Compared to how things were during the NES era when gaming really took off for Nintendo, the company has to compete with many more platform holders. There’s obviously competition from Sony and Microsoft, not to mention that tons of people primarily play games on phones these days. More competing platform holders are also entering the gaming industry, so how will Nintendo position itself?

That’s the exact question one investor asked the Big N during the Q&A portion of its financial results last week. President Shuntaro Furukawa responded by stating that Nintendo “would like to grow by continuously offering the unique entertainment which is enabled by our integrated hardware-software development.” Outside of its hardware-software gaming business, Nintendo Accounts, and IP expansion, another important point is “to generate new interest in Nintendo games among people who normally do not play games, and encourage consumers who once used our game systems to return and start playing again.”

Furukawa’s full words regarding competition::

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Nintendo president: no plans to focus resources only on Switch OLED

Posted on 3 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments

Like many other pieces of technology, Nintendo has been impacted when it comes to Switch and the console’s production. Yesterday we heard that the company will be making 20 percent fewer units due to the ongoing chip shortage. Despite issues with production though, Nintendo won’t be favoring one type of Switch model over the other.

The Switch OLED is Nintendo’s hot new thing at the moment having just launched last month. However, president Shuntaro Furukawa stated today during a financial results briefing that resources won’t be limited to that version only as its other two variations – including the original and Switch Lite “cater to different needs”.

Furukawa stated:

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Furukawa, Miyamoto on Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri joining Nintendo as outside director

Posted on 3 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Back in May, Chris Meledandri was nominated as a new outside director at Nintendo. He was then officially approved last week with a vote of 99.31 percent.

Meledandri’s addition to Nintendo may seem surprising to some. He’s the CEO over at Illumination – the studio behind the films Despicable Me and Minions.

During Nintendo’s 81st Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, president Shuntaro Furukawa and representative director/fellow Shigeru Miyamoto both weighed in on what Meledandri brings to the table. Read up on their comments below.

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Nintendo has ensured that IP expansion won’t cut into game dev resources, president says

Posted on 3 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Over the past few years, Nintendo has started to stress the importance of its IPs beyond just video games. That’s what’s led to things like Super Nintendo World and the upcoming animated movie based on Mario.

The good news is that if you only care about games, Nintendo has looked to ensure that development resources aren’t impacted. President Shuntaro Furukawa told Fast Company:

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Nintendo president suggests the company could pursue animation beyond the Mario movie

Posted on 3 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Despite Nintendo’s wide variety of franchises, the company hasn’t done much with movies. There was the infamous 1993 Super Mario Bros. film, but that’s pretty much it.

Although it’s taken a few decades, Nintendo is finally experimenting with movies once again. An animated Mario film will debut in 2022 thanks to a collaboration with Illumination.

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Furukawa talks Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ impact on Nintendo, Switch production amid semiconductor shortage

Posted on 3 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments

2020 was a strong year for Nintendo thanks to high Switch demand and the phenomenal performance of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It’s been widely reported that the title has shipped over 30 million copies worldwide.

Nikkei recently spoke with Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa, and the Japanese publication brought up how games like Animal Crossing help encourage people to stay home more in the current climate. That led Furukawa to note: “As games with long lifespans like Animal Crossing become more accepted, we believe this will have a significant impact on future development.” Additionally mentioned is that Nintendo would like to “provide games that can allow communication between friends and families.”

Furukawa stated:

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Furukawa says Nintendo wants to work on its main franchises as well as new IP, “constantly thinking about ideas for new consoles”

Posted on 3 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments

Speaking with Nikkei, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa was asked about what’s next for Animal Crossing fans.

Furukawa spoke broadly about the company’s viewpoints, and noted that “games must be interesting” given other competition and consumers having only so much free time. Nintendo doesn’t simply want to rest on its laurels, so it wants to continue supporting its well-known franchises while also pursuing “new games and new series.”

Furukawa also brought up hardware and how Nintendo is “constantly thinking about ideas for new consoles”. Although many ideas are difficult to realize, the company invests in resources “in case any of these ideas become feasible in future.”

Our full translation of Furukawa’s comments can be found below.

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Furukawa reflects on Iwata and Yamauchi, his approach to leading Nintendo

Posted on 3 years ago by Jarop(@gamrah) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa recently sat down with Nikkei to discuss his approach to leading the company through the current Switch era, as well as what influences past presidents like Satoru Iwata and Hiroshi Yamauchi had on him. He acknowledges that Iwata’s style is not something anybody can replicate but noted that even though he’s no longer with the company, Iwata’s influence remains at the company.

For Furukawa’s full comments, you can find Nintendo Everything’s full translation after the jump.

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Furukawa talks Nintendo’s philosophy behind their characters, feels the company should proceed with caution

Posted on 3 years ago by Jarop(@gamrah) in News | 0 comments

In a recent interview with Nikkei, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa spoke candidly about his approach to running the company, speaking about influences from past presidents, his philosophy on hardware and more. As part of the interview, he also discussed Nintendo’s philosophy behind their IP and how the company views developing their characters.

Nintendo Everything’s full translation of the quote can be found after the jump.

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Nintendo president on the influence of smartphones in gaming and what dedicated consoles can bring to the table today

Posted on 3 years ago by Jarop(@gamrah) in General Nintendo, News, Switch | 0 comments

Nikkei recently published a lengthy interview with Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa, who spoke about his philosophy on running the company, how they view their IPs, and more.

One of the bigger topics he unpacks is how smartphones have influenced the video game market and what dedicated consoles can bring to the table today. Furukawa feels that while many people are able to enjoy gaming on their phones, advances in technology can still provide interesting concepts to base new dedicated hardware on, like the Switch’s Joy-Con.

Click after the jump for our full translation of the interview excerpt.