Yesterday, Nintendo unveiled its new mobile app Miitomo. Some folks were underwhelmed! They might be counting Nintendo out. Don’t count Nintendo out.
In a newly published interview with Nikkei, Nintendo boss Tatsumi Kimishima briefly mentioned some of the Kyoto-based game maker’s ambitious plans.
Kimishima explained that Nintendo started first with Miitomo because a communication app like this was key when people opened accounts. “If we localise it into eight languages,” he said, “we can expand it to over 100 countries.” (The assumption is that we can probably expect the same widespread releases for future apps, too.)
When asked when this localisation will take place, Kimishima replied, “I want to do it as soon as possible. This is because our goal is to increase the number of My Nintendo members. It would be good if we reached one hundred or two hundred million members.”
The app is free, but it’s not simply for communication. Nikkei asked if Nintendo was going to lose money on it, but Kimishima explained, “If you want to dress your Mii in certain outfits, it will be so that you can select and purchase them. Also, it will have game elements.”
Kimishima mentioned that Nintendo still isn’t ready to talk about the NX until next year, but added, as Nintendo has previously, that it “offers a totally new experience.” According to the Nintendo president, he wants the NX to be adopted quicker than the 3DS and the Wii U.
Nikkei asked Kimishima where he ideally saw Nintendo in three years, and the exec said, “There’s a potential for the biggest profits ever. I don’t think the Wii and the DS’s sales period is our ceiling.”
Comments
4 responses to “Nintendo’s Bold Predictions For The Future”
I find this answer disquieting and a bit saddening. A classic Nintendo answer for that question would be talking about innovation, socialising or fun. The Wii was wildly successful but I’m pretty sure that it wasn’t a cynical “we must increase our profits” move. Like everything that Nintendo does, it was a bit of a risk experimenting with new ways of interacting with and enjoying games, one that thankfully was very successful. Hearing that profits are the main goal and motivating factor makes me a bit fearful.
You could look at it that way. I took it as “this next thing will be so good, it will eclipse our current records”.
Even if Kimishima doesn’t live up to these promises, it’s good to see a Nintendo President with confidence who talks a big game. Hearing “Please Understand” after every new info drop was really a sign of weakness. No disrespect to Mr. Iwata.