Joystiq

Nintendo uses natural selection for its quality control

Justin McElroy — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 14:55:00 EST

EGM and likely many, many Wii and DS owners have maligned the lack of quality control on Nintendo platforms of late, especially considering how tightly the company held the reigns in its early days. In a recent interview with MTV Multiplayer, outgoing Nintendo spokesperson Perrin Kaplan defended the company, explaining that it was less focused on quality control than natural selection.

"If [publishers] publish for any of the three, if the product does not sell well, it fails on its own. If they cannot get shelf space, it fails on its own. If consumers don't buy it, it fails on its own. So I do think that the poorer stuff does get sifted out and the really good products do rise to the top," Kaplan said.

There's logic to what she's saying, of course. But it must be easy to advocate survival of the fittest when all of your games are Jack Lalanne.

Nintendo uses natural selection for its quality control originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 25 Oct 2007 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kaplan talks Smash Bros. delay, Nintendo's new release focus

David Hinkle — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Interviews

With Kaplan gearing up to ride her horse out into the sunset, she still managed to find time to sit down and chat with Stepehen Totilo from MTV. The discussion centered around the delay for Smash Bros. Brawl, but Kaplan explained that Nintendo is starting to look at the release calendar differently. Instead of cramming all of the games into the last quarter of the year, Nintendo is looking at spreading their release throughout the year.

"Sunday is actually a really good launch day of the week for products. And I think we're actually starting to look at the annual calendar differently. The first two quarters of the year tend to be more quiet. But now we've seen some evidence of sales in that period," she comments. "Other than the holiday quarter, I think the traditional way of viewing it is not necessarily a slam dunk. I think a really good product can be a slam dunk any time of the year."

Personally, we'd like to see a more balanced release schedule throughout the year, so we like this new way of thinking. The holiday season is expensive enough for us, having to purchase presents, so we often have to overlook some titles due to constraints on our cash supply.

[Via Joystiq]

Kaplan talks Smash Bros. delay, Nintendo's new release focus originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 24 Oct 2007 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan talks Smash Bros. Brawl delay

Ludwig Kietzmann — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 13:56:00 EST

Filed under: Nintendo Wii, Fighting

Though she's on her way out, Nintendo's VP of marketing Perrin Kaplan still finds some time to speak to MTV's Stephen Totilo regarding all things Nintendo. As history has repeatedly shown us, one of those things inevitably turns out to be the dreaded delay -- though perhaps it's not as dreaded when it comes to the holiday months. It seems Nintendo now joins EA and Capcom in seeing the sales sense in slippage.

"And I think we're actually starting to look at the annual calendar differently," said Kaplan, justifying the February release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. "The first two quarters of the year tend to be more quiet. But now we've seen some evidence of sales in that period." Avoiding the jostling of the year-end crowd is but one benefit, with the added development time yielding a game that's "absolutely as perfect as Japan knows it can be." Kaplan, who views the Wii and DS as being a little more integrated into people's (boring) lives, concludes via basketball metaphor that timing isn't necessarily everything. "I think a really good product can be a slam dunk any time of the year."

A note of caution to other publishers considering delays: Let's not get carried away now. We don't want February becoming the new November.

Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan talks Smash Bros. Brawl delay originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 23 Oct 2007 13:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kaplan says gamers were bored before Wii

David Hinkle — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Interviews

Now, we've been saying for awhile now that the Wii would revolutionize the industry and it has. But, we wouldn't go so far as to say we were bored by it all pre-Wii. We loved the GameCube, we loved the GBA and we still love our DS. We loved the N64. We hardly found ourselves without games to play, that's for sure.

"A major insight that Nintendo had early on was that they saw that gamers were getting bored, even though they didn't know it yet," Kaplan remarked. Robert Matthews, senior director of consumer marketing for Nintendo of America backed her up, stating "Just look at the way people consume entertainment today. The idea that you would spend hours playing videogames is just not real anymore."

While we'd argue that, blogging doesn't leave us with as much time for gaming as we'd like, but we think overall that there will always be a place for lengthy games, jam-packed with feature-rich content and that Nintendo's new proven focus shouldn't try to do away with those.

