Nintendo Exec Predicts Wii Future, Chances Of 'GoldenEye' On Console

Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America president, is a man on a mission. His mission is to sell the red-hot Nintendo Wii and make sure people who have them love them.

"Are we feeling good about our success? Do we think we can have more success in the future? Absolutely," he said during a stuffed 40-minute interview with MTV News in a hotel just south of Central Park. "I do think that highlights a difference between us and our competitors: We're not arrogant. We don't view success as a right. We feel we need to earn success every day. And we're going to do that by being true to the gamer."

In the same hotel 51 weeks ago, Fils-Aime gave MTV News an early handle on the Nintendo Wii controller (see "First Look: Nintendo Revolution Controller Feels Smooth As Puppet Strings"). Now he's ready to talk about any Wii topic under the sun - to a point.

"We're looking at this as about eight days into the mission," he said, opening with a report of the company's recent success. Nintendo has sold 600,000 Wiis in North America and nearly half as many extra Wii controllers, Fils-Aime said (see "Wii Unmasked: Nintendo Reveals Price, Launch Date, Lineup Of Games"). The company has also sold more than 450,000 copies of "The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess." He said "Red Steel," "Rayman Raving Rabbids" and "Madden" all have sold well, as has the surgery game "Trauma Center: Second Opinion."

He offered a preview of the Wii's winter lineup. In addition to support from third-party game developers, Nintendo will publish three more titles for the Wii by the end of March: "WarioWare: Smooth Moves," "Wii Play" and "Mario Party 8." The first two will be released in January, the latter in March. All are compilations of shorter games...

[THWIP]

...he sounds more and more like a little b*tch.

"I do think that highlights a difference between us and our competitors: We're not arrogant. We don't view success as a right. We feel we need to earn success every day. And we're going to do that by being true to the gamer."

Seriously...where does he come up with this bullsh*t? Reggie, you may be too ignorant to realize this, but just MAKING such a blanket statement, makes you appear arrogant. Nintendo isn't doing ANYTHING to be "true to the gamer".
Charging $250 for a rehashed 5 y.o. piece of hardware and a gimmicky controller isn't doing ANYBODY any favors...except you, who profits from it. Get off your damned highhorse, and stop trying to be the next Ken Kutaragi; we don't need another pompous jackass in the gaming world.

[Alymon]

Another useless comment.... Maybe you find it "gimmicky"... and my guess is, you don't own the system and if you've played it, it wasn't for long.

The system/controller is far from gimmicky. It is alot of fun. Maybe it's not up to par graphic-wise as some would like, but that doesn't make it trash.

Consider this..... The Wii is selling out. Its not because its a gimmicky system or a pile of trash. It's because it appeals to a broader range of person.

If anyone is acting pompous it is you. You may not like the controls for the Wii, but there are roughly 450,000 people who do.

[THWIP]

I'm sorry if I stepped on your little Nintentoes, son. But, the fact is, Nintendo, like Sony, sells big #s on name alone. MS has the most to prove, because they've only been in this market for 6 years, compared to Nintendo's 40+....and with 7.5 million 360s sold, and counting, it looks like they're succeeding. The Wii is hot item now, but once 3rd-party dev support drops off (and it will), it will become another GC. Perhaps if Nintendo invests some of it's lofty profits in a REAL console, next time around, the Wii-mote can be used to greater effect. But, for now, it is simply more of an experiment...and one which Nintendo wasn't willing to spend a lot of $$ on.

[Alymon]

You don't think all 3 companies are using their name to sell their product? Come on, get real.... MS utilizes their dominance in the PC industry every chance they get. Everything they do screams buy me because I'm microsoft. Granted they haven't been in the console industry long, but its not a far jump from computer to console.

Nintendo may not have invested as much money into the Wii as MS or Sony have done, but that doesn't necessarily make their product crap, nor does it mean they will lose 3rd party support. While the Wii may not be that much more powerful than the GC, it is doing something that neither competitor is matching and it is expanding the game community to include non-traditional gamers. That's a bold step to take, experiment or not. Yea the Wii is the hot item right now. Hot item equals greater customer base. Greater customer base equals greater room for sales. Greater room for sales equals greater profit.

Lose 3rd party support? I think not. Considering the Wii is cheapest to develop for and is selling extremely well and building a large consumer base, the dollar signs will light up in the eyes of the publishers. The PS2 had such great 3rd party support because of the large number of people owning the system. The Wii stands to take the same type of position.

No company is "For the gamer". They are all "For the profit". You can call it an experiment, or gimmicky, but the fact is, it is fun and it is selling.

[2tired2day2hate]

yeah that is pretty stupid. this coming from a company who dominated then decided to make things harder for developers and suddenly saw them merge with other systems, sound familiar? ms is the only one truely giving gamers what they want right now but i'm sure its costing them a sh*tload. nintendo always tries to make low budget games and sell them for as much as the high priced games and then have the nerve to say they are humble.

