Reggie on Nintendo VR and the Future

Reggie Fils-Aime, President and COO of Nintendo America, produced quite a couple of gems during Variety’s Entertainment and Tech Summit.

Nintendo Won’t Be Pursuing VR

Didn’t need a crystal ball to see this one. I never thought Nintendo would pursue such a hardware-intensive and bleeding-edge tech. They’re very much involved in their own niche and ‘weird’ oddities.

Reggie said, the “problem with VR is that there aren’t a lot of experiences that are truly fun.” Very true, but in all fairness there aren’t a lot of gimmicky motion control or Wii/Switch experiences are are truly fun either.

Despite avoiding the VR route, Reggie says, “We have a lot of experience with AR. The potential for AR is here and now.” He’s obviously referencing the 3DS as well as Pokemon Go.

Consoles Aren’t Dead & Fans Love Nintendo IP’s

Reggie, and by association Nintendo, do not believe that consoles, as opposed to PC, are dead. I’m pretty sure no one ever thought that consoles were dead. In fact, the real hints of gaming decline actually reside more on the PC side than on Console.

Despite criticism from the console and gaming community at large, the Switch has really done quite well. In fact, in Japan it sold 1.5 million units (which is pretty good), and sold well in NA too. They’re currently shooting for a 10 million units sold goal, and hope to not sell out this holiday season. It’s turning out to be a much better ride than the Wii U.

I did find it sorta funny that Reggie noted Breath of the Wild’s success indicates that fans are still engaged with the company’s products and IP. DUH, Reg! It’s the first Zelda game in a long time. Zelda fans — Nintendo fans — tend to love it. Didn’t hurt that it was the only title on the Switch worth buying for a while, either. 😉

Nintendo is an “Entertainment Company”

Reggie tried to make this point during the summit that Nintendo is not just a gaming company, but an entertainment company. I remember my marketing classes in college. We learned that McDonald’s biggest competitor wasn’t Burger King or Jack in the Box. McDonald’s competed with Disneyland and themeparks for “family fun.”

Nintendo can and should pivot to entertainment, but they should be careful not to do so as the cost of their core audience. Switch is selling well because of the software and IPs, not because of its mobile gimmicks. If there are difficulties keeping up with demand this holiday season, it’ll be from Yoshi, Kirby, and Mario doing what they do best.