LogInHe also talked about the previous president Hiroshi Yamauchi, Wii, and more.
An old interview with Nintendo's former president Satoru Iwata has been published online recently, somehow lost 20 years ago. There, he talks about the then-upcoming Nintendo DS and its competitor Sony PSP, Wii (Revolution at the time), Hiroshi Yamauchi, and Shigeru Miyamoto.
When asked about the PSP, he said the handheld would actually be competing with both DS and Game Boy as the new Nintendo console was not supposed to replace the old one.
"With the DS, we are not replacing the Game Boy Advance. Instead, we are expanding the Game Boy market with the DS. So by the time the PSP is probably released worldwide, the total [GBA] install base will be around 60 million units. They will need to show superiority against both the existing 60 million GBA units and the DS, which offers new ways to play. I think that will be a tough challenge."
The DS was not the only device to look forward to then. Iwata mentioned the Revolution, known as Wii now. While he couldn't reveal too much, he said Nintendo wanted to make hardware that would surprise people. He also threw shade at Sony's and Microsoft's console ideas.
Image credit: Paul Cooper/Rex Shutterstock
"I don't think the next-generation consoles that Sony and Microsoft are considering have a future. If I thought so, we would be doing the same thing, right?"
Aside from innovations, Iwata talked about Nintendo's previous president and chairman at the time, Hiroshi Yamauchi, saying he was still involved in important decisions and that he was the one to introduce the idea of two screens for the DS.
"I have heard a lot from him in the past about his philosophy on how the gaming industry should change, and I intend to inherit that philosophy as it is if it’s good. He himself said we need to change with the times, and I also intend to inherit that. In that sense, I don’t think we should just do exactly what he has said in the past, but I definitely think the essence of his ideas will continue to be applicable in the future."
Shigeru Miyamoto, a game designer, producer, and game director, was also mentioned in the interview. Iwata said that Miyamoto was put to focus on game development with the internal teams in order to "make the most of [his] strengths."
"It's not about dividing teams based on whether it's for the DS, the GameCube, or the Game Boy Advance. Miyamoto will concentrate on creating games himself within the company. For everything else, we will create a separate team to handle it."
Satoru Iwata spent 13 years as Nintendo's president before passing away in 2015. If you want to see some previously unreleased footage of him, check out the full interview here. Also, join our 80 Level Talent platform and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.