Do you guys care to toss in your two cents?

Kaplan says gamers were bored before Wii originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Oct 2007 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo's Kaplan says 'Gamers were bored before Wii'

Ross Miller — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 15:28:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Nintendo DS, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo Wii, Business

Remember those hours you stayed up playing Halo 2 merely thinking you were having a good time? Shadow of the Colossus? Smash Bros? Tetris? We hate to tell you, but you weren't enjoying yourself. That's right, you were getting bored. We're sorry to be the ones to break it to you.

It was Nintendo of America's soon-to-be-former Marketing VP Perrin Kaplan who infomed us of our jaded dispositions. Speaking to Ad Age, which named Nintendo the Marketer of the Year, Kaplan said, "A major insight that Nintendo had early on was that they saw that gamers were getting bored, even though they didn't know it yet."

We know the role of a marketer is to sell their product with as much hyperbole as possible, but doesn't this seem a bit short-sighted (not to mention somewhat self-deprecating, given Nintendo's prominence in gaming history)? If only Kaplan wasn't leaving, she might have filled Ken Kutaragi's shoes well.

[Via Next-Gen; image from Halo Nights]

Nintendo's Kaplan says 'Gamers were bored before Wii' originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Oct 2007 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan reveals her exit strategy, finally

James Ransom-Wiley — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 15:34:00 EST

Filed under: Nintendo DS, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo Wii, Business

George did it. And so did Beth. Now, as forecast, it's Perrin's turn. Nintendo Vice President of Marketing Perrin Kaplan has announced her retirement from the company after 15 years of service.

Kaplan did not give an explicit reason for her departure, saying only, "I finally will be leaving Nintendo at the end of the year. Until then, I am focused on getting a great transition team in place and handling all of my normal responsibilities as well." It had been speculated that the marketing exec trio -- now all officially on course to retire -- would leave Nintendo after plans to relocate the company's PR headquarters from Washington to San Francisco and New York were revealed in May. But this theory remains pure speculation. Think about it: there are plenty of other circumstances that could have prompted Kaplan's resignation ... well, actually, we can only think of one.

Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan reveals her exit strategy, finally originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Oct 2007 15:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kaplan hits the road, Jack

David Hinkle — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 15:12:00 EST

Filed under: News

Following in the footsteps of George Harrison, Nintendo's top PR person (and the apple of Matt C's eye) Perrin Kaplan has decided to call it quits with Nintendo. She didn't state any reason why she was departing in her correspondence with Reuters, but we're sure she just doesn't want to relocate. Leaving her home of 15 years to follow her job to a new city just probably isn't a life choice she's comfortable with.

Oh well, at least she'll have Matt to help her through the tough times when she departs at the end of the year.

Kaplan hits the road, Jack originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Oct 2007 15:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo's Beth Llewelyn quits

Alexander Sliwinski — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 19:02:00 EST

Filed under: Nintendo Wii, Business

Shake that tree, shake it and watch the Nintendo executives fall out and everything end up like people said it would. The latest person in the Nintendo executive culling is Beth Llewelyn, senior director of corporate communications at Nintendo of America, as she officially resigned today. Not only that, but Golin Harris' Julia Roether, guru of Nintendo's PR company in the States, also peaced-out. That sound you hear is Nintendo's PR department running around without a head. We now wait to hear Perrin Kaplan's exit cue.

Although some less-than-charitable things can be said about the way Nintendo's PR was run up to this point, it could simply be the same issues as Sony had to deal with taking orders from Japan. Sony of America was starting to turn things around with Dave Karraker, but then he left after less than a year (we really miss Dave). We now wait and see who the replacements are. Will it be business as usual, or will Nintendo's PR alter dramatically?

Nintendo's Beth Llewelyn quits originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 26 Sep 2007 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo employee blogs, gets the axe

David Hinkle — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:20:00 EST

Filed under: News

Your employer might not like your personal blog, as the latest instance of a personal blog affecting someone's life in a negative way can be seen in the story of Jessica Zenner. She was canned by Nintendo for posting things in her personal blog, which never actually mentioned Nintendo (and she wrote under a pen name). Still, Nintendo found it and gave her the boot.

