Pokemon Company CEO Thought the Switch Wouldn't be a Success, Admits He Was Wrong - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 06 September 2017 / 4,287 Views
The CEO of The Pokemon Company Tsunekazu Ishihara originally thought the Nintendo Switch, however, he now admits he was wrong.
"I told Nintendo that Switch wouldn’t be a success before it went on sale because I thought that in the age of the smartphone no one would carry around a game console," Ishihara told Bloomberg video interview.
"It’s obvious I was wrong. I came to realize the key to a successful game is quite simple: software with absolute quality leads sales of hardware. Playing style can be flexible if the software is attractive enough."
"Currently, it’s popular among the early adopters and there needs to be one more step to attract a wider audience," he added. "I see more potential in Switch, but one shouldn’t overestimate its potential."
He now sees the Switch as a chance to vreate a deeper experience in the Pokemon universe.
"We see [the Switch] as a chance to create Pokémon that goes deeper and with a higher level of expression. As a result, that makes it an extremely important platform," he said.
:Right now we’re using 7 to 8 inch screens, but on a high-definition TV you can express a whole different world with graphics and sound. Until now, games were made as one for one person, but now you can go home and play with everyone — so how do we tackle these themes, and how do we make sure it’s not complicated?
"Unlike smartphones, the Switch is not a game device that assumes that there’s constant network connectivity. So from our perspective, it’s really not that different from DS or 3DS in terms of connectivity."
Thanks VG24/7.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel dedicated to gaming Let's Plays and tutorials. You can contact the author at wdangelo@vgchartz.com or on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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Well it's also a console. So it's gonna be bought even by people who will never use it in handheld mode.
It's both Nintendo's new handheld AND their first console in ten years that certain parts of their fanbase have felt confident about buying. Of course it was going to have a certain amount of momentum.
But as he says, we will see if demand stays strong.
Hmmm so I guess we might not see a Pokémon on Switch for a while. Disappointing, but at least by the time the game is ready the supply issues should be better.
I'm just excited to be able to play a main Pokemon on a home console.
At last a First Party developer that is not biased, I just read truths.
At last a First Party developer that is not biased, I just read truths.
I, on the other hand, originally thought the Nintendo Switch. So, there's that.
