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[Shaanyboi]

Curious as to what influence he'll bring to Nintendo in the coming years. Iwata had the playfulness and imagination of a creator guiding his decisions. He gave Nintendo a unique voice. My hope is that the new president doesn't forget the importance of that.

 

[Earthpainting]

I must admit that his age makes him look a bit like a stop-gap for another candidate, but going by his resume, he seems like a sensible enough pick. He does bear a striking resemblance to Winston Payne though. Not sure what to make of that.

 

[Shard]

I am not sure what if anything to expect from Tatsumi here.

 

[sublimit]

Good luck to him.

 

[GCX]

It's less that he is a developer and more that he plays a strong mentorship role amongst his colleagues in newer titles and projects.

He certainly has that charisma and the other skills can be taught and learned. Charisma is something that is hard to attain and is something necessary when working with or against a board or shareholders. Being a developer gives him some insight, but it's largely the leadership experience and ability to compromise and work with other people that I was open to suggesting and wanting him as a successor.

He is also 47 and is open as a long term project. It's not as if Iwata was alone in the decision making.

My only worry is that he, like other younger workers, may be the type of person to reject the role if asked.

Other stuff can be learned but it takes a special kind of person to be passionate about the finances, be ruthless in the meetings if necessary, have the courage to follow and excecute strategies, etc.

Iwata was a very rare person because he had all the qualities of being a passionate CEO while also being a developer. We have no idea if Koizumi would be the same and it's perfectly fine if he doesn't want to be.

 

[Jackano]

It was my favorite! (iirc among all the guesses lol)

Good luck Mr. President, you have my support.

 

[Mr. RPG]

I didn't think they would announce a successor until much later in the year.

 

[ZeroX03]

Reading this thread he sounds like a fantastic choice for a transitional president.

I expect Miyamoto will be the face of the company internationally, if the recent Pokemon conference is any indication. Fils-Aime, Trinen, Morimoto, Shibata will do the Directs I assume.

 

[Nanashrew]

It wasn't looks with Iwata. He changed Nintendo's face. Nintendo needed him.

Iwata also had prior business knowledge and helped in saving HAL from bankruptcy with the help from Nintendo and he would then become president of Hal Laboratory. By 2000 he became head of corporate planning at Nintendo and Nintendo saw considerable growth because of him. Yamauchi saw potential in him for the company as someone who would understand the company and its employees but also the business side.

He did a whole lot.

 

[Jackano]

Wait, the "Creative fellow" and "Tech fellow" titles are real? lol Does this happen often?

 

[PdotMichael]

Other stuff can be learned but it takes a special kind of person to be passionate about the finances, be ruthless in the meetings if necessary, have the courage to follow and excecute strategies, etc.

Iwata was a very rare person because he had all the qualities of being a passionate CEO while also being a developer. We have no idea if Koizumi would be the same and it's perfectly fine if he doesn't want to be.

Looking at the third party relationship and the late developement of so many important aspects like online gaming.

A lot of important stuff wasn't gold under Iwata. Best case for the future would be if NoA and NoE gain more business and creative freedom again.

 

[Interceptor]

What? No!
Nononononono!

 

[ShockingAlberto]

I didn't think they would announce a successor until much later in the year.

The record date for the Interim Dividends for this financial year is coming up at the end of this month, then the Q2 earnings report releases at the end of October. They likely wanted to get ahead of both these things with an appointment announcement.

 

[CaviarMeths]

Kimishima drinks confirmed.

"Hello, America! I'm the new CEO of Nintendo, bringing some updates and information about upcoming software directly to you! Now, let's start by doing a shot for every amiibo sold in the next five minutes."

In loving memory of Kimishima, host of Nintendo's shortest Direct, clocking in at 1 minute, 47 seconds.

 

[Nanashrew]

The record date for the Interim Dividends for this financial year are coming up at the end of this month, then the Q2 earnings report releases at the end of October. They likely wanted to get ahead of both these things with an appointment announcement.

October 28th is my birthday! Please give me interesting and good news for my birthday, Nintendo.

 

[foxuzamaki]

I know I shouldn't judge by appearance, but this guy doesn't look that personable.

Cautiously optimistic.

 

[spekkeh]

The C.E.O's job is more about making money for shareholders rather than being a media type personality.

I don't really like this Harvard way of thinking. Well, it doesn't have to be the second part, but the first part.

The shareholders don't really know a lot about games and just want relatively quick gains. Iwata pushing against the desire to go mobile is a (sadly) rare instance in the modern corporate world where the CEO was looking out for the company instead of a quick bonus payout before moving on to bankrupt Zynga.

