In the wake of E3, Nintendo executives have been answering a lot of questions about the Wii U. In a new interview with The Globe and Mail, everyone’s favourite CEO, Reggie Fils-Aime, clarified a great deal about the system, and about Nintendo’s business strategy going forward.
Of course, not everyone has a gigantic interest in a company’s finances. The most interesting part of the interview for the average consumer is probably the discussion on the Wii U’s online capabilities. Reggie reconfirmed that the Wii U will be account based, and that each system can contain multiple accounts. He also stated that each account will be linked to a personal Mii, which sounds a lot like the 3DS’s current (single) account system.
Up until the Wii U, the device held all of the account information. Whether you played or your kids played or your partner played, it was all one set of data to the Wii. The same was true for DS and 3DS.
With Wii U, we’re going to have an account system. This means you’re going to create a Mii, as will all the other members of your family, and the behaviour for each Mii is going to be captured in an account. For example, if you’ve achieved a certain level in a game, that information will be unique to your Mii. Parental settings will be specific to each Mii.
This is critically important, because it means things like messaging and achievements and other key online functionality is tailored to you.
The Regginator also clarified a statement made by his boss, Satoru Iwata, that multiple generations of hardware would be linked by the Nintendo Network, stating,
I think what he’s trying to communicate is that in addition to having this robust online experience, it’s almost like having a third platform. By third I mean you have your home console, your handheld, and now this key network platform.
This network will be applied on every future platform. Why is that important? Once I build a relationship with you through an account system, all of those behaviours and experiences are going to be there for you to go back to. If you buy a piece of digital content, it will be there for you, even in future systems.
Certainly, that should be a relief for those who fear losing their downloadable content because of Nintendo’s current system.
Here’s another little tidbit that might put gamers at ease after Nintendo’s panned E3 showing:
We’ll take all of the information coming from E3 and use it to make final decisions on launch date, launch price, configuration, launch day software, launch window software, and follow up-software. Because now we have the benefit of information.
The rest of the interview focuses on more financial aspects. Reginald reiterated Nintendo’s position; that the Wii U will have games for every type of gamer. He also assured that the Wii U isn’t being rushed to ease Nintendo’s financial woes, and that Nintendo is not concerned about the hypothetical power of the competition’s currently unannounced next-gen consoles.
The interview concludes with a discussion on “core” third party titles. Reggie admitted that the Wii was sorely lacking on this front, and that he hopes the Wii U can attract third parties by building a large install base.
You can view the entire interview by clicking the “SOURCE” link below.
