[Featurama] Nintendo Needs to Fils-Aime a Little Bit Higher
Hapless or happy?! (Image: DIYGamer)
In America, we hear about Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime as much as we hear about the company’s consoles – and twice as much as we hear about their games. He’s essentially their pitch man and spokesperson, and the enthusiast press is allowed to have a filed day with rumors until “The Regginator” gives us the official word.
Though recently, Fils-Aime has shown that he’s certainly capable of missing the mark. Especially in The Age of the Internet (where likeable personalities are a dime a dozen) it may be time for Nintendo to rethink how they engage their audience.
Nintendo’s problem is unique. Their upcoming Wii U console will beat next-gen consoles by Microsoft and Sony to market, but it isn’t a significant technological leap and will ultimately reside in the same category that the Wii is in now. Furthermore, the public perception of the new console is clearly going to need some work. In 2011, Nintendo appeared to show off what amounted to the long-rumored Wii HD with a funny new controller, but fast forward to 2012 and suddenly the company has no choice but to be on the defensive.
After a year of press and interest, confusion still seemed to reign supreme following Nintendo’s showing of the Wii U at E3 2012. Not only did CNN incorrectly report that the controller was actually for the Wii and not for the new console, but Jimmy Fallon made the same mistake. Fallon’s gaffe in particular should be most telling to Nintendo, because while his level of expertise could be called into question he very clearly represents the person in the middle that Nintendo is desperately trying to reach with the Wii U — not quite hardcore, but certainly interested in more than casual games.
Unfortunately, the bigger concern at this point may be Fils-Aime, who seems to address all questions and problems with an air of incredulity and ignorance.
This may be my chance to go black.
Companies obviously only want to show the positive aspects of new products, but it’s an incredibly fine line when well-educated and tech-savvy consumers can smell bullshit a mile out. Pitching new products can be done with honesty and reverence while still admitting their technical limits. (You know, just… for example.)
Nintendo’s entire push for the Wii U has been in the hands of Fils-Aime, and perhaps that’s where part of the problem lies. Geoff Keighley asked him some pressing questions during E3 2011, only to be met with tightly-scripted spin. Fils-Aime started by mentioning that the Wii might have left some hardcore players out in the cold, but basically retracted that sentiment when Keighley asked him if that was an admittance that the Wii wasn’t successful with those gamers. Later on in the interview, Fils-Aime employed the Chewbacca defense and said that the audience buying the Wii was a “different consumer” than the hardcore audience.
“Online capabilities? Got it,” proclaimed Fils-Aime. Or, not.
Most recently, Fils-Aime was interviewed by Kotaku and bemoaned the typical fan reaction (to their announcements) as being “ho-hum.” Whether Fils-Aime is choosing to ignore the actual issue or simply doesn’t understand it is anyone’s guess, but the complaints aren’t as shallow as he leads us to believe. The simple fact is that we desperately want some innovation from a company with an impressive track record in that regard. However, that isn’t what we’ve been shown – we’ve essentially been shown Pikmin HD and yet another side-scrolling Mario title.
To help U remember the halcyon days of yore. Again.
To his credit, Fils-Aime was correct about internet trolls and journalists citing the lack of a Mario title at launch as a recipe for failure. But lending credence to that theory was Nintendo’s most recent console release, the portable 3DS system, which stagnated initially and really only took off (in terms of sales) once Super Mario 3D Land (A, uhh… Mario title) was released.
Also to Nintendo’s credit, while the recent rash of 2D, side-scrolling Mario games is mostly seen as creatively bankrupt, from a sales perspective these games are guaranteed money in the bank. Fils-Aime understands the business, and is trying to address fans’ concerns from a myriad of angles knowing full well that classic Mario is the safe bet.
But that isn’t the issue — when it comes to talking directly to the players most invested in these games and the company’s history, Nintendo could do better than Fils-Aime as a spokesperson.
Across interviews, podcasts, and even his own Twitter feed, Cliff Bleszinski is a person who is clearly invested in the industry and has product to sell, but he’s also honest. Whether he’s admitting his disdain for on-disc DLC, speaking to the growth of his public persona, or referring to the Gears of War titles as “dude bro” games, he usually comes across as what we colloquially refer to as a “straight-shooter.”
There is no shortage of other great orators in the game-space, either: Peter Moore is practically a legend in this regard. Randy Pitchford and Peter Molyneux are great in front of a crowd, too. They tend to let their excitement and ambition get the better of them (and are thus prone to over-selling their games), but they never cross the line into leaving their audiences ill-informed.
Fils-Aime is a great President for Nintendo of America, and his obvious enthusiasm is refreshing for a businessman. But when it comes to the public face of Nintendo, it may be time to find someone who can be more open with the press and a fraction less rigid. Or, at least let us have someone we don’t have to surreptitiously label as a peddler of snake oil.