Commenting on the situation, Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan says she "was expressly discouraged from doing what she did. I've seen everything that she's written and it's really not work appropriate." Of course, the situation has arguments for both sides, so we'll leave it up to you to claim who was in the wrong. Jessica or Nintendo?

[Via Kotaku]

Nintendo employee blogs, gets the axe originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Job listing is similar to Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:55:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Nintendo Wii

GameDaily has discovered a recent job listing for a VP of corporate affairs at Nintendo, which seems awfully similar to the title already held by VP of corporate affairs Perrin Kaplan. The job listing gives a little bit more fuel to the Game Informer story that with Nintendo's move some big executives are out.

What the executive switch means to the company and gamers is still far from being answered. We just know certain members of the media will be beside themselves heart-broken if Kaplan leaves. The transition is expected to be finished by September, so announcements about who stays, who goes, and their replacements should be announced in the relative future.

Job listing is similar to Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo: We haven't heard of anyone leaving

David Hinkle — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 13:45:00 EST

Filed under: News

Regardless of what we may have heard, it would seem that Beth Llewelyn (senior director of public relations), Perrin Kaplan (vice president of marketing and corporate affairs) and George Harrison (senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications) haven't decided to take severance pay from the company.

Or, at least, they haven't told Nintendo they plan on leaving, as Pro-G found out when contacting Nintendo on some sort of confirmation regarding this mess. "In terms of the execs you name leaving we have not heard anything regarding that speculation (and it remains speculation) and we aren't commenting further on those rumours at this time," Nintendo commented.

So, what does this all mean? Not much, right now. These top execs could still be leaving Nintendo, but we'll have to wait for official word from Nintendo before this matter is resolved.

[Via Joystiq]

Nintendo: We haven't heard of anyone leaving originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 08 Jun 2007 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Kaplan, Harrison and Llewelyn leaving Nintendo of America

Ludwig Kietzmann — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 17:39:00 EST

Filed under: Business

Or rather, Nintendo of America is leaving them. According to Game Informer Online, which earlier this month broke news of the Redmond giant (no, not that one) relocating its sales, ad and marketing departments to either New York or San Francisco, approximately 90% of the employees in the affected areas have opted to remain stationary and accept a severance.

Included in those leaving Nintendo are senior director of public relations, Beth Llewelyn, vice president of marketing and corporate affairs, Perrin Kaplan (pictured), and senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications, George Harrison.

The executive trio's time of departure is still unknown, though GI asserts that Perrin and her pals will likely stick around until after next month's Min-E3 event in Santa Monica.

Rumor: Kaplan, Harrison and Llewelyn leaving Nintendo of America originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 06 Jun 2007 17:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Perrin Kaplan expects Wii shortages to 'last for some time'

Ludwig Kietzmann — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 22:32:00 EST

Filed under: Nintendo Wii, Business

Well, so much for "supply flowing" this April. "There is a lot going on behind the scenes in terms of working on what we are producing and the numbers continue to rise but the product is so very popular that we may see a supply / demand situation last for some time," says Perrin Kaplan, Nintendo's VP of marketing and corporate affairs. Further comments originating from a recent Game Theory Podcast basically amount to Nintendo doing the best they can against the ravenous and seemingly unstoppable Wii-wanting hordes.

Perrin provides assurances that Nintendo is aware of the problem (though she doesn't directly label it as such) and politely asks fans to "to be patient and to know that we are working on this as fast as we can." While the buzz and news generated by continued scarcity (see: this article) continues to be a valuable marketing asset, truly resolving production problems almost 6 months into a console's lifetime will be greatly beneficial to both Nintendo and clamoring fans. In other words -- come on!