 

[shinra-bansho]

He seems a safe hand, if uninspiring, and more of an interim choice really.

Nintendo really needs to refresh the upper echelons of its corporate structure with younger [and more diverse] faces.

 

[Oddduck]

I think he will be a good choice for the short term.

He has a good resume managing Nintendo of America and The Pokemon company.

 

[PdotMichael]

I don't really like this Harvard way of thinking. Well, it doesn't have to be the second part, but the first part.

The shareholders don't really know a lot about games and just want relatively quick gains. Iwata pushing against the desire to go mobile is a (sadly) rare instance in the modern corporate world where the CEO was looking out for the company instead of a quick bonus payout before moving on to bankrupt Zynga.

Nothing wrong with making money or even a lot of it. General is it even the best way of improving efficiency and output because companies make money with its core business fields.

There just two possible problems. Hedgefonds (a problem Nintendo doesn't have) and people associate the company with a specific philosophy and don't want that the company changes (a quite deadly thing though) - just look how emotional loaded the mobile games question is on Neogaf.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

I don't think anyone was planning to use Iwata's death as a chance to really shake things up at Nintendo.

 

[PdotMichael]

I don't think anyone was planning to use Iwata's death as a chance to really shake things up at Nintendo.

Any change of the most important position will shake things. And even if Kimishima is supposed to be president for like 10 years that is a long time - see how much the video games business and Nintendo changed in the 12 years of Iwata's Nintendo.

 

[Eolz]

I don't feel this is a good idea.
I know it seems that Iwata believed in him, and is probably the right businessman for the job, but he's also pretty old, not creative, and probably there because Miyamoto/Takeda didn't want to be in this position.
Wonder if it'll be a temporary position while they're grooming someone else.

 

[SmartWaffles]

I'm not looking forward to this. Former NoA CEO then called back to JP HQ sounds like a forced-retirement position, which means Iwata was not satisfied with his job at NoA. Plus I read somewhere that he is not fond of Nintendo's current console business, need to dig up the source.

 

[virtualS]

He's an ex banker, this is a good sign. It indicates that he understands business.

I hope he also understands people. Of course it's almost impossible to understand one without the other.

Fingers crossed he can see why people are buying PS4s in droves and leaving WiiU to die.

 

[SinCityAssassin]

I don't feel this is a good idea.
I know it seems that Iwata believed in him, and is probably the right businessman for the job, but he's also pretty old, not creative, and probably there because Miyamoto/Takeda didn't want to be in this position.
Wonder if it'll be a temporary position while they're grooming someone else.

If it were temporary, they would've said so. Remember that even if he's on the business and marketing side of Nintendo, he's still part of Nintendo and very likely one of the people that follow Iwata's philosophies. How he'll follow through with them we won't know.

 

[TanookiTom]

Uff, I am really scared about a Nintendo which is not about fun but (even) more about business. Iwata was such a great public face to carry this message to the outside.

On the other hand, as others have pointed out, Yamauchi was not a creator himself, and that didn't hurt the company at all.

Let's see where this is going to lead. I would love for the Directs to come back, but I think Kimishima is clearly not going to do them, right? I could really see Shibata taking them over, I think liked when he took over the European ones.

 

[black_clavus]

KimishimAsk sounds neat, right?

 

[Mr. RPG]

It's unfortunate they didn't get another developer to lead Nintendo again.

I wish the best of luck to him. I really hope some of the traditions Iwata started will continue in some fashion under Kimishima's leadership (speaking of course about the Directs).

 

[foxuzamaki]

Looking at the third party relationship and the late developement of so many important aspects like online gaming.

A lot of important stuff wasn't gold under Iwata. Best case for the future would be if NoA and NoE gain more business and creative freedom again.

Alot of things like better third party relationships and better than you actually think online is because of iwata.

 

[fernoca]

If anything, we just need to wait a year (at least) to see how things turned out.

Lets not forget that many asked for Iwata to get fired because of not liking what he was doing at Nintendo. So "many" not liking Kimishima means nothing.

 

[GnawtyDog]

The return to the glory days of the SNES rest in his hands.

Good luck.

 

[Onesimos]

I don't feel this is a good idea.
I know it seems that Iwata believed in him, and is probably the right businessman for the job, but he's also pretty old, not creative, and probably there because Miyamoto/Takeda didn't want to be in this position.
Wonder if it'll be a temporary position while they're grooming someone else.

I wonder why people think that 65 years of age is old and feel that Mr. Kimishima is filling the presidency for the short term. He may well serve for a long time, perhaps as long as Mr. Iwata's.

Sorry, but I am sensing an air of agism here from some users on this thread.

