Satoru Iwata dead at 55... :(

[Dev1anc3]

Just heard about this. This was Nintendo's chief executive and president for those of you who aren't aware. This is probably going to suck for Nintendo console fans. Iwata seemed to be strongly against Nintendo jumping onto the smartphone bandwagon in favor of sticking with consoles, but with him out of the way, and Nintendo seeking to double it's annual profit within a year through smartphone gaming, this might deter the Big N from even bothering to release another home console after the lackluster Wii U. The Wii U could very well be Nintendo's last home console...   :/

[Addicted]

I just heard about this as well and it's very sad as the world has lost a great man. Rest in peace.

Official link: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2015/150713e.pdf

[img width=249 height=388]http://orig15.deviantart.net/6d8e/f/2015/183/9/3/mario_34noqk_by_aloooo81-d8zn172.png[/img]

[techwizard]

sad to hear he's gone but let's not start the doom & gloom rumours already, i can't imagine nintendo getting out of the home console business anytime soon no matter who's in charge.

[Dev1anc3]

sad to hear he's gone but let's not start the doom & gloom rumours already, i can't imagine nintendo getting out of the home console business anytime soon no matter who's in charge.

How can you not? Nintendo recently announced that they were making mobile games. That is a huge step. Nintendo hasn't made games for any Non-Nintendo format since like ...   Mario Bros. on the 2600. (...and I'm not counting the use of Mario and Link for the CDi and PC "games") Would they even consider whoring out their franchises if they thought that a new console would surely be a huge success? They just announce the "NX", which is supposed to be another home console that is to be revealed next year, but if their venture in mobile gaming ends up increasing their profits like they predict, they may decide to focus almost exclusively on mobile like Konami and Sega are doing. It doesn't seem profitable trying to battle Sony and Microsoft with an expensive new piece of hardware, for a tiny bit of market share. I want to see Nintendo release the NX, and reclaim the crown that they lost in the 90's, but these are different times, and they have a long a battle a head, especially with the huge loss they have suffered here with the loss of Iwata.

[techwizard]

http://www.vgchartz.com/a...xbox-one-113m-wii-u-914m/

about 6 months old but considering the trend in that chart it's probably not much different now. Wii U has sold over 9 million units, only 2 million less than the Xbox One. although it is in last overall, nintendo has such a large capital backing them up that they can afford to take some losses for a while without much issue. they sold over 101 million Wii units last generation and, at least as of an article from 2012, they had $10.5 billion in the bank, so even with their current 250 million+ losses per year because of Wii U, they have a lot of years to go before they're in trouble.

i'm not saying they're doing great, but saying that mobile gaming = death of the company in the rest of the game industry is a pretty poor interpretation of what's going on.

anyway i'm done being off-topic here, i don't think this is the appropriate topic to mention the state of the company in the same paragraph as the death of a much loved member of it. i only replied to that comment because i thought it was inaccurate and a little insensitive.

[Cobra]

Going to miss his Nintendo Directs...
I had read he has missed recent E3s due to health... but still... 55 is really young.

Thank you for what you have done for us Satoru Iwata, and may you rest in peace.

[bombatomba]

55...  So young.  Really a shame.

[shaggy]

sad to hear he's gone but let's not start the doom & gloom rumours already, i can't imagine nintendo getting out of the home console business anytime soon no matter who's in charge.

I just saw this on Yahoo.  Such a shame and so young.  As far as Nintendo not releasing consoles that's not going to happen.  They will be fine and still release consoles.   The thing to worry about now is the Wii U.  I believe it is possible that the Wii U is pretty much finished and won't be supported after the NX is out.

[Dev1anc3]

http://www.vgchartz.com/a...xbox-one-113m-wii-u-914m/

about 6 months old but considering the trend in that chart it's probably not much different now. Wii U has sold over 9 million units, only 2 million less than the Xbox One. although it is in last overall, nintendo has such a large capital backing them up that they can afford to take some losses for a while without much issue. they sold over 101 million Wii units last generation and, at least as of an article from 2012, they had $10.5 billion in the bank, so even with their current 250 million+ losses per year because of Wii U, they have a lot of years to go before they're in trouble.

i'm not saying they're doing great, but saying that mobile gaming = death of the company in the rest of the game industry is a pretty poor interpretation of what's going on.

anyway i'm done being off-topic here, i don't think this is the appropriate topic to mention the state of the company in the same paragraph as the death of a much loved member of it. i only replied to that comment because i thought it was inaccurate and a little insensitive.

