Reggie-Fils-Aime posts (Subscribe to this feed)

Reggie denies the existence of Wii HD

by Justin McElroy { Nov 6th 2009 at 10:02AM }

Though plenty of people -- analyst Michael Pachter chief among them -- are pretty certain that an HD version of the Wii is in the pipeline, you're not going to catch Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Amie copping to it. Speaking with Geoff Keighley on Gametrailers TV, the Regginator said, "Michael continues to be the only one who believes that this is gonna happen. I don't know how forcefully we can say there is no Wii HD."

It certainly sounds like a firm refusal, but let's all try to remember that the shelf life of a Nintendo denial is exactly 10 days.

Reggie Fils-Aime on PSP Go: 'What's the benefit?'

by JC Fletcher { Oct 12th 2009 at 11:30AM }

In an interview with The Washington Post's Mike Musgrove, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime handily dismissed the DS's competition, suggesting either that he doesn't feel threatened at all, or he feels really threatened (and the history of DS sales makes us more likely to believe the former interpretation).

He said that the newly launched, download-only PSP Go has a "fundamental concept problem in terms of 'Who's it for?' and 'What's the benefit?'" He added that he has the "utmost respect for all our competitors, but it's interesting to try and answer the consumer question of 'What's in it for me?' in that product."

As for the other major competition in the handheld space? When discussing the DS's advantages over the iPhone/iPod Touch platform, Fils-Aime made the surprising move of referring to a third-party game, namely Scribblenauts. "That's a fabulous experience that can only be brought to life on the DS." Honestly, it probably could be done on iPhone, but it hasn't and probably won't, which is just as good for Nintendo.

Nintendo sells 2.2 million DSis, says Walmart is biggest customer

by David Hinkle { Oct 6th 2009 at 12:15PM }

During a recent interview with CNBC, Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime addressed the Wii's recent price drop (surprise: it's seen positive results) and the company's strategy for the upcoming holiday season. The manufacturer is counting on a strong showing for its DSi handheld, with Reggie revealing that 2.2 million units have now been sold, presumably in North America alone.

Of course, Nintendo couldn't have possibly sold that many handhelds without the help of retailers and according to Reggie, Walmart has been the biggest customer. We're not surprised -- Walmart is supernatural, after all.

Continued →

Reggie: Metroid Other M is a 'more traditional' Metroid game

by JC Fletcher { Jun 12th 2009 at 9:15AM }

With all the rapid-fire 3D action, Metroid: Other M may not look anything like any Metroid we've seen before, but according to Reggie Fils-Aime, it's a return to a more familiar Metroid style. "A year ago, someone could have asked me, what's going on with Metroid?" Fils-Aime told GameSpot. "When are we going to go back to the more traditional Metroid series versus the path that we went down with Prime? Here's the answer: Other M." The more traditional series -- with a "harder edge," according to Fils-Aime.

Reggie would like Other M to sell a bit more than the traditional Metroid game, however. "Metroid, for us, is a key franchise. And, in our view, really, since the SNES Metroid, we haven't broken through in terms of 1.5, two million units, and that's our bar," he said. He also told GameSpot that he's beginning to hear feedback from other companies, hoping to work with Nintendo in the same way Team Ninja is on Other M.

Gallery: Metroid: Other M (Wii)

[Via The Escapist]

Reggie promises a better E3 from Nintendo this year ... again

by Ben Gilbert { Apr 14th 2009 at 10:44AM }

Fresh off the announcement of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks at GDC 2009, Nintendo of America head honcho Reggie Fils-Aime had some interesting things to say about Nintendo's plans for this year's E3. "From Nintendo's perspective, we always go into E3 with a very high bar wanting to satisfy not only the core fans but also ourselves," he told GameTrailers TV, teasing the reveal of a release date for the upcoming Zelda. "We haven't announced a launch date -- maybe we'll do that at E3."

So, conclusive evidence of a brand new Kid Icarus game? Not quite. Though Keighley hammered "the Regginator" for details on what exactly Nintendo would be bringing to the "glamour and sizzle" fest of this year's E3, the exec kept mum, saying, "Everyone wants to know what we're going to announce at E3 and my answer is, come to E3 and you'll see." Guess we're waiting 'til June 2 like everyone else.

[Via Play.tm]

Reggie on Bob's Game: Refused license doesn't reflect on Nintendo's support for the little guy

by Ben Gilbert { Apr 4th 2009 at 11:00AM }

You remember Bob's Game, don't you? The humble 2D RPG made by a single, possibly loony, individual? Well nearly two months have gone by since the game's creator Robert Pelloni was denied developer status by Nintendo and -- other than a NYC littering spree -- we've heard little about the game as of late. In an interview with Nintendo big boss Reggie Fils-Aime on MTV Multiplayer last week, however, the record was set considerably straighter.

