Nintendo has largely been met with success over the years, with hit systems like its debut home console the NES and theportable Nintendo DS,as well as long-lasting IPs such asSuper MarioandThe Legend of Zelda. Now, the popular Japanese video game company has seen incredible sales with its latest hybrid handheld-home console, theNintendo Switch, but it goes without saying that Nintendo is not without its own hardships.
Coming fresh off of the incredible success of the motion-controlled Wii, Nintendo attempted to ride that wave with a successor: the Wii U. However, the Wii U’s 2012 release was largely met with consumer confusion, as many did not know whether the system was an entirely new console, a peripheral for the Wii, or a “pro” version of the previous system. Now, former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime shed some light on Nintendo’s situation when transitioning from the Wii U to theNintendo Switch.
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During a roundtable on theNew York Gaming Awards Twitch livestreamthis week, the former president answered questions about what he considered to be his crowning achievement at Nintendo. Fils-Aime divulged quite a bit of info on the transition from the Wii U era to the Switch, noting that during that difficult time, the Switch was a “make or break product” for Nintendo.
Fils-Aime said when the Wii U launched, “The performance over that life cycle was poor,” and called it the worst-selling platform next to Nintendo’s failed 1995 Virtual Boy. The former president went on to say that with the company performing so poorly in the video game market, their main realm of business, “That next [console] had to be successful, and the Switch continues to be a dynamic platformer - selling exceptionally well.”
Fils-Aime praised Nintendo for its many innovations in the video game industry. He notes the overall transition fromthe Wii U over to the Switch,having “not only great first-party content but great third-party and independent developer content” as his lasting memory, and something he will always be proud of.
Although Fils-Aime resigned as president of Nintendo of America back in February 2019, he has made it clear that he is intent onremaining involved in the video game industryas much as possible. Now, the former president serves as a Leader in Residence at Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business, and has joined the board of directors for GameStop, Spin Master, and Brunswick Corporation.
While the Switch may have been a “make or break” console for the Japanese video game company, it goes without saying thatNintendo’s latest innovation has paid off. The Nintendo Switch has undoubtedly made its mark on the industry, and it will be interesting to see where Nintendo decides to take the system next.
