Development legend and current Nintendo senior MD Shigeru Miyamoto has said that finding a new, big-hitting IP is the “solution” to Nintendo’s current financial troubles. Earlier this month Nintendo scrapped its profit forecasts, saying it now expected to post a loss for the current financial year.
So perhaps it’s no surprise that Miyamoto, the driving force behind Nintendo’s success, believes that the company must invest and develop its way back into profit.
“Developing big hit titles must be the solution,” he told investors.
“I am acting with the understanding that one big hit title can change multiple phases of a situation in the entertainment business, and I feel that finding such one big hit is my basic job.”
There’s no disputing Miyamoto’s heritage, of course. As the creator of IPs such as Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong and Wii Fit he stands as perhaps the greatest creative mind gaming has ever seen.
Recent output, however, has been less successful. The last two games on which Miyamoto was credited as designer – Wii Music and Steel Diver – were critical and commercial flops.