Isn’t it funny? Why the whole video game media forgot about PROJECT P- 100,
PANORAMA, AND LEGO CITY UNDERCOVER.. You know unique experiences?
why weren’t these games mentioned? and so many of the video game media, complains about another pikmin, another 2D mario, but what happens when nintendo changes ZELDA, YOU KNOW WIND WAKER AND SKY WARD SWORD? What is the media like? WHY DID THEY MESS WITH ZELDA??? WHERE IS GANNON?? METROID OTHER M, tries something different, the media? WHY DID THEY MESS UP METROID??
so with mario and pikmin, they keep those the same, what is the media like?
well here we go again bowser kidnaps the princess, why doesn’t nintendo change mario?.. YOU MEAN LIKE, MARIO SUNSHINE??? WHAT was the media like? no suits? no power ups? WHY DID THEY MESS WITH MARIO??
so which is it? which do you want? nintendo to keep the franchises the same, or change them? it seems nintendo can do no right. THE media says
nintendo is too kid friendly, and yet who has the goriest version of NINJA GAIDEN 3? the game play has been improved, and is much better than the ps3 and the 360 versions, and the gore was NOT IN THE PS3 or 360 version. but the media is hardly even covering the wii u version..
CONKER’S BAD FUR DAY ON THE N64 WAS VERY VULGAR, and yet the 360 version CENSORED OUT some of the cussing. nintendo did not, yet nintendo is still for kids… BMX XXX, a mediocre game, but the xbox version had nudity, PS2 CENSORED THE NUDITY, AND THE GAMECUBE VERSION HAD THE NUDITY, but the media ignores this, saying Nintendo is still for kids..
sony and kinect for the 360 has elmo games, lego games, my little pony and hello kitty games, Nintendo WII, HAS MADWORLD, NO MORE HEROS, 1 AND 2, AND CALL OF DUTY TITLES, yet nintendo is still considered for kids… and the wii u has NINJA GAIDEN 3 RAZOR’S EDGE, EXCLUSIVE, ZOMBI U EXCLUSIVE, and a current version of assassin’s creed 3.
and what does the media talk about, we have already played batman, why play it on the wii u? and why nintendo is missing the hard core… WHAT THE HELL? DIDN’T THE MEDIA PLAY ALL THE PLAYABLE GAMES, ON THE FLOOR OF THE E3?
the videogame media HATES NINTENDO. THEY let microsoft and sony slip up and falter so much, yet they get away with it…
When the x box first debuted, the GRAPHICS SUCKED!!! there was no visual difference, then in a year when developers got to know the system, the graphics looked great. and the media was so forgiving, saying give the x box time… Now the wii, u finally has HD graphics, this is a new system like the x box was, and what does the media say, the graphics don’t match up to ps3 or 360, the ps4 and the x box 720 will blow them away!!
JUST HOW STUPID IS THE VIDEO GAME MEDIA, HD IS HD, THE WII U WILL RUN 1080 P GAMES, AND WATCH WII U’S VERSION OF MASS EFFECT 3, TOTALLY STUNNING BETTER THAN PS3, AND 360′S BUT not by much..
FACE IT FOLKS PS4 AND XBOX 720 WILL NOT I REPEAT, WILL NOT BLOW AWAY THE WII U’S GRAPHICS, not an opinion, a FACT!!! the wii u already can run real engine 3 and 4, and epic wii u can run both of these programs fine.. my point the ps3, the xbox 360, and THE WII U, HD GRAPHICS ARE ALL GREAT!! so really how much more real can you get? watch dogs on the 360 looked MIND BLOWING, ON THE REAL 3 engine, almost photo realistic.
SO ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT TH PS4 AND THE 720 ARE GOING TO BLOW THESE GRAPHICS OUT OF THE WATER? HOW??? BY GOING 7-D?
PUT OUT 9080 P INSTEAD OF 1080? PPPLEEEAAASSEEE!!!
I agree with IWATA, PRESIDENT OF NINTENDO, ps4, and 720 may be more powerful, but THEY WILL NOT LOOK THAT MUCH BETTER!! AND I AGREE!
why is reggie so rigid as the article points out? look how the media treats Nintendo! they bring out the wii, the whole video game media, says nintendo is doomed. nobody wants motion control, and what do we have now? kinect and sony play.. and here we go about the wii u, it’s doomed,
yeah just like the wii right? reggie is getting pissed at all the garbage nintendo gets, and yet sony and microsoft get a free pass, and when nintendo does start fighting back, the media is like, WHY IS REGGIE SO FRIGID?? yeah.. GO REGGIE!! maybe if the video game media would stop listening to the 5yr old sissy fan boys of the ps3 and the 360, and be fair to ALL 3 COMPANIES, maybe reggie would be a little more favorable to be around.. it’s up to you media, NO WONDER THE average video game player doesn’t trust the media.. they have never given the fans a reason to!
@bignfan68 Chill out dude. Media only wants clicks (websites) . This article is a perfect example of it. DO you remember every 3DS is doomed article. And now we have the vita is doomed article;)? Same shit;)
“Nintendo’s problem is unique. Their upcoming Wii U console will beat next-gen consoles by Microsoft and Sony to market, but it isn’t a significant technological leap and will ultimately reside in the same category that the Wii is in now.”
How is that a problem?
The stronger system is never the number 1 seller?
in fact to do it is suicide
“The simple fact is that we desperately want some innovation from a company with an impressive track record in that regard. However, that isn’t what we’ve been shown – we’ve essentially been shown Pikmin HD and yet another side-scrolling Mario title.”
And this is why your trolling. Both titles were innovative
why am i even readig this tabloidish garbage
@#4 Yes, if I remember correctly, even Microsoft was hemorrhaging money for the first few years of the Xbox 360′s release. They could just afford to do it until the system started to turn a profit.