[PS360WII]

Finally after all these years of not they listen. MS is listening for now because they need support, once they get it you can expect them to go the way of Nintendo and Sony. You get to big you stop listening. Nintendo isn't that big anymore so they want to please costumers again and they have with the release of the wonderful thing call the Wii and that handheld everyone called a lowend gimick but can't stand still on the retailer shelves the Nintendo DS. Give me a break you two Wii is everything they promissed and more. And (<-- yes I started a sentece with and!) furthermore it can only get better for Nintenod is all about the gamer nothing but no movies or bull that you already own two of. They want you to play games and the best ones at that

[THWIP]

The thing is, Nintendo has created this false sense of security in it's fans, and blinded them to the truth. They say things like "we're not like out competitors, because they in this to make a profit" and "we're not arrogant, like our competitors...we're being true to the gamers". Yet, if you really look at the facts,
Nintendo has profited more than Sony and MS COMBINED over the past few years.
They have done so by constantly rehashing old technology, but adding a new control scheme, making it smaller, changing the color, etc. Sure, Nintendo fans lap it up like little puppies...but that doesn't make Nintendo any less guilty.

Plain and simple, there's NO REASON for the Wii to be $250, and NO REASON for it's software to be priced the same as PS3/360 games....other than Nintendo's greed, and the gullibility of their fans. The Wii is just a GC, in smaller case, with a new control gimmick (which isn't even standard across all games). It SHOULD have retailed for $150-$200, and games at $40-$50 (instead of $50-$60).

[andy capps]

THWIP- I don't agree with you that much but on your two posts on here I completely agree. It's a rehashed Gamecube with minor upgrade in processor speed, GPU, and a new controller. It's just Nintendo milking the cashcow at this point, like they usually do with their Gameboy Advance, Gameboy Advance SP, Gameboy Micro, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DS Lite, etc... They know how to milk something for all it's worth. Now that the third party games are out of the way for the Nintendo launch, everyone can get ready for another 50 iterations of Mario, Yoshi, Pokemon, Wario, etc.... And all of them will be huge sellers with families, because that's still what Nintendo is going for. We'll see how much they care about real gamers in a couple years to see how their third party support is. As of now, with the Gamecube, it's almost none, at least as far as good, original IP's.

[PS360WII]

Wii games are 50 dollars none of them go to 60. Don't know where you get your facts but you may want to check them out again. Plus yesterday I bought a cool fishing game for the Wii and it cost 40 dollars at Best Buy.

[THWIP]

...but I HAVE seen some Wii titles for $60. Perhaps it's just price-gouging, but I've seen it nonetheless.

[Alymon]

Every Wii game I've seen in the stores has been $49.99 or less (I know Rampage was $29.99)

I haven't seen any higher than that. And considering 360 titles are $59.99 and they are constantly pushing "limited" editions for $69.99 and up.... I don't think anyone has any place to complain about the software costs for the Wii.

The Wii may also be $250... maybe that is too high... but it does come with a game (something neither competitor has done). The game is one of the most fun games myself and my friends have played. Sure it's no graphical wonder, but it's awesome to hit a ball out of the park and actually feel like you swung for it, rather than pressing a button.

[Alymon]

Who are you to say the family or casual gamer is not a "real gamer"? What because it's not violent, or graphically amazing, or because someone doesn't play 50 hours a week they are worth the development community's time?

Get over yourself. So what if Nintendo focuses on families or children or less "hardcore" markets.... that doesn't make it not "for the gamer".

It is a very egocentric view on game development that you have if you believe that family gaming isn't "real" gaming.

[andy capps]

If I feel that Nintendo doesn't have the right games for me, that they have quirky, mass-audience friendly games then that's my opinion and I have a right to one as much as you do. Similarly, which is more of a gamer, one who plays Metal Gear Solid, Halo, Zelda, and Final Fantasy, or one that plays social games like Dance Dance Revolution, Wii Sports, Solitaire, Nintendogs, etc... Maybe when I say real gamers, I mean hardcore gamers and not casual gamers. Essentially, I consider almost everyone that Nintendo is trying to appeal to through their advertising and marketing as casual gamers. Hate me if you like, but there are many gamers out there that feel the same way. And that is exactly the reason why I feel that I'm being alienated by Nintendo as they're trying to dumb down games to appeal to mass-market audiences.

Put in an easier manner, what is better, pop music, or music that pushes the boundaries of creativity and originality while still challenging the listener?

[MicroGamer]

If Microsoft got Goldeneye as part of Rare's assets when they bought it, then it is doubtful they will let it be distributed on a competing platform. That is bad news for N64 fans who bought Wii for backwards compatibility because Rare was one of the few publishers who stuck with the 64 after everyone else left. Wouldn't it be a kick in the pants if MS made Rare's N64 titles available on Live??

[OutLaw]

Also let's not forget Banjo and Killer Instinct.

Rare was good to Nintendo and now MS has the chance to bring back those series.

