“What’s important is not what Nintendo games people buy, but how we can encourage people around the world to choose Nintendo.”
One of the biggest questions asked and answered during the 84th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, concerned the direction Nintendo is taking and plans to grow the company and its IPs even further, but in true Miyamoto fashion, Shigeru Miyamoto, Executive Fellow and Representative Director, Member of the Board, gave an all-round answer, packed with depth, but still leaves things a little open for interpretation.
Shigeru Miyamoto: We are currently preparing for the opening of Nintendo Museum in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture, where people can learn about Nintendo through our past products. When I view the exhibits at Nintendo Museum and think back on the path Nintendo has taken, I get the feeling that the company has reached a big milestone.
Nintendo’s business began with hanafuda and karuta playing cards, and after expanding into various other businesses, the company decided to focus on entertainment, which fortunately led to video games. Even within the world of video games, Nintendo has taken its own path rather than competing with its rivals.
Starting around a decade ago, we realized there was a limit to the extent to which Nintendo’s entertainment could reach people around the world through our dedicated video game platform business alone. Since then, we have continued a series of initiatives to create opportunities for people to become familiar with Nintendo in other areas, such as mobile apps, theme parks, and movies. It feels like those initiatives have finally begun to gain traction.
Donkey Kong Country is set to open at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, and next year SUPER NINTENDO WORLD is scheduled to open in Orlando, Florida, at Universal Epic Universe, a theme park now under construction. In addition, there are plans to open SUPER NINTENDO WORLD at Universal Studios Singapore, and we are also preparing various other expansion initiatives including in the visual content area.
What’s important is not what Nintendo games people buy, but how we can encourage people around the world to choose Nintendo. It’s important for us to create occasions where parents not only want to give Nintendo products to their kids, but also want to play themselves. So, we encourage our employees to all work together to create reasons for people to choose Nintendo, and we pursue those kinds of initiatives. By working this way, any of our products can potentially be chosen by people all over the world. Nintendo is not in the business of making products that are daily necessities or commodities. Through our repeated efforts to create new added value, generate interest, and always aim for home runs — products that become big hits — I believe Nintendo will remain an important brand for families going forward. We would like to continue these effor
Source: Nintendo