That's all fine. I never said that "Nintendo is dead". I'm saying that with the loss of Iwata, the company may end up moving in another direction, and might have second thoughts on releasing another expensive piece of hardware that's going to be doing battle against two already established consoles, when it will most likely only win over a 15- 20% market share at the most. I'm thinking if anything changes because of this, it will most likely involve them concentrating on holding their high ground in the handheld market.

Stats are always a nice way to win an argument, but the facts are the Wii U was $200 less than the XBOX One at launch, and came out about 7-8 months ahead of it, and is already that far behind. As of March, Nintendo has sold 9.54 Wii U's...  Sony had that many PS4's sold in it's first 9 months. The Wii U is also the slowest selling console that Nintendo has released besides the Virtual Boy... if you even want to count it. I don't have to link anything. You can probably go to Bing, and type "Nintendo is losing money", and about 100 pages of articles will most likely pop up.

This man helped push the company back on top with the introduction of the ballsy Wii console, and continued to push it forward even when the Wii became out matched by the 360 and PS3. He helped the heavily under powered DS conquer the PSP, and he even took it upon himself to take a 50% pay cut when Nintendo chose to cut the price of the 3DS back in 2011, and then again after the Wii U did so poorly last year. I don't perceive myself as being "insensitive". What this man accomplished while he moved up the ranks at Nintendo is almost mind blowing. There is no denying that. Nintendo has taken a huge loss by his death at a time when they are likely to need him the most...   besides even if I am being insensitive, this isn't his personal blog, a memorial site, or an obituary listing...  these are classic video game forums. ...Get over it.

[MetalFRO]

My heart sank when I saw this yesterday on Twitter.  It's unfortunate that he didn't have more time to continue to push Nintendo forward, and a shame that he died so young.  What he accomplished in just over a decade is quite amazing.  His presence at Nintendo will be duly missed.

I would tend to agree that it is probably in poor taste to start the "doom and gloom" talk now, but as a realist, I understand the propensity.  I think it's too early to proclaim the Wii U as potentially Nintendo's last console.  The NX is already in development, and since it has dominated the gaming news landscape for the past several weeks.  Nintendo might be last in line, but they have the most recognizable image, and people still associate home console gaming with Nintendo, despite the competition perhaps having more units sold.  My hope is, they pick a successor who will continue to carry on the vision Iwata had for Nintendo.  Keep in mind also, their mobile strategy is to release 5 or 6 quality titles per year on mobile.  And those experiences, as we've already been told, will be much different than what their existing offerings are.  They won't be "Super Mario Bros" on a phone, though they will likely leverage existing IPs for brand recognition and cross-platform advertising.  Rather, these experiences will likely be designed from the ground up to be specific to phone and tablet devices, and be the kind of quick-play games that mobile is known for, rather than the more deep, time consuming experiences you would expect from a Nintendo console or handheld title.  IF there is a 9th generation of video game consoles, and I believe there will, Nintendo will be in the game, despite what Sony and Microsoft are doing.  IF Sony and Microsoft move toward PlayStation TV-style streaming services, I suspect Nintendo will continue to have a more traditional offering, because Nintendo hasn't really followed the trends of the industry, but done their own thing as a way to innovate and push the boundaries.  History shows that they'll more than likely continue to do so.

[blcklblskt]

I heard the news yesterday regarding Iwata. My condolences go out to his family and friends.

As for the Nintendo "Doom and Gloom", I fail to see where it's coming from. This is Nintendo's first console "miss" in 25 years in business (No, the Virtual Boy doesn't count ). Mobile games will let Nintendo make a large profit without a large capital investment in hardware, but this doesn't mean Nintendo is going the way of Sega. As we can see from PS4/Xbox 1 sales, the home console isn't doomed like so many predicted. It's another revenue stream that Nintendo can capitalize on if they attack the market with features that people want. Regardless if every other device on the planet has the capability to play videos/Netflix/music/etc., consumers have shown that although they may not use the application, they will want the option. Nintendo needs to enter the 21st century and implement better account management ala Sony and Microsoft, along with a strong launch lineup for the NX.

