James Delahunty
17 Feb 2007 16:35
Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of the infamous Mario, has warned that Nintendo is paying far too much attention to what the company's rivals are doing. He said that Nintendo needs to focus more on its own offerings and unique strengths. "I do think we are too conscious of competition. There are many companies today that can be compared to Nintendo, but I think that Nintendo should be unique and become a company that can not be compared with the other corporations." he told CNN.
He continued: "Our former president himself has said, 'Do not try to compete with the others, try to be the only one, set yourself apart from others.' We are able to spend as much budget as needed for the challenge of creating something that makes us "the only one. That is why Nintendo puts as much money as possible into such projects and big challenges. Our company thinks that there is never a big enough budget for such challenges"
He referred to the Wii console and the DS handheld console as examples of how Nintendo's innovation can set it aside from competitors. "A new market will open up when you introduce something that people have not expected. I feel strongly that we can have a chance in taking the lead in that market. Nintendo, historically, is a company that takes risks," he said.
Nintendo expects to have sold over 6 million Wii consoles and 23 million DS consoles by the end of its financial year. "I don't think there is a company equivalent that has the know-how or skills with the technology behind the games, or has the history and experience in the entertainment industry, and or has such abundant and motivated staff." he said. "I believe that with our people, we are able to make games that can be accepted by the public for a long time. And as long as we maintain that edge, we will always have an advantage over other companies."
Sources:
GamesIndustry.biz
Full CNN Interview