Nintendo's Miyamoto Doesn't Want to Make Games for People Who Have Only A "Passive" Interest In Gaming

A big part of the original Wii's success was the way it brought casual and non-gamers into the industry for the first time through games like Wii Sports and Wii Fit. But going forward, Nintendo will focus its efforts on making games for the core crowd, suggests Shigeru Miyamoto, the man who created Mario and works at the company as senior managing director.

In a new interview with Edge Magazine, posted by sister site CVG, Miyamoto said he is no longer interested in making games that cater to people who only "passively" enjoy games.

"[These are] the sort of people who, for example, might want to watch a movie. They might want to go to Disneyland," he said. "Their attitude is, 'OK, I am the customer. You are supposed to entertain me.' It's kind of a passive attitude they're taking, and to me it's kind of a pathetic thing. They do not know how interesting it is if you move one step further and try to challenge yourself [with more advanced games]."

CVG notes that this is the first time a high-ranking Nintendo executive has publicly stated plans to move away from the casual crowd. The original Wii sold over 100 million units, and, as mentioned, its massive success was due in part to the way it brought new consumers to gaming.

The Wii's successor, the Wii U, has been less of a hit. Launched in 2012, the system has now sold around 7 million systems, which is below the PlayStation 4's 10 million units sold; this despite Nintendo's console being less expensive and having a full-year head start. The Nintendo 3DS family of systems, meanwhile, have sold over 44 million units.

Part of the reason why Miyamoto contends that Nintendo's games no longer need to appeal to casual gamers is because iOS and Android smartphones and tablets have taken root.

"In the days of DS and Wii, Nintendo tried its best to expand the gaming population," he said. "Fortunately, because of the spread of smart devices, people take games for granted now. It's a good thing for us, because we do not have to worry about making games something that are relevant to general people's daily lives."

This is not the first time Miyamoto has offered up what might be considered a controversial quote. Most recently, he said there wasn't a wide variety of games on display at E3, which he claimed is indicative of "creative immaturity" in the video game industry.