So the Internet has been buzzing lately about the new President of Nintendo replacing the late Satoru Iwata (I’m sure plenty of you have already read this online somewhere, so I don’t think I need to add any links). I know there were people expecting Shigeru Miyamoto to take over seeing as how he’s a major face of the company, but he’s a busy man! Running a company might be too much!

So now that Tatsumi Kimishima is taking on the position as Nintendo’s President, naturally information about the guy is surfacing on the Internet (I’m sure his address will be available soon too… Please stay tuned.). There was an article I read earlier that stated how in an interview Kimishima was apparently against the creation of the Wii U, claiming that it would be a failure, and it got me thinking that this guy might be the best person for the job.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the Wii U and everything about it (aside from the fact that it never had a built in internet port…). I’ve even playing Super Mario Maker (and crushing it!) and am practically unable to put it down.

Let’s not forget Star Fox Zero! Needless to say, I’ll be in my hermit cave of a game room for a while stewing in my own filth. With how life can be essentially lived from behind a computer screen, I can just order food from my laptop or phone, so who needs to leave?

Anyways, rant aside, it’s really nice to hear someone with a strong common sense about Nintendo’s business development is going to be at the helm of Nintendo. While I’m biased towards everything Nintendo, I do understand that the Wii U was a huge commercial failure. It has plenty of hardware and software limitations, the library is only now starting to get good despite the new system slowly approaching, and overall it’s not a worthwhile investment compared to the competition, or even Nintendo’s handheld product. Kimishima definitely hit the nail on the head, and that’s important to see. While video games are definitely about providing people with entertainment (and the Wii U has definitely done that for me) it’s also a business that needs to function properly in order to succeed.

When I was growing up (because let’s face it, I’m 26 and I’m only growing downwards now), Nintendo was one of the biggest competitors going up against Sony and Sega! (Alright, Sega is dead now, so that might not be a good analogy…) But even so, Nintendo used to make big waves before the Gamecube came into existence, and it was a force to be reckoned with. Nowadays, Nintendo isn’t necessarily known for their strong games so much as party-style fun kid titles and maybe it’s time to change that.

One of the big things Nintendo did right, that other companies haven’t really accomplished, was creating strong icons that they specifically own. Sure Microsoft has Halo and Master Chief and Sony has Sackboy/anything Naughty Dog produces, but none of these icons are as well known as Nintendo’s. And I’m pretty sure unless you’ve been living in a cave without any human contact for the last 30 years or so, you know who Super Mario and Link are. So with powerful icons at their disposal, Nintendo has an advantage they’ve only begun to tap into.

Let’s not forget that Nintendo paved the way for video games! Mario 64 was one of the first titles that dived into 3D world on the Nintendo 64! While there are certainly other titles that have a place in the video game hall of fame, nothing has truly come close to what Nintendo has accomplished with our favorite Italian-Japanese hybrid plumber and several other legendary titles.

So I’m hoping that Kimishima will be a strong force that can help Nintendo hop back to the top where it belongs! While fans and players don’t necessarily see the business aspect, it does reflect the overall stability of the company, so I have a feeling Kimishima will be just the person Nintendo needs right now. No offense to the lovely Iwata-san! Please know you’ll always have a special place in our hearts. Only time will tell where Nintendo will go in the future, but I think things look promising!

Besides, my character on Final Fantasy XI was also named Kimishima. So I can’t help but be happy about that!

Any thoughts on Tatsumi Kimishima’s new role? Still think Miyamoto should be at the helm? Maybe neither? Feel free to leave a comment and thanks for reading!