In case you missed it, Iwata presented a managerial briefing this morning. Below is the topline summary as supplied by Nintendo UK. Following the summary is a link to the entire speech for you to read in full, and share your comments on.
“We can confirm that on Jan. 30 in Japan, Mr. Iwata made several announcements at Nintendo’s Corporate Management Policy Briefing regarding the short- and long-term plans for the company. Some of the topics covered in Mr. Iwata’s presentation include:
Plans to drive momentum for Wii U, which includes launching Mario Kart 8 globally in May and releasing new software titles and services in 2014 that use the unique strengths of the Wii U GamePad.The global installed base for Nintendo 3DS has now exceeded 42.7 million units, and the company is well-positioned to drive strong profits from that business moving forward.While Nintendo does not have plans to port existing games from its library to smart devices, it will begin using smart devices in the near future to form stronger ties with its consumers and communicate the value of its entertainment offerings. This includes launching a dedicated smart-device service by the end of this year and considering if services previously implemented on Nintendo platforms could offer greater consumer benefit if moved to smart devices.Plans to expand Nintendo’s global character licensing business, including proactively finding appropriate partners and looking for new ways to expose global consumers to Nintendo characters. This approach will give consumers an opportunity to experience Nintendo outside the realm of video games.In the next few years, Nintendo will establish a new platform business that is independent of our existing video game platforms. This new venture concerns “quality of life,” and will focus first on health. This will leverage Nintendo’s history of creating engaging, nontraditional entertainment experiences such as Brain Training and Wii Fit. More details will be revealed in 2014, with the new venture scheduled to launch during the fiscal year ending in March 2016 (April 1, 2015 – March 31, 2016).”
A full transcript of Mr. Iwata’s presentation can be accessed here: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/140130/index.html
