Reggie Fils-Aimé says Nintendo won’t repeat Wii U launch mistakes when NX is released.
In an interview published yesterday by [a]list, Nintendo of America President, Reggie Fils-Aimé, talks about challenges of launching new hardware and the importance of having a high-quality software line-up.
Despite the overall failure of the Wii U, Fils-Aimé remains bullish about the innovations of the console.
“Every time we launch a new platform, every time we launch a critical new game, we always learn. We always do our breakdown of what worked, what didn’t, and certainly we’ve done that with Wii U, and we continue to believe that the innovation of the second screen was a worthwhile concept. The games that we’ve launched on the Wii U are hugely compelling: Splatoon, Super Mario Maker, Smash Bros.,Bayonetta 2, the Super Mario game, The Legend of Zelda. Arguably, if you line up all of the single platform games for Wii U and the other two platforms, we have by far the most unique games that are highly rated by consumers and highly rated by the media. So those things worked.”
It is widely acknowledged that Nintendo did a poor job explaining the appeal and features of the Wii U to a wider audience. Fils-Aimé is clear that the same mistake cannot be repeated when its next console – codenamed NX – comes to market.
“One of the things that we have to do better when we launch the NX—we have to do a better job communicating the positioning for the product. We have to do a better job helping people to understand its uniqueness and what that means for the game playing experience.”
The interview also covers Nintendo strategy to broaden their audience through mobile games and applications and their attempts to harness the value of their IP through the use of merchandising and theme parks.
Nintendo’s NX is due to be released in March 2017. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo’s big game at E3 – will also be released on both NX and Wii U next year.
Source: [a]list Daily