When asked for his side of the story on what had come to pass, the Regginator had this to say: "He did submit to be a licensed developer. We have an evaluation process. We evaluated the opportunity. We decided at this point in time that he did not meet the requirements to be a licensed developer." Well that about does it then, no? Apparently MTV wanted more from the conversation, pushing the CEO on what to do if a developer wants to work with Nintendo but doesn't necessarily have two or three major games under its belt, "My hope is that any developer who has a compelling idea will reach out to our licensing organization and share their idea and go through the process of becoming a licensed developer for the Nintendo platform," Fils-Aime said, "And we have a legacy of supporting that type of development."

Unfortunately, as it seems, Mr. Pelloni's game wasn't quite "compelling" enough of an idea.

Reggie on why used games are not his problem

by JC Fletcher { Apr 1st 2009 at 9:50AM }

Speaking to VentureBeat, Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime attempted to dismiss the proliferation of used game sales as not only something that Nintendo isn't worried about, but as something that consumers shouldn't think about, citing the long life of some of Nintendo's games.

"We don't believe used games are in the best interest of the consumer," Fils-Aime said. "We have products that consumers want to hold onto. They want to play all of the levels of a Zelda game and unlock all of the levels. A game like Personal Trainer: Cooking has a long life. We believe used games aren't in the consumer's best interest."

While it may be true that designing a game that can be replayed enjoyably for years is a good defense against used games, many consumers will still fast-track their way through games to trade them in as quickly as possible for something totally new ... just because. Reggie follows up this argument with an odd point -- that other forms of media don't have significant used markets.

"Describe another form of entertainment that has a vibrant used goods market. Used books have never taken off. You don't see businesses selling used music CDs or used DVDs. Why? The consumer likes having a brand-new experience and reliving it over and over again. If you create the right type of experience, that also happens in video games."

That strikes us as just wrong. There have been used book shops worldwide for as long as there have been books, and there's even (at least one) chain of stores devoted entirely to it. And stores like Hastings and CD Warehouse trade heavily in used DVDs and CDs.

Even Wii games not immune to dilution of industry profits

by James Ransom-Wiley { Mar 31st 2009 at 2:43PM }

Get this: Game publishers would be charging more for their console games if it wasn't for your consumer choice. Despite continued sales growth in the game industry, its biggest companies are still losing money. While ballooning production costs are certainly to blame ($25 million is a typical bill before marketing), the proliferation of low-cost games -- and means of distribution -- has been singled out as the underlying culprit of profit dilution, according to a NYTimes.com report. And these cheapo games are also keeping price tags low (at least, lower than big companies would like).

And let's be clear: Low-cost games aren't the ones sitting in the Wii rack at your local retailer. Even a Wii game needs to sell at least one million units to be profitable, by Reggie Fils-Aime's estimates. (And Only 16 out of 486 Wii games have crossed that threshold as of March 1, by NPD estimates.) So who's gobbling up all the pie? Well, just about anyone. Have you searched "free games" in the Apple App Store lately -- or just googled it? To counter the proliferation of consumer gaming options, companies are bringing down production and marketing costs (laying off, outsourcing, recycling IP, etc.) and tapping additional revenue streams (e.g., subscriptions, in-game ads, and DLC).

So what's our professional takeaway? Here, we'll give it to you for free: We see big-budget sequels (made in Egypt) and many, many casual games (made by Joe the Developer) in your future.

[Via Eurogamer; image credit: hyperscholar]

GDC09: Spring release for MotionPlus still possible

by JC Fletcher { Mar 27th 2009 at 10:00AM }

With all of the amazing stuff that Nintendo did show at GDC, we briefly forgot about what it didn't show: Wii Sports Resort and the MotionPlus device, both of which we'd expect to hear something about if they were still planned for "spring."

MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo asked Reggie Fils-Aime about the missing game and peripheral, and Reggie suggested they could still make a spring release. "We haven't announced the full spring line-up ... And it feels like winter in Seattle right now."

Reggie also mentioned that Wii Sports Resort's controls had been improved beyond the previous demo. "The level of full motion capability is far in excess of what we showed at E3."

Gallery: Wii Sports Resort

Top 5: Say What?

by Kaes Delgrego { Nov 24th 2008 at 11:00AM }

Ahh, the quote. Whether used to end an essay or defame a political opponent, the quote is a very versatile tool. Particularly in the era of blogging, every word that escapes a well-known figure's mouth has the potential to be immediately flung back at them. It's quite scary to look back on conversations I've had and consider the possibility of quotes of mine being used to define my character as a whole.

In fact, judgement of character based on a quote can even usurp the validity of the quote itself. Conventional wisdom asserts that singer Lauryn Hill once made a statement to the effect of "I'd rather have my children starve than have a white person buy my album." While this is simply not true, the false statement has been cited by those who would define Hill as a racist. Even Eminem supported the fallacy in a song whose title I won't mention.

