Wii storage for 'geeks and otaku', says Nintendo marketing director
As Nintendo's WiiWare service ramps up with new content added every week, avid Wii users are finding themselves burning through the console's paltry 512MB of internal memory quite quickly. So we find it a bit odd that Nintendo's European Marketing Director not only considers the issue unimportant, but thinks it wise to berate those concerned with it by calling them names.
Speaking to Edge Magazine, NOE Marketing Director Laurent Fischer was surprisingly dismissive of the growing space demands of WiiWare titles. According to him, only "geeks and otaku" want the issue actually addressed. Which just hurts.
If by "geeks and otaku," Mr. Fischer, you mean Nintendo's loyal fanbase who download every game released, then there may some truth in that. But calling them names certainly won't keep those "geeks and otaku" loyal for much longer.
Speaking to Edge Magazine, NOE Marketing Director Laurent Fischer was surprisingly dismissive of the growing space demands of WiiWare titles. According to him, only "geeks and otaku" want the issue actually addressed. Which just hurts.
If by "geeks and otaku," Mr. Fischer, you mean Nintendo's loyal fanbase who download every game released, then there may some truth in that. But calling them names certainly won't keep those "geeks and otaku" loyal for much longer.











Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Durinthal @ Jun 11th 2008 6:33PM
The truth hurts.
Obie @ Jun 11th 2008 7:37PM
As a loyal Nintendo customer since 1986...**** you Nintendo! Shove your Wiiware up your ass if you don't give me any storage.
BananaBoat @ Jun 11th 2008 8:05PM
This is about as bad a PR move as when the people behind Gurren Lagann basically said that their loyal fans were scumbags.
I haven't spent a cent on the Wii store, because paying for old games I already bought a decade ago seemed like a moronic idea, but Wiiware finally had me sold on a few of it's titles....I'll still buy them, but this type of bad PR leaves a rotten taste in my mouth.
bm @ Jun 11th 2008 8:39PM
"because paying for old games I already bought a decade ago seemed like a moronic idea"
Yeah, it's generally a "moronic idea" to buy games you've already bought. That's why, uhh, you know... most people buy the games they haven't yet bought. Yep!
Co @ Jun 11th 2008 11:14PM
LMAO!!! Man that pic is nice! And the fact the EUROPEAN Marketing guy is using the word otaku (No More Heroes plug!) is even better....
Man Siegal, you get your feelings hurt enough before you wrote this article? I don't care what Nintendo SAYS, as long as what they DO is find a storage solution, which their PRESIDENT (that's the guy over the EU Marketing Director) already confirmed.
chukz @ Jun 11th 2008 6:34PM
1) Open Mouth
2) Insert Foot
3) Look for new job
^ What's left on the agenda of this idiot.
Phil @ Jun 11th 2008 7:44PM
Eh, it could've been worse, in terms of who said it. Leave it to some marketing ****wit to make claims of knowing how the userbase works out for the company.
I'd just brush this off if I were you people. He's a marketing director, not the head of the company. I wouldn't be surprised to see a retraction soon. >_>
bm @ Jun 11th 2008 8:44PM
Brush this off? Joystiq readers? LOL
Prof_Chaos @ Jun 12th 2008 9:00AM
The problem here is that the Marketing guys should know better. Being a Marketing Manager myself, I can say with all certainty that this moron will b looking for a new job shortly. Even if this doesn't do it, it's only a matter of time before he tries to be funny again.
Chase @ Jun 11th 2008 6:34PM
Dear Mr. Fischer, fuck you.
Nushio (NDF - Blue) @ Jun 11th 2008 6:57PM
How's being called a geek offensive? We are who we are.
Jhongerkong @ Jun 11th 2008 6:58PM
Its not the geek part thats offensive, its the otaku part.
Chase @ Jun 11th 2008 7:13PM
It's not the name calling that irritates me, it's how he is trying to pass off a legitimate issue for all gamers (hardcore and casual) as though it is something imagined by "geeks."
kevinski @ Jun 11th 2008 7:31PM
Yeah, because it takes a geek to plug in a flash drive or external hard drive. I'd prefer being able to play games off of an SD card, personally. They're just being a bunch of douchebags. Sure, Nintendo, don't cater to me. I've only spent a shitload of money on Virtual Console and WiiWare already. But what does my opinion matter? There are people who don't know how to even connect their Wii to the Internet, so I guess there's really no need for those who actually generate revenue for you.
Double J @ Jun 11th 2008 7:34PM
After I'm done taping up the nose piece on my glasses, I'm gonna write a stern letter to this Mr. Fischer about my general displeasure.
Jake11 @ Jun 11th 2008 6:35PM
hahahaha i'm dying from that picture.
also, screw you Laurent Fischer
Christopher Grant @ Jun 11th 2008 7:35PM
Little known fact: That's actually Joystiq blogger Scott Jon Siegel up above.
No, seriously. Isn't he adorable?
Ethan @ Jun 12th 2008 6:57AM
I have to say yes.
PojoMofo @ Jun 12th 2008 10:37AM
That is an awesome picture, I have a similar one after I beat Contra for the first time, circa 1989 or so
fred @ Jun 11th 2008 6:36PM
What an asshole.
fwacce @ Jun 11th 2008 9:12PM
lol it's funny that this comment now comes right after Christopher Grant's. Unintentional, sure, but still lol.
ThePerfectCompanion @ Jun 11th 2008 6:36PM
And this guy is the marketing director? LOL...
Almost as bad as sony...
