Nintendo exec. apologizes for 'geeks and otaku' remark

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jun 13th 2008 at 12:30PM }

Nintendo Europe's senior marketing director, Laurent Fischer, has apparently apologized for comments made earlier in the week, in which he said that the only people interested in a Wii hard drive would be "geeks and otaku." Fisher tells videogaming247 that he didn't mean to use those terms in a way to cause offense. He regrets any "misunderstanding" that was created by his comments within the community.

What say ye Nintendo legions, forgive Fisher or should his penance be more profound?

Tags: geeks, nintendo, otaku, wiiware

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Fernando Rocker @ Jun 13th 2008 12:36PM

Well... we all here in Joystiq are geeks.

TWiNKiE @ Jun 13th 2008 1:15PM

Remember the big blowup on Amazon.com us gamers caused?

Gamers ftw!

xFenixKnightx @ Jun 13th 2008 1:23PM

Speak for yourself, I'm too cool for school!

:P

I kid, I guess I might be a Beta Level nerd as BabySeaTuna sais.

Markusdragon @ Jun 13th 2008 1:30PM

And the peeps who read Kotaku are Otaku.

I think he summed us up rather truthfully, really.

Neebs @ Jun 13th 2008 1:34PM

Aren't you a geek if you know to downvote Fernando? A very out of date geek but it's true.

BananaBoat @ Jun 13th 2008 2:00PM

Speak for yourself. Some of us were never the video game player stereotype. It's people that seem to embrace that stereotype, that continue to keep games (except for Wii Sports I guess, and maybe Madden) from being socially acceptable.

Atleast I can get non gamer friends to play Rock Band with me...if it weren't for people like you and this Nintendo Exec, maybe I could get them to play Co-Op Gears of War or something. Meh. Just meh.

Jakka @ Jun 13th 2008 2:47PM

@ BananaBoat

In this society is full of chavs and jocks, maybe less than 5% of hobbies are socially acceptable.

So unless you're a football-loving,stoned, bimbo-fucking playa'(and probably a bully) chances are you're "not cool".

BananaBoat @ Jun 13th 2008 3:13PM

I actually did play sports till I got out of highschool a few years ago =p but that's beside the point. The gamer stereotype isn't just a lack of "coolness" it's...ehh... I think Adam Sessler said it best in that rant yesterday "Fat, socially inept mouth breathers that live in their parents basements". I don't proclaim to be "cool" (I'd wager I'm about as cool as anyone else that spends most of their time doing coursework by necessity) but I'm definitely not the above stereotype, and I'm sure I'll be fighting for years to get the stereotype changed =p

Until video games are as respected a medium as movies or books, I don't think the stigma of being a "video game player" will ever fully go away =/

BananaBoat @ Jun 13th 2008 3:16PM

Oh and before I forget

@twinkie

I don't think she ever sold another copy of her book after that. Glorious wingets for all.

SoulBlade @ Jun 13th 2008 12:36PM

Yea backtracking! He just lost credibility - forgive him or don't, but he clearly showed he's not in touch with gamers. Not sure how you can say use geeks and otaku w/o meaning something negative.

Of course, gamers are a sensitive bunch too, and sometimes we like to jump on the slightest offense. It's all good - don't care if some exec is a fool unless he has the power to prevent us from getting what we want.

Sir Fidlious Wong (Justin T. McElroy Memorial Burn of the Day Award) @ Jun 13th 2008 12:45PM

I think it's more to the fact that it was in reference to a very real concern by the gaming community and how it HAS impacted products on the console and from the company we've gotten blanketed responses like "It won't be an issue to everyone" and "There is no problem with that." That, in conjunction to the "geeks and otaku" comment is probably what caused the greatest burn among the fanbase.

SoulBlade @ Jun 13th 2008 12:49PM

Yea - totally agree. Like I said, I don't think he was in touch. Gamers are a bit sensitive in my opinion though - at least fanboys. They can definitely blow something out of proportion and, like you said, it probably doesn't help when a higher up shows no concern over something the community feels is a big deal.

