked about how Pokemon GO has given 3DS a big boost and spoke about how Switch won’t be negatively impacted.

Head past the break for Reggie’s comments. Read Engadget’s full piece here.

On Iwata’s comments dismissing the value of mobile gaming in 2011…

“The mobile business really has changed versus when Mr. Satoru Iwata [the late CEO of Nintendo] made those comments way back at GDC. As we sit here today, literally multiple billions of smart devices are out there in the marketplace … in places like India, throughout parts of Europe, parts of South America where we don’t have a robust dedicated console business. So it really is a different type of opportunity, arguably a mainstream opportunity, that we’re looking at now.”

On how Nintendo’s mobile games will provide both value and experiences you can’t get anywhere else…

“What we will do is create experiences specific to the device. We’ve optimized [Super Mario Run] for the [smartphone screen] — and in doing so it really is taking an approach that is unique, is differentiated, and looks to maximize the value of our IP.”

On how Pokemon GO impacted 3DS…

“We saw the impact on our 3DS hardware [and] the 3DS game sales. We know that the launch of Pokémon Go generated a tremendous amount of play and anticipation for all things Pokémon; certainly we hope that Super Mario Run will do the same thing for all things Mario.”

– 3DS hardware sales have increased year-over-year every month since June

On how mobile won’t cannibalize Switch…

“Go back and look at the Nintendo Switch video that we aired back in October and ask yourself: Can you do that on a smart device? Can you have a big-screen experience and then, ‘I gotta go jump on the train — I’m going to take it with me and continue to have that great experience’? No, you can’t do that. We believe in creating a differentiated experience for all the platforms that we participate in, and if we do that, the consumer will see how these experiences are different and how there’s room for all of them in their entertainment time.”