However there is a lil bit of truth to his statement. The die hard downloaders are kinda nerdy...
DangerMouse @ Jun 11th 2008 6:40PM
All they have to do now are penis-thumbs, and we have ourselves a winner.
Haggard @ Jun 11th 2008 6:47PM
Can you imagine if you emailed any other company asking if they could fix some problem with their service and they reply dancing around, calling you names and pointing and laughing?
Haggard @ Jun 11th 2008 6:47PM
Can you imagine if you emailed any other company asking if they could fix some problem with their service and they reply dancing around, calling you names and pointing and laughing?
Noshino @ Jun 11th 2008 6:52PM
"All they have to do now are penis-thumbs"
Lol, does Nintendo even have ads on the PlayBoy magazine?
DangerMouse @ Jun 11th 2008 7:03PM
I don't think so, i just wanted to say penis-thumbs.
Hafk @ Jun 11th 2008 6:37PM
I believe that Nintendo of Japan or Nintendo of America have already stated that they are working on a solution to the problem. Just goes to show you how informed NoE is.
Hafk @ Jun 11th 2008 6:41PM
Here it is. Satoru Iwata says they are looking into a solution.
http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/01/iwata-were-looking-into-the-flash-memory-situation/
Zippy5150 @ Jun 11th 2008 6:53PM
Watch their "solution" be something lame, like individual discs with Wiiware titles on them that you can buy for $50 at retail. (Like what Harmonix is doing with Rock Band.)
Noshino @ Jun 11th 2008 6:54PM
yah, have you heard of broken promises? Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are guilty of such
Mr Khan @ Jun 11th 2008 7:09PM
Agree. This is just another incident of NoE stupidity
"We are not making a new model of Nintendo DS"
Burnt Meatloaf @ Jun 12th 2008 5:17AM
- "We are not making a new model of Nintendo DS"
It wouldn't surprise me if Nintendo shafted their European offices as much as they shaft Europeans in general.
DeaconGTG @ Jun 11th 2008 6:38PM
If that's so, then there's going to be a ton of geeks and otaku in the coming months when those who are only downloading the hits run out of space too.
zkey14 @ Jun 11th 2008 6:38PM
Old news.
Christopher Grant @ Jun 11th 2008 7:38PM
First warning. Screaming "old news" is a ban-able offense.
Nick the Hero of Canton @ Jun 11th 2008 7:41PM
Chris, that's old news.
*runs*
required @ Jun 11th 2008 7:51PM
how about cold brews?
Sora267 @ Jun 11th 2008 8:07PM
Or cold poos?
Sean @ Jun 11th 2008 8:09PM
that's awesome. i'm sick of these kids who think that anything older than a day isn't worth knowing.
on topic: someone tell nintendo that I don't care if internal space is going to stay at 512megs or not, since I refuse to buy anything off their store until there are playable demos.
Tim The Enchanter @ Jun 12th 2008 9:27AM
Oh snap! Now that's bold news.
J @ Jun 11th 2008 6:39PM
Ah, now here's that old Nintendo hubris I once knew and loved!
All that aside... they really should consider offering hardware capabilities that will support the software that they offer... and there's more money in it for them, if they do.
bigd7387 @ Jun 11th 2008 6:40PM
Wow No surprise that the big Nintendo is going back to it's old ways of screwing their fanbase. Reminds of the late 80's and early 90's when Nintendo controlled everything and just said buy our shit and if you don't like it fuck off. Too bad the Wii has made them money cause I was really liking the idea of Nintendo leaving the hardware business. Sega Master System was still the better system.
Josh @ Jun 11th 2008 7:21PM
Crap. I voted you up when I was only halfway through your post. :(
Fatass of Sarcasmness @ Jun 11th 2008 8:37PM
"I was really liking the idea of Nintendo leaving the hardware business."
That was easily the dumbest thing I've read all day. It's NEVER a good thing when a gaming company leaves the hardware business, ESPECIALLY one that has contributed as much to gaming as Nintendo. I was sad when Sega fell out of the race... fuck, I dunno what I'd do if Nintendo left the market.
Mr Khan @ Jun 11th 2008 9:25PM
If Nintendo dropped out of hardware, the quality of software on ALL platforms would drop, because everyone would be saying "There's no point in trying to compete with Nintendo"
:P
giantenemycrab @ Jun 11th 2008 6:41PM
Did they just call us, the hardcore audience, geeks? So it's official, Nintendo is no longer for us, it's for the soccer moms and little kids. Fuck you, Nintendo.
DangerMouse @ Jun 11th 2008 6:45PM
What, you didn't get the memo?
ThePerfectCompanion @ Jun 11th 2008 6:45PM
LMAO its hilarious how you seriously you take yourself and this "hardcore" shit.
ComradeTrotskii @ Jun 11th 2008 7:54PM
Perfectcompanion: Hate to break it to ya chief but you are reading a games blog, the kind of people that comment on games blogs are generally pretty 'hardcore'.
Is there anything wrong with that? For many of us Nintendo was an integral part of our childhood, and this has continued through to this day despite their best efforts to tell us to go fuck ourselves.
In many ways Nintendo was like a childhood friend who you played with all the time, he kind of went off the rails in his teens and started drinking heavily and you worried for him, but through it all you stuck by him. He checked into rehab though, got cleaned up and then got a better job than you. Even though you stuck by him, one night when you were reminiscing childhood memories he just turned around, called you a wanker and pissed on your floor for no good reason. He's moved on and your understandably bitter a bit sitter about it.
That was either the greatest thing I've ever written or the biggest load of bollocks ever, I'm really not sure.