Satoru Iwata
Xen carries a translation of Dengeki’s transcript from Nintendo’s latest press conference, at which former president Hiroshi Yamauchi discussed his reasons for appointing Satoru Iwata as his presidential replacement.
When somewhat bluntly asked why Iwata was chosen for the job Yamauchi, speaking as freely as ever, told all. “The reason for Iwata-san's selection comes down to his knowledge and understanding of Nintendo's hardware and software. An executive, regardless of his vast successes, is fundamentally an executive, who doesn't intimately understand our products.” Yamauchi continues, “Within our industry there are those who believe that they will succeed simply because of their successes in other ventures or their wealth, but that doesn't guarantee success. Looking at their experiences since entering the gaming world, it's apparent that our competitors have yielded far more failures than successes. It's been said that Sony is the current winner in the gaming world. However, when considering their ‘victory’, you should remember that their success is only a very recent development. Though Sony is widely held to be the strongest in the market, their fortunes may change. Tomorrow, they could lose that strength, as reversals of fortune are part of this business. Taking into account the things I've encountered in my experiences as Nintendo president, I have come to the conclusion that it requires a special talent to manage a company in this industry. I selected Iwata-san based on that criteria. Over the long-term I don't know whether Iwata-san will maintain Nintendo's position or lead the company to even greater heights of success. At the very least, I believe him to be the best person for the job.”
Of the more interesting points in Yamauchi’s statement, his shot at Sony is arguably the most interesting. Having seen the mixed fortunes of Nintendo through the years and more importantly, being directly accountable for them, seems to have jaundiced Yamauchi’s view on the industry. Sensible-jaundiced, but jaundiced nonetheless.
It is also fair to say that Yamauchi and Iwata, both in terms of demeanour and managerial style, are diametrically opposed. Yamauchi is famed for his stubborn, unrelenting belief in his own thinking and in fairness, it has served the company well for a long time. He is probably best known for his comic-angry outbursts in public. Iwata on the other hand is humble, polite and states he will employ an open-house style of management. Although he did lie to us about the GBA screen being changed, he is seen as a man of integrity and is well liked throughout Nintendo. He is also great friends with Miyamoto, Nintendo’s head of development, which will help. It is well known that Miyamoto and Yamauchi failed to see eye to eye on many issues.
When somewhat bluntly asked why Iwata was chosen for the job Yamauchi, speaking as freely as ever, told all. “The reason for Iwata-san's selection comes down to his knowledge and understanding of Nintendo's hardware and software. An executive, regardless of his vast successes, is fundamentally an executive, who doesn't intimately understand our products.” Yamauchi continues, “Within our industry there are those who believe that they will succeed simply because of their successes in other ventures or their wealth, but that doesn't guarantee success. Looking at their experiences since entering the gaming world, it's apparent that our competitors have yielded far more failures than successes. It's been said that Sony is the current winner in the gaming world. However, when considering their ‘victory’, you should remember that their success is only a very recent development. Though Sony is widely held to be the strongest in the market, their fortunes may change. Tomorrow, they could lose that strength, as reversals of fortune are part of this business. Taking into account the things I've encountered in my experiences as Nintendo president, I have come to the conclusion that it requires a special talent to manage a company in this industry. I selected Iwata-san based on that criteria. Over the long-term I don't know whether Iwata-san will maintain Nintendo's position or lead the company to even greater heights of success. At the very least, I believe him to be the best person for the job.”
Of the more interesting points in Yamauchi’s statement, his shot at Sony is arguably the most interesting. Having seen the mixed fortunes of Nintendo through the years and more importantly, being directly accountable for them, seems to have jaundiced Yamauchi’s view on the industry. Sensible-jaundiced, but jaundiced nonetheless.
It is also fair to say that Yamauchi and Iwata, both in terms of demeanour and managerial style, are diametrically opposed. Yamauchi is famed for his stubborn, unrelenting belief in his own thinking and in fairness, it has served the company well for a long time. He is probably best known for his comic-angry outbursts in public. Iwata on the other hand is humble, polite and states he will employ an open-house style of management. Although he did lie to us about the GBA screen being changed, he is seen as a man of integrity and is well liked throughout Nintendo. He is also great friends with Miyamoto, Nintendo’s head of development, which will help. It is well known that Miyamoto and Yamauchi failed to see eye to eye on many issues.
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