BananaBoat @ Jun 13th 2008 2:15PM

The PR guy knew that it would taken to be an insult. He simply doesn't care. The wii is selling like hotcakes, and it's not thanks to core gamers (us) but rather it's thanks to the appeal of Wii Sports and Wii Fit to "Casual gamers" like, for instance, your grandma.

The wii has soared out of our control, and there isn't a whole lot we can do about it. Normally though, when a PR manager is responsible for bad PR himself, he'd be fired. Not that I think he should be (in this recession, I could never wish the loss of a job onto someone...except maybe J.T). I doubt it will come to that though.

aristokrat @ Jun 13th 2008 4:27PM

Though the Wii has "soared beyond our control," Nintendo owes its very existence to the fanboys who kept it afloat for the previous generations. If the Wii had been another GameCube, Nintendo would have gone the way of Sega (which they knew and is the very reason the decided to differentiate). But without the hardcore "geeks and otaku" that have made up a huge majority of Nintendo's fanbase, they would have fallen before the onslaught of the PlayStation and emerging Xbox. For them to suddenly say "Hey, we don't need you guys anymore, we have Grandma and Grandpa" is insulting (and has been insulting all along).

JCD @ Jun 13th 2008 4:56PM

The issue is really that Nintendo doesn't seem to understand that the problem is much larger than those people who want to own the entire NES library on their wii.

Only 512 MB of storage = no DLC for most games. No DLC for most games = wii rock band not getting DLC. Games like rockband and guitar hero are drawing in the same casual gamer market the wii is targetting (case in point: my dad actually got a ps2 so he could pretend to play "Smoke on the Water" in GHII). That's a big problem! I actually know people who've never owned a console before who were considering the wii until they found out that they couldn't get new songs for GHIII and/or rock band.

Storage is a part of having a strong and cohesive online strategy, which is something that is clearly beyond Nintendo. I've expected an online component from my games since the original xbox. If Nintendo can't figure this out, I think they'll wind up hurting in the long run.

Genesisbreed @ Jun 13th 2008 12:36PM

No! HANG HIM COOK HIM! I call for a good old tar and feather'n!

Ok, Ill go play with my Sailor Moon figure now....

Dirt @ Jun 13th 2008 12:58PM

The only real reason to be offended is because he was the director of marketing. Anyone else and this could have been a non-issue, but it's this guys JOB to know how to speak to their client base and keep them all happy. This is what he does for a living, he doesn't design games or program. He interacts with Nintendo's customers and tries to put the best image he can out there. It is what he does.

BPM [MKWii: 2578 3585 8392] @ Jun 13th 2008 1:11PM

I agree with everything Genesisbreed said.

Except for the Sailor Moon comment.

I've got Galaxy Angel instead.

samfish @ Jun 13th 2008 2:07PM

Oh ho ho! – into figurine bukkakke, are we, Genesisbreed?

BananaBoat @ Jun 13th 2008 3:25PM

That's about the only thing a sailor moon figurine is good for...giggity

/goes to "play" with his Matilda-san action figure

Erik Johnson @ Jun 13th 2008 12:36PM

I say we tar and tar him.

BPM [MKWii: 2578 3585 8392] @ Jun 13th 2008 1:11PM

First you dip him in tar.... then you dip him in more tar?

I don't get it.

Phil @ Jun 13th 2008 12:38PM

I CALLED IT.

Just clarifying.

syrik zero @ Jun 13th 2008 12:40PM

Who cares what Nintendo says anyway?

required @ Jun 13th 2008 1:58PM

that would be Fernando Rocker

DangerMouse @ Jun 13th 2008 2:10PM

Usually the ones who devote their life to Nintendo as if it's a religion.

Jody Anthony (cookingrebels.com) @ Jun 13th 2008 12:40PM

after all the other things NOE has done to europe, I dont think this is that big of a deal

beatboxtaun @ Jun 13th 2008 12:41PM

I'm a geek and love it. They just had to put a pic of a stereotypical geek up.

Ok ok, let me apologize for any "misunderstanding" that was created with that comment.

Fernando Rocker @ Jun 13th 2008 12:42PM

Same here.

beatboxtaun @ Jun 13th 2008 12:56PM

Trust me, I love being a geek, so no apologies needed!

driven2sin @ Jun 13th 2008 3:24PM

wasn't that a picture of Fernando???!

