Nintendo Switch: Q&A with Tatsumi Kimishima

Following yesterday’s article, Bloomberg finally published their fully interview with Tatsumi Kimishima. It covers several topics, but for the most part, it focuses on the Nintendo Switch. You will find some of the highlights below, but you can check out the full interview for yourself by clicking here!

Kimishima’s first year in charge

He explained that three years, Satoru Iwata, Genyo Takeda (technology fellow) and Shigeru Miyamoto (creative fellow) elaborated a plan to revitalise the company’s businesses. Therefore, during his first year, what Kimishima asked himself was “How do I execute these projects?”.

Why combine home and handheld gaming?

They chose to do so because they did not just want a successor to the Wii U or the Nintendo 3DS. To create the Nintendo Switch, they asked themselves: “What kind of new experience can we create?”.

Nintendo 3DS to be discontinued?

Short story: no.

Long story: Kimishima believes that this business still has momentum, and that the Nintendo 3DS will not be cannibalised by the Nintendo Switch. In other words: the Nintendo 3DS will keep on going on its own.

Is the Nintendo Switch part of a bigger hardware plan?

Tatsumi Kimishima explained that the preview trailer show nothing but a “conceptual image”, how the Nintendo Switch is different from the Wii U. Nintendo will talk about the other aspects of the console from January onwards.

What about Software?

For Tatsumi Kimishima, what’s important for Nintendo is how hardware works with software. And that’s something Nintendo will not show before next year.

How and where to play the Nintendo Switch

The preview trailer showed various possible scenarios. You can play on your own at home, bring the console with you to play with friends, but there’s more. According to Tatsumi Kimishima, some games will allow you to go even beyond that.

Target audience

Nintendo has no intention to go only after a certain audience. Naturally, some games will appeal to certain audiences (like family/kids), but the reason Nintendo showed the games they did in the preview trailer for a good reason. It’s because the target audience for those were people who were the most likely to understand the core concept of the Nintendo Switch.

For families and kids, Nintendo wants to let them try the console for themselves.

Preview trailer for hardcore gamers?

Yes, as those were the most likely to immediately understand the core concept. That being said, Nintendo’s core philosophy remains unchanged: increase the number of gamers of all ages.

Hardware specs

Nintendo will talk about the hardware specs and other details in January.

What about Virtual Reality?

Miyamoto has talked about this several times. It’s not that we’re uninterested. In fact, we have a lot of interest. VR offers the experience of playing in a new way. But that depends on the software and how you use it to play. Especially when it comes to games. And beyond games, it also applies to other non-game things, so it is something to look forward to.

Where do smartphones and Switch fit into the Nintendo ecosystem?

There’s the Nintendo Switch, and surrounding it, the smartphone business, theme parks, movies, and more. Right now, we’re at the very start, and according to Kimishima, we will see more connections in the future.

Expectations for the Nintendo Switch

In terms of how many units will sell, we’re looking at past examples where competitors, and our own Wii, had a lot of momentum, and that means the first year after it goes on sale will be extremely important.

The Nintendo Switch will be released in March, worldwide.