[ScorpioKyle]

yeah, Goldeneye on Live arcade with online play would be sweet. It would be nice if nintendo on some of their virtual console games would include online for, but highly highly doubtful. Like the original smash bros and Mario Kart SNES and N64

[PS360WII]

Golden Eye on the Virtual Console would kick so much butt. It'll be tricky though seeing that Rare is tucked in MS shelves and Activition owns the bond rights soooooo we shall see

[eddie14]

that goldeneye owning tree chart is getting way to complex...this owns that while that owns this...like dogs ripping apart a piece of meat...i would hate to see goldeneye on Xbox...it wouldn't feel the same...plus i'll feel dirty, as if i'm cheating on something or someone secretly...I can't let that happen...damn Rare...put the games on the VC and make your quick buck already because I've got money and I got the Wii.

[THWIP]

Microsoft OWNS Rare...if anyone gets Goldeneye or Perfect Dark, it will be THEM.
That being said, since most of the original Rare team defected and made Free Radical, I'd say NEITHER game will see re-release. It's all too complicated, and would be a legal mess.

[PS360WII]

Yes MS owns Rare. But rare doesn't own the bond rights. Plus the game was released on a Nintendo console. Plus Activition owns the rights to bond. So no MS doesn't have the rights to just take Goldeneye and put it on Marketplace just cuz they own Rare. There is alot of legality for this game and Nintendo accually has the strongest hand on it if any of them do

[Alymon]

I don't think you'll ever see Goldeneye released to either system. I agree it would be too complicated of a mess.

The closest you are going to get is what they have going with Perfect Dark Zero.... re-releasing Goldeneye maps in the PDZ style. They released Facility and Temple(?) so far, and its likely they will do more.

[ImpossibleFFS]

In my country you'll get an XBOX360/PS3 game around 65 EUR, 85 USD or 44 GBP (up-to-date ratings of 600 SEK). First of all stop whining about the american prices and 2nd, Wii games you get at these prices as standard except Zelda and other huge exclusives(which is as an PS3 game): 54-57 EUR, 71-74 USD or 36-38 GBP (500-520 SEK).

as you see you get the majority of the games 10 USD cheaper but since this is Sweden it's some crazy prices everywhere but well well. Isn't it the same thing world-wide with the games for Wii being cheaper?
btw PS3 is today priceless since it isn't showing up until March and the Wii cost 355,90 USD (270,91 EUR/182,34 GBP).

As you see, everything is cheaper in the states when it comes down to gaming. But hey it's expensive to be one of the least poorest countries in the world if you look at the population and still got a strong position in the world. blah off-to topic and on to topic.

I buy Wii as a ex hardcore gamer who want to really test something new, like Sadness/Raid over the river. And now that I see the real potential of the DS I'll probably get one of those too. Viva la Wii!

[highps3]

I still can not get over how stupid the Wii is. Sorry just how I feel. I have played it, seen it, and other than Zelda (which is good) the console just screams 1 generation only.

Seriously will stop gaming if they make that controller standard on all consoles. Its dumb.

[Mr Pumblechook]

Nintendo sucks ass, Xbox 360 is kewl!

[BlankZero]

If I hear one more person say that Nintendo is not for hardcore gamers, I'm going to kill myself. From the American Heritage Dictionary:

"hardcore (adj.) - Intensely loyal; die-hard"

If you're implying that someone is not a die-hard, loyal fan of video games just because they prefer Zelda and Mario over Halo, Metal Gear Solid, or Final Fantasy, you are horribly mistaken.

I spend nearly all of my free time playing video games, and the console I currently play is the Wii. It's not a gimmick, and it's not JUST for party games. It's incredibly fun to play, and the controller is the most intuitive input device I have ever used for video games. It completely changes the playing experience into something far more involving than previous consoles allowed for.

I'm not slamming the 360 or PS3, because they are both great fun in their own right. But they are NOT "hardcore," with regards to gaming, any more than the Wii is.

The general population would say that a hardcore gamer is someone who plays video games for several hours a day. I'm sick of hearing gamers attempt to change that definition to apply only to people playing First-Person Shooters, Mature games, or whatever other nonsensical restrictions they want to place on the category to smugly defend their elitist view of gaming.

Unless, of course, all this time you people have actually been using WordNet's definition of hardcore:

"hardcore (adj.) - stubbornly resistant to change or improvement"

In which case, I'd have to agree that the Wii and its players aren't hardcore in the least.

[Odiah]

Nintendo need to lay some BIG bucks down. Worth it though in my opinion. If they did, would that open up oportunities for Banjo and Conker as well?

[Harry]

Honestly, if you guys really wanted 'hardcore' gaming you wouldnt buy any system as you would have a PC.

Quite frankly, as a fairly casual gamer I'm buying the Wii to put next to my PC, pick up, play when wanted.. none of this:

'OMG GEARS OF WAR HAS SH*T HOT GRAPHICS THERE FORE IT IS NEXT GEN' or... 'Mario is a kiddie game' (i.e I must constantly prove my maturity by playing FPS and adult rated games)