Mike Schramm @ Jun 13th 2008 12:41PM

That picture is actually of a young Christopher Grant. Not sure if you knew that.

Scott Jon Siegel @ Jun 13th 2008 12:54PM

Actually, it's a young Scott Jon Siegel. Whoever that is.

BPM [MKWii: 2578 3585 8392] @ Jun 13th 2008 1:12PM

Yeah, who the hell is Scott Jon Siegel?

Korova Pyro aspect @ Jun 13th 2008 1:59PM

Scott, do you forgive them?

Fernando Rocker @ Jun 13th 2008 12:41PM

93% with a guide? He is clearly not a geek.

beatboxtaun @ Jun 13th 2008 1:01PM

Ok, I so hit reply on my very last comment, but it didn't reply.

John McPoop (PSN:johnnynumber5) @ Jun 13th 2008 4:16PM

That exec is just backtracking ... I will cut him some slack on the comments and not get all bent out of shape about it ... Nintendo really needs to come up with some type of mass storage device that you can actually launch content from (as in not SD cards)

Daniel Horton @ Jun 13th 2008 12:42PM

What bullcrap. This a total non-apology. "I'm sorry if you were offended"? Were it more sincere, I personally might have been able to forget it. But this total PR move makes the issue more upsetting.

koehler83 @ Jun 13th 2008 12:44PM

I guess he meant it in the normal, complimentary way.

What a fucking douchebag.

offday @ Jun 13th 2008 3:17PM

An apology is a start, but I'll be happier when he's fired.

Mr Khan @ Jun 13th 2008 12:45PM

Again, it's not that he said "geeks and otaku," it's that he regarded us as some sort of negligible ultra-minority whose opinions don't matter

Whereas, when you look at the numbers, its clearly false

A @ Jun 13th 2008 1:13PM

what numbers?

zodduska @ Jun 16th 2008 9:18AM

cosplay attendees

tc @ Jun 13th 2008 12:48PM

i'll forgive him, as soon as we get some more hard-drive space.

snoochyboochys @ Jun 13th 2008 12:51PM

I have 1 degree in marketing and I'm about to finish my second and I have been a hardcore gamer since the Atari 2600 was introduced. I have a a wii and just about every system from the Atari 2600 on. From my point of view it seems that this guy is not the dedicated gamer that a senior marketing director at a huge video game company like Nintendo should be. If he was he would totally understand that there are Nintendo fans that have been dedicated to Nintendo for over 20 years like myself. I have no problem being called a geek because of my love for video games, but he obviously feels that there aren't many of us "geeks" that play video games and he couldn't be more wrong. As a matter of fact, I'm in the market for a new job so what say you Nintendo? Would you rather have a video game noob or a hardcore gaming geek like myself for a senior marketing executive?

Fernando Rocker @ Jun 13th 2008 12:53PM

How about me as a marketing executive?

=p

BPM [MKWii: 2578 3585 8392] @ Jun 13th 2008 1:22PM

That's the thing, they prefer to have business-wise people in these kind of positions, not game-wise people. It isn't just Nintendo, but pretty much all businesses.

I think it's a bit of a destructive problem, really. You get people making the calls who have no idea what they're trying to control.

Procris @ Jun 13th 2008 12:54PM

I'd say its way to late because the damage is done. How can you use the words "only geeks and otaku" and not intend to cause offence? Just goes to show what the PR/exec guys for Nintendo are really thinking. No amount of apologising is going to sweep this under the table for me. You can bet your ass if Microsoft or Sony had said something similar everyone would be up in arms about it and how evil they are. No one would be so willing to forget it.

The sadist thing of all is, he said this when asked about legit concern about the memory of the Wii. Honestly, if Nintendo still doesn't consider it an issue to resolve then all i can say is better get used to deleting because you will be doing it a lot if you have a lot of VC/Wiiware titles.

Mr Khan @ Jun 13th 2008 1:10PM

But people more important than this guy have already said that it IS a concern, Iwata himself said it, and unless Yamauchi stages some sort of coup d'etat and restores himself to power, Iwata's word can mostly be taken as company policy

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