Reggie Fils-Aimé says the success of the Nintendo Switch made it “easy” for him to retire

Reggie Fils-Aimé says the success of the Nintendo Switch made it “easy” for him to retire

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Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé said he knew instinctively that the Nintendo Switch would be a success and that his confidence in the hybrid console made it easier for him to retire. In a broad interview with Danny Peña of Gamertag Radio, which you can hear in the tweet below, Fils-Aimé explained why he intuitively knew that the Switch would capture the hearts and minds of players around the world. It was that feeling, said Fils-Aimé, that allowed him to end his 16-year career at Nintendo, which he had been thinking seriously since the death of Satoru Iwata in 2015.

“It’s not a surprise,” said Fils-Aimé. “And frankly, knowing that I was going to succeed was what helped facilitate my decision to retire, because I knew the company would be in great shape for at least a few years.”

Nintendo recently revealed that the Switch has surpassed the lifetime sales of its 3DS handheld device, with 79.87 million units sold worldwide. Discussing why he thought the Nintendo Switch was so popular with gamers, Fils-Aimé explained that the hybrid system “fulfilled a fundamental consumer desire” that game companies have been trying to break for years.

“The system was resolving a major player complaint,” said Fils-Aimé. “And that complaint is, ‘I’m having fun, I’m playing my game and now I need to stop because I have to go to work or school and I can’t take my game with me. I can’t keep playing that game.’ So, the Switch , with the opportunity to play on that big screen TV, take it out of the dock and play in portable mode, fulfilled a fundamental consumer desire.Elaborating why he thought the Nintendo Switch would be such a special console, Fils-Aimé described the moment when he was presented with a prototype by the late Iwata-san and compared the experience to two other Nintendo projects that made him excited. the future of the company.

“The first time I saw the Nintendo DS, the hair on the back of my neck stood up,” he said. “The team was demonstrating an initial prototype of what would become the Nintendogs. I immediately realized the potential. The first time I picked up a Wii Remote and played a rudimentary experience that would become the Wii Sports, I knew it would be magical. I sat down with Mr. Iwata and held a switch prototype and we talked about the concept, I knew it would be magical. “

Fils-Aimé retired as president of Nintendo of America in 2019 and left a transformative legacy for the company. We spoke to him before receiving the Andrew Yoon Legend award from the New York Game Awards about a career that makes people smile.

In other Nintendo news, a new 50-minute Direct presentation has been announced for February 17, which will focus on upcoming and upcoming titles.

Tom Power is a UK based freelance writer. Follow him on Twitter.

Thumbnail credit: Neilson Barnard / Getty Images

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