[Via Wii Fanboy, Next-Generation]

Perrin Kaplan expects Wii shortages to 'last for some time' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 11 Apr 2007 22:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Perrin Kaplan says shortages will continue

David Hinkle — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Interviews

During a recent interview, Perrin Kaplan revealed that those still looking to get their hands on a Wii will probably be forced to wait that much longer. Apparently, Nintendo's production resources just cannot match demand as the company tries to get as many units available on store shelves as possible. Perrin says that there "is a lot going on behind the scenes in terms of working on what we are producing and the numbers continue to rise but the product is so very popular that we may see a supply / demand situation last for some time."

Is this excusable though? No, it most certainly is not, considering the console launched five months ago. When does Nintendo stop jerking us around and put their product on shelves? People certainly want the thing, so why not give it to them? Sure, Nintendo is in a prime position to control the supply and demand of their system, but when does it end? And, really, with the incredible resources that Nintendo has, can't they ramp up production or acquire new manufacturing plants?

Perrin adds "We are at absolute maximum production and doing everything we can. The number of units that we have been able to produce has far exceeded our hardware production in the past and the production levels of a lot of our competitors but demand continues to be really high. People are being really diligent about working with retailers to locate one but we are cognisent of the fact that a lot of fans are not able to get their hands on one yet. We are asking them to be patient and to know that we are working on this as fast as we can."

Perrin Kaplan says shortages will continue originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo UK: GameCube is SO not dead!

David Hinkle — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 13:55:00 EST

Filed under: News

Looks like Perrin may have jumped the gun a bit when she said that the company would not be manufacturing any more GameCubes and we should all just consider the thing to be dead. At least, that's according to Nintendo UK spokesperson who recently told Europgamer "I can confirm that globally, Nintendo is still continuing production of GameCube hardware and GameCube software."

He said, she said ... it makes our head spin.

[via Joystiq]

Nintendo UK: GameCube is SO not dead! originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 23 Feb 2007 13:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Perrin Kaplan talks Wii 2.0

David Hinkle — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 15:35:00 EST

Filed under: Interviews

During an interview with GameDaily.Biz, Nintendo's Perrin Kaplin talked the Wii up and even got to mentioning the GameCube. What's most interesting, however, is her response to the question of whether consumers would see a revision to the Wii hardware, with which she responded "Sure, absolutely. You'll see the ways in which we do that." This, of course, does not come as a surprise, as Nintendo has been notorious for hardware revisions to its products (DS Lite, GBA SP etc), yet might anger Wii owners who had a tough time acquiring the console in its first few months of release should the company reveal a revision too soon. With Nintendo's exemplary record of doing this, however, we're sure such a mistake is beyond their capabilities.

Perrin also goes on to comment on the GameCube, supporting rumors that the company is no longer manufacturing systems or software for it. "Are we producing any more GameCubes? No. But do we have the inventory there for people to still purchase? Yes."

Perrin Kaplan talks Wii 2.0 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 22 Feb 2007 15:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Perrin Kaplan mentions Nintendo Wii 2.0 ... already?

Alexander Sliwinski — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 20:25:00 EST

Filed under: Nintendo Wii, Business

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes, turn and face the strain, ch-ch-ch-ch-changes. When asked if the Wii will have a hardware revision in an interview with GameDaily, Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan, vice president of marketing and corporate affairs, said, "Sure, absolutely. You'll see the ways in which we do that."

Although Nintendo has consistently updated their portable units with revisions, console hardware revisions, like those in the NES and SNES, were held off until the end of the console's life cycle. This Wii revision, apparently in the cards for as early as this year in Japan, is probably not welcome news to those who just purchased the $250 console at launch. Hopefully the DVD upgrade, and whatever other goodies Nintendo has in store (other than new Wii colors), will be a simple software upgrade and not make early adopters feel like they've been gypped.

Perrin Kaplan mentions Nintendo Wii 2.0 ... already? originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 21 Feb 2007 20:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First-party Wii games will be region-free [update 2]

Ludwig Kietzmann — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Nintendo Wii

After tactfully cornering Nintendo's VP of Marketing at their NYC event, Joel Johnson from Wired News was able to extract a rather valuable tidbit of information that will likely please gamers all across the world. Perrin Kaplan casually confirmed that all first-party Wii games will be free of draconian region locks, thus allowing them to run on a Wii system purchased from Japan, Europe, America and everything in-between. The same doesn't hold true for third-party games yet, but one can only hope they follow the glorious example and do away with an annoying system that has long since been dropped in handheld platforms.