Nintendo is making money again, and I don't think they'll let the opportunity slip through their hands again. I expect to see a more traditional console with the NX, and it should hit the gate with at least two AAA 1st party games. I've heard rumors that Nintendo has been holding back titles from the Wii U to make a big push for the NX, and I have no reason to doubt the rumor. No other company makes hardware so understand, functional, and durable quite like Nintendo, and it's something that Nintendo needs to push. They need to implement a more "Western" marketing approach and should be far more aggressive in their marketing campaigns like they were during the 90's.

[Shadow Kisuragi]

This image finally made it sink home after reading the news yesterday. Posted by Aaron Greenberg, Xbox's marketing head:

[img width=500 height=469]http://www.windowscentral.com/sites/wpcentral.com/files/styles/larger/public/field/image/2015/07/nintendo-half-mast.jpg?itok=GXtEsg1D[/img]

[SirPsycho]

Today, Nintendo's headquarters was spotted with a rainbow over it.

https://twitter.com/kaori...20519235173789696/photo/1

[Dev1anc3]

My heart sank when I saw this yesterday on Twitter.  It's unfortunate that he didn't have more time to continue to push Nintendo forward, and a shame that he died so young.  What he accomplished in just over a decade is quite amazing.  His presence at Nintendo will be duly missed.

I would tend to agree that it is probably in poor taste to start the "doom and gloom" talk now, but as a realist, I understand the propensity.  I think it's too early to proclaim the Wii U as potentially Nintendo's last console.  The NX is already in development, and since it has dominated the gaming news landscape for the past several weeks.  Nintendo might be last in line, but they have the most recognizable image, and people still associate home console gaming with Nintendo, despite the competition perhaps having more units sold.  My hope is, they pick a successor who will continue to carry on the vision Iwata had for Nintendo.  Keep in mind also, their mobile strategy is to release 5 or 6 quality titles per year on mobile.  And those experiences, as we've already been told, will be much different than what their existing offerings are.  They won't be "Super Mario Bros" on a phone, though they will likely leverage existing IPs for brand recognition and cross-platform advertising.  Rather, these experiences will likely be designed from the ground up to be specific to phone and tablet devices, and be the kind of quick-play games that mobile is known for, rather than the more deep, time consuming experiences you would expect from a Nintendo console or handheld title.  IF there is a 9th generation of video game consoles, and I believe there will, Nintendo will be in the game, despite what Sony and Microsoft are doing.  IF Sony and Microsoft move toward PlayStation TV-style streaming services, I suspect Nintendo will continue to have a more traditional offering, because Nintendo hasn't really followed the trends of the industry, but done their own thing as a way to innovate and push the boundaries.  History shows that they'll more than likely continue to do so.

I agree that Nintendo's name still holds a lot of weight in the industry. I just hope it's enough. They've been out of the limelight for a while, and when it comes to catering to the hardcore gamer these days, they drop the ball, and dish out a new "Chibi-Metroid" title instead of giving us what they know we want, and end up scaring away any potential mature gamers that might have came there way.... not saying the game's going to suck, but it's by far not what we were expecting. I used to be a die hard Nintendo fan, but I passed on the Wii U and 3DS completely. If they wanted to get me back as a Nintendo loyalist, they'd have to work on the lack of good 3rd party titles that's been looming over their head since the N64 days, bring us some more adult oriented titles... a new Eternal Darkness would be awesome, or a genuine Super Metroid sequel, and since they will have a jump on Microsoft, and Sony, make the hardware superior to there's in everyway. I myself would easily fork out $399 - $499 for a juiced up Nintendo console over the XBOX One or PS4 if the games were there...  a new online network setup wouldn't hurt either, but that's all just wishful thinking. Without Iwata, it's hard to tell what direction they are headed if they change course at all. I'm positive we'll see another console though, but like I said, it will probably be in the form of DS follow-up.