 

[PdotMichael]

Alot of things like better third party relationships and better than you actually think online is because of iwata.

Wait! Was I stuck in Bizarre World for years or aren't the two things either nonexistent or years behind the competition?

You would really need to try hard to do it worse.

 

[Oddduck]

I wonder why people think that 65 years of age is old and feel that Mr. Kimishima is filling the presidency for the short term. He may well serve for a long time, perhaps as long as Mr. Iwata's.

Sorry, but I am sensing an air of agism here from some users on this thread.

How old was Hiroshi Yamauchi when he retired as President?

 

[Iced Arcade]

.....well he looks fun

 

[cireza]

Honestly I would have preferred someone a bit younger. Like Shibata-san from Europe.

 

[Bots are better than you]

I'm pretty sure that Iwata made sure that the roadmap for the next gen is pretty much set, so i doubt that Kimishima is going to up-end the table with Nintendo.

He will keep the direction in the next gen of their hardware, i can see him phasing out to "honorable fellow" or something in the next next gen, when a younger candidate who might have been briefed for this position quite a while already takes over.
That will be the most interesting time then ...

 

[Nanashrew]

Fact is, Kishima was a safe bet with the needed experience and know-how required on short notice. Nintendo can't afford to experiment right now during this transitional phase. I don't expect him to shake up things, just continue to lay the groundwork Iwata originally planned.

 

[SinCityAssassin]

I'm willing to wait and see how his leadership will affect the transition to the NX. People keep comparing him to Yamauchi because of his business background, but I hope he becomes his own thing.

 

[foxuzamaki]

Wait! Was I stuck in Bizarre World for years or aren't the two things either nonexistent or years behind the competition?

You would really need to try hard to do it worse.

Yaumauchi almost destroyed any 3rd party relations they had, iwata basically had to build back pieces of those relationships, which he did by having 3rd parties make games using their IPs which mostly took off during the gamecube era.

Things like allowing games that might not sell at all, to be digital download aswell as DLC is stuff that iwata pushed for himself which some members of the board were against at the time.

 

[TheJoRu]

How old was Hiroshi Yamauchi when he retired as President?

He was 74.

 

[SporeCrawler]

He's an ex banker, this is a good sign. It indicates that he understands business.

I hope he also understands people. Of course it's almost impossible to understand one without the other.

Fingers crossed he can see why people are buying PS4s in droves and leaving WiiU to die.

Yeah i think nintendo has been way too save kn terms of mergers and acquisitions when the current japanese market is on its way to consolidation. Nintendo has the money and with a banker ok the top they just may focus on that side. Buying some japanese dev teams and expanding in the west is needed for nintendo

 

[nubbe]

I don't know what to think
NoA didn't really embrace core gamers and went after casuals during the Wii years

A money man will surely look where market growth and trends are at

 

[Oddduck]

He was 74.

Thanks.

 

[AdanVC]

I know I shouldn't judge by appearance, but this guy doesn't look that personable.

He sure looks less friendly than Iwata...more like "The fun is over, kids, time to get into real business now!" BUT that doesn't matter as long as he does a good job wich I'm sure he will. Looking forward to read his Kimi-Asks though, hah.

Interesting times ahead for Nintendo.

Also, omg creative fellow and tech fellow.

 

[PdotMichael]

Yaumauchi almost destroyed any 3rd party relations they had, iwata basically had to build back pieces of those relationships, which he did by having 3rd parties make games using their IPs which mostly took off during the gamecube era.

Things like allowing games that might not sell at all, to be digital download aswell as DLC is stuff that iwata pushed for himself which some members of the board were against at the time.

The N64 and GCN or even the Wii did enter with more third party support than what is left on WiiU. It was when Iwata was truly in charge of the third party relationship that Nintendo became a wasteland with being extremely Japan centric in third party deals and taking away freedom from NoA.

And the second part is exactly was I was saying that Nintendo was years behind the competition when Nintendo was quite open and creative for alternative distribution channels for the NES and SNES.

 

[DaSorcerer7]

I wish him all the best.

 

[Nanashrew]

I'm willing to wait and see how his leadership will affect the transition to the NX. People keep comparing him to Yamauchi because of his business background, but I hope he becomes his own thing.

His business background is already good. Former banker, worked at The Pokemon Company and later president of Pokemon USA and greatly expanded the franchise in the west, soon after he would become president of NoA and actually make the Gamecube sell better than all other territories. He understands the west for having lived in America so long and doing a lot of business here.

I don't think he's anything like Yamauchi like people describe. He has his own history and way of doing things.

 

[Rosur]

The C.E.O's job is more about making money for shareholders rather than being a media type personality.

Hes going to push mobile isn't he...