A Nintendo investor has admitted that he doesn’t “understand video games.” The obvious question here is what he thought Nintendo did to begin with.
Nintendo is the Japan-based company responsible for bringing video games back after the big crash of the 80s, and as such is one of the most respected gaming companies in the world. The company that Shigeru Miyamoto built has also taken other routes such as a not so well-received foray into movies, but it was mostly merchandising. Nintendo has plenty of toys out there, but the one thing that most people think about when the name comes up is interactive entertainment.
Again, what did this Nintendo investor think the company was? The following is an excerpt from a shareholder meeting posted this morning on Nintendo’s website:
“I do not understand video games and I even feel angry because, at Nintendo’s shareholders’ meetings, the shareholders always discuss things relating to video games or such childish topics as ‘what the future of video games should be,’ while I, for one, was flabbergasted that Mr. Iwata continues to hold his position although he had said that he would resign if the company’s performance were bad.
“I hope that Nintendo’s shareholders’ meeting will become an opportunity where the shareholders discuss the company’s business operations from the viewpoints of capital gain and dividends.”
Video games are how Nintendo made most of their money for the last three decades, and this investor says it actually makes him angry when Miyamoto and friends talk about the hobby and its future instead of business. He calls it childish and probably assumes it to be irresponsible when a serious business meeting devolves into talks about a hobby. He even called out Satoru Iwata for not resigning when he said he would.
Nintendo’s heads promptly responded in utmost respect, as they should considering their financial position in the last couple of years, and told him that a large part of their business was entertainment.
“I invested in something I don’t understand!” Very smart. “ @Kotaku : Nintendo investor…: http://t.co/eMZpAeeqHa pic.twitter.com/YU2sjl6fYd ”
— Brad Davis (@Bgamer90) July 3, 2014
Could this skepticism from a Nintendo investor be part of the reason why the company has been failing? Obviously Nintendo has plans to continue to create interactive entertainment, including video games, probably until they simply can’t do it any more. If the company does go under due to loss of shareholders , they will probably be forced to go the same route as Sega, which is to make video games for other consoles.
With financial support like this, Nintendo’s future once again comes into question. Can games like Mario Kart 8 , Legend of Zelda Wii U , and the latest Smash Bros make them profitable enough, or could the company end up moving on to other forms of entertainment to appease Nintendo investors who “don’t understand video games”?
Is this the beginning of the end for Nintendo?
[image via e-mpire ]