Nintendo tripped up for two and a half quarters in 2013. Two-and-a-half quarters they didn't turn a profit with the Wii U and the console struggled due to many circumstances, some of which were not related to Nintendo but publisher politics. Those two-and-a-half quarters put a bulls-eye on Nintendo the likes of which the company regularly encounters, and has been encountering ever since they single-handedly recovered the video game industry after the crash in the 1980s.
GimmieGimmieGames picked up quotes from Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, who made some honest comments as a retort to some of the unbelievable backlash Nintendo has been receiving in the media. The post comes courtesy of Nintendo's public address, where Iwata stated...
“Let me first say that I would like to refrain from commenting on individual cases. On the other hand, it is true that there are some Internet sites and certain media who have written stories about Nintendo as if they were official when, in reality, they did not come from any official sources such as interviews or announcements, nor were they confirmed by the company.“My words are sometimes taken out of context, rephrased in a way that sounds offensive, and then reported as if those were my exact words. We look at the influence and the content of any article and media, and when we feel that it could potentially spread misleading information (on a wide scale), then, as other companies do, we sometimes decide to communicate on our official website and Twitter account that what the article in question claims is nothing that the company has officially announced. In this sense, we are proactive with regard to information that, if left unattended, could affect us in an extremely negative way.”
The second paragraph rings true for so many articles spreading throughout the inner circles of social media and game aggregation sites. You'll head to N4G and find the only top trending articles for Nintendo is something aiming to misconstrue or re-convey a point that Nintendo wasn't trying to make, or worse yet put the company in a position that they don't actually support. Heck, it's not even a territorial thing, Japanese media have even jumped in on the hate as well, misinterpreting or re-interpreting for their own benefit, like Nikkei. I mean, WTF?!
The thing that seems so baffling about the hate is that Nintendo hasn't done anything to deserve it. We have one article after another claiming “Nintendoom!” and “Nintendo is dying!” and “Nintendo is finished!” and “Nintendo is the next Sega!” and all of it flies in the face of the facts, Nintendo's financial trends, as well as the company's profitability in the marketplace – which is worth a heck of a lot more than Sony right right now, and Nintendo only makes games!
Iwata went on to say...
“On the other hand, what people say on the Internet is simply beyond our control. There have certainly been instances where we felt very sad or frustrated, but reacting to every single piece of information could in fact contribute to spreading it further. We take action when we feel that a certain piece of information could affect us or our shareholders in a negative way.”
Opposite of Microsoft, I don't really see why picking on Nintendo is necessary. Their two biggest problems were software support (which they've addressed by hunkering down on indies and popular Kickstarter projects to flesh out the library of the Wii U in between big releases, as well as acquiring additional second party support as well), and marketing (another issue that they openly addressed by publicly stating that they would ramp up marketing throughout 2014). It's a company that apologized for a misstep but set in play a nice plan to get back on track. You can't fault them for that.
Microsoft tried to ruin the entirety of game culture as we know it, yet they're getting less heat and a far easier pass in the media over the Big 'N'. Why?
Is the 'Muricanism too strong to dog or something? It's not even like Microsoft apologized to fans for trying to stomp out the First Sale Doctrine... instead, they made excuses why people didn't understand their vision for an all-digital future.
Anyway, Iwata finished out his well-deserved rant, stating...
“We have Nintendo Direct, our official Twitter account and our official website to communicate our messages to our consumers directly. An increasing number of people are watching videos on the Nintendo eShop, which is a virtual shop where people can purchase new games and find new information. In fact, the most popular way to watch Nintendo Direct is through the Nintendo eShop as opposed to watching it live on computers. As you can see, we now have more ways to directly reach out to consumers, and by communicating our messages in a genuine manner, I think that we can make sure that inaccurate and ill-intentioned reports will not become too serious an issue.”
Well said, Iwata-san.
The man has taken a 50% pay cut for nearly two quarters and is working hard to aim Nintendo back into the light of profitability. I can't argue with that.
With new Nintendo Network user accounts inbound and DS emulation arriving for the Wii U, it's really hard to keep dogging a system that offers so much bang for the buck, as well as gaming experiences you won't be able to find on any other platform. Things will also start heating up in a big way for the Big 'N' when Mario Kart 8 launches this May.
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