Iwata says Nintendo will prioritize core experiences over the mass market

CEO Satoru Iwata said that Nintendo is changing its tactics with the Wii U and 3DS. He admitted that while the Wii successfully appealed to casual gamers, that strategy harmed the company long-term because core gamers refused to take the console seriously.

"We could not adequately create the situation that such new consumers played games frequently or for long, consistent periods," he explained. "As a result, we could not sustain a good level of profit."

Nintendo chose not to populate the 3DS launch with casual games, instead focusing on bigger titles like Super Mario 3D Land and Kid Icarus: Uprising.

"With the Nintendo DS and the Wii, the approach of 'width' was well accepted by many people; however, what we did in terms of 'depth' was not satisfactory for some consumers," Iwata said. "This time, we would like consumers to be satisfied in both aspects."

Nintendo hopes to achieve that balance by working on the concept of "depth" first, building a more sustainable market with a greater number of gamers per household.

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[Eurogamer]