Being over a century old, Nintendo is bound to have a few interesting quotes attributed to them. Coupled with a philosophy that is undoubtedly unique and perhaps offbeat, the Big N is not lacking in the department of ear-catching statements. Two weeks ago, I made a Top 5 in which I tried to downplay any tension between Nintendo and its fans. This week, I'm providing cheap ammunition. Enjoy.

NEXT >>

The Top 5 is a weekly feature that provides us with a forum to share our opinions on various aspects of the video game culture, and provides you with a forum to tell us how wrong we are. To further voice your opinions, submit a vote in the Wii Fanboy Poll, and take part in the daily discussions of Wii Warm Up.

Nintendo planning greater community features

by David Hinkle { Nov 19th 2008 at 1:45PM }

It's not to say that the company hasn't been mindful of community features in the past. They've launched the Check Mii Out Channel, as well as the Everybody Votes Channel. Sure, they were flops, but it's good to know that Nintendo is at least trying. And Reggie wants us to know that Nintendo has some things coming down the pipe.

"Nintendo has always had a vision on community," he said. "The issue is that we define community differently than our competitors. ... Our consumers do want a sense of community, and we're going to deliver that--but in a way that is unique to Nintendo." Thanks for being so vague, Reg!

Regardless, it's good to know Nintendo is thinking about it. Stacked up against Xbox Live and, even worse, PSN, the Wii is lacking in some very necessary community features. Why don't you all take a guess? What do you think Nintendo has up its sleeve? Personally, we'd appreciate Virtual Console and WiiWare demos and maybe more online multiplayer.

Gallery: Wii and friends: A Great Match

[Via GameDaily; thanks, Mr Khan!]

Reggie: Third-parties don't 'get' Wii [update]

by Chris Greenhough { Nov 18th 2008 at 7:15PM }

The third-parties-on-Wii debate has raged for longer than we care to remember. In fact, we now counter accusations that the console lacks great third-party titles with the same, well-rehearsed response: "de Blob Zack & Wiki Resident Evil 4 World of Goo The Conduit No More Heroes Little King's Story Blast Works LostWinds Guitar Hero World Tour Okami Boom Blox Let's Tap Geometry Wars Muramasa Mega Man 9 Trauma Center." It's a bit lacking in coherency and punctuation, but people usually edge away when we shout it in their faces.

Nintendo bossman Reggie Fils-Aime (who is earning a reputation for frankness) is the latest industry figure to question the Wii's third-party output, suggesting that third-parties don't yet understand the platform. He reckons people who purchase Wiis are interested in games that sell strongly on other systems, but that the quality is missing. "I will be able to say our licensees 'get it' when their very best content is on our platform," he told Forbes. "And with very few exceptions today, that's not the case."

[Update: typo]

[Via Nintendo Everything]

Despite economy, gaming execs 'cautiously optimistic' about holiday sales

by David Hinkle { Nov 14th 2008 at 6:05PM }

The gift of gaming may prove to be stronger than the current economic woes that plague the United States. Gaming executives spoke during the recent BMO Capital Markets conference, with even Nintendo's own Reggie Fils-Aime tossing his two cents into the mix, with each stating that they were generally optimistic about this holiday season.

"If I look at this from an industry perspective I think cautiously optimistic is quite appropriate," Fils-Aime told Reuters. "If I look at it from a Nintendo perspective, I would say very optimistic." With Wii Fit, as well as the popularity of the Wii itself, we'd say Nintendo has nothing to worry about. But, with the way things are, third-party publishers could have a tough time selling their Wii titles this holiday.

What do you all think?

Got questions for Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime?

by Christopher Grant { Nov 12th 2008 at 11:44PM }

Our buds at GameDaily BIZ are looking for a few good questions to ask Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime. Want to know why Nintendo has "omg forsaken the hardcore gamerz"? Leave a comment. Still wondering about that storage solution or Wii Motion Plus? Leave a comment. Everyone else: Do your part by voting up the good comments and voting down the bad ones.

Say what you think: Reggie lays into Disaster: Day of Crisis

by Chris Greenhough { Oct 30th 2008 at 8:15PM }

If you thought our 7/10 review for Disaster: Day of Crisis was harsh, you should hear what Reggie Fils-Aime -- yeah, that Reggie Fils-Aime -- thinks about it. Twenty-five minutes into IGN's latest Nintendo Voice Chat podcast, Matt Casamassina revealed how Reggie "doesn't think Disaster is a $50 game," and regards the audio as "laughable." Burrrrn.

We have to confess we're slightly dumbfounded to hear Reggie delivering such a hefty haymaker to one of his company's own games ... while speaking on the record, as well. We suppose it's, uh, refreshingly honest?