While fans all over the world are rejoicing over so much information about the long-awaited Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (which we covered in extensive detail), some people aren’t so happy about Nintendo’s latest E3 Direct. Right after the presentation was over, the company saw a drop of over six percent in their share value.
Analysts expressed concern over the lack of new and exciting content shown, and fear that executives may have front-loaded all the big announcements into the Nintendo Switch’s first year, leaving the company with no new great surprises and games for the next months.
This reaction surprised the President of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aimé, who, in a recent interview with Bloomberg, struck back at the analysts’ lack of faith at the company’s ability to surprise. “As you look at Nintendo over these many years, if you look at the number of analysts who have actually gotten it right, it’s fairly small,” Reggie stated. “We as a company, we hold things close to the vest. We love to surprise the overall community and environment, and when we surprise, we surprise big.”
“We love to surprise the overall community and environment, and when we surprise, we surprise big.”
Nintendo has proved their ability to surprise fans many times over the years and Reggie’s response does match the company’s trend of waiting until the last minute to announce a new game. He goes on to say that pacing is their secret recipe to victory. “When we approach an event like E3, we show content that will launch over the next six-to-nine months, and no more. It’s the pacing of news, the pacing of launches that will drive the business forward.”
Reggie’s last words on the matter attempt to reassure everyone that Nintendo does know what they are doing. “So what I say is, don’t worry, we’re driving the business forward, we’re driving engagement on the platform, and that’s what’s most important.”
We as fans have no way of knowing what Nintendo is really up to, but the company has proved time and again that they are worthy of our trust. As more and more games — both AAA and indie — make their way to the Nintendo Switch, it’s hard to imagine a future that’s not bright for the platform. At the end of the day, only time will tell.