If you can surmount the language barrier, feel free to gleefully bring Nintendo's next turnbased roommate adventure Pokemon dating card RPG to America, even if they won't.

[Via Game|Life]

[Update 1: Gamesindustry.biz reports that Nintendo UK says the Wii is region-locked. This is contrary to Perrin Kaplan's statements, though her exact comments may have been misinterpreted to begin with. It's possible that Kaplan implied first-party games would specifically be region-free -- which is not the same thing as saying the console is region-free. After all, one can play region-free DVDs on a region-locked DVD player. Not that the Wii can play DVDs anymore...]

[Update 2: It was too good to be true.]

First-party Wii games will be region-free [update 2] originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 14 Sep 2006 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Who's got a Joystiq T-shirt?

Christopher Grant — Mon, 15 May 2006 18:56:00 EST

Filed under: Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, E3

Our limited-edition Joystiq T-shirts are rolling out to our biggest (and speediest) fans right now. Then there's our not as limited-edition Joystiq E3 shirts that we were giving out at the show. Did you grab enough business cards from Joystiqers on the show floor, like the Joystiq luchador did? Did you make it to the AOL booth during our short, one-hour handout? Or were you gracious enough to grant Joystiq an interview, like Peter, Perrin, Shane, and Miyamoto-san?

If you're sporting a Joystiq tee, let us know what you think. Didn't get one? We'll be giving away the orange shirts on the site so keep your eyes peeled. And if you see somebody sporting one on the street, stop 'em and say hi. They're either Joystiq readers or one of us.

Big thanks to Philip and Yann for the incredible designs. Seriously, we're humbled.

Who's got a Joystiq T-shirt? originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 May 2006 18:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Engadget & Joystiq Interview: Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan

Ryan Block — Mon, 15 May 2006 16:42:00 EST

Filed under: Nintendo DS, Nintendo GameCube, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Interviews, E3

On the last day of E3 we got to sit down with Perrin Kaplan, Nintendo of America's Vice President, Marketing and Corporate Affairs. We still had a lot of questions for her to field after interviewing Miyamoto-san the day before, specifically regarding the naming of the Wii (yeah, we had to ask), what Nintendo's online strategy actually is, what they're doing with launching first party titles like Smash Bros. on the Wii, why the GameCube was suspiciously absent this year, and exactly where homebrew gaming fits into the final equation.

So I guess we should get started. Thank you very much for meeting us. Everybody here has this badge that says "what's your brain age?" so I'm curious to know what your brain age is.

Oh my gosh, I haven't played in a good couple of weeks. I guess down to 30 or so.

Really?

Yeah, I need to work on it. Our President [Satoru Iwata] is very proud that his is 20.

Today is the last day, everything is pretty much behind us. How do you guys think you fared?

Even better than we thought. I think we were all really excited coming in, with pretty much trying to say to people, "It's not about what you see, you have to try it," which is why our theme is "playing equals believing." I think you really have to try and take the products for a ride yourself. And that people are embracing that and lining up at record lengths and number of hours and really enjoying it -- saying it was worth the wait is fantastic.

One of the things I've been hearing from a lot of people in the industry is they felt that Sony really fell flat this year, and I was curious to know what you think they could have done better.

That's a hard one. I have my own personal rule: I don't hold a media briefing that's over 60 minutes. I think it's really hard to have a captive audience be engaged that long. Even in school, I could have had the most stimulating presentation from a teacher and an hour starts to get a long time. That's probably one thing I would do differently. But their product line is what their product line is and their approach is their approach, so what I would do differently is really hard for me to say because we're over here doing something really different and it feels really great. I think being innovative, at least for us, is exciting.

Continue reading The Engadget & Joystiq Interview: Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan

The Engadget & Joystiq Interview: Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 May 2006 16:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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