A remastered version of a 2004 interview with Nintendo’s former President Satoru Iwata has been uploaded, providing a glimpse into his profound insights on the gaming industry. The video, originally posted in low resolution, has been remastered and now offers crystal-clear 1440p at 60 frames per second.
Iwata’s remarks on the state of the gaming industry at the time have taken on a prophetic significance in 2024, with his predictions about the console market largely coming true. He emphasized Nintendo’s focus on innovation as its strength, differentiating it from competitors like PlayStation and Xbox.
“I don’t think the next-generation consoles that Sony and Microsoft are considering have a future. If I thought so, we would be doing the same thing, right?” Iwata said, according to subtitles on the video.
“Even if I had a machine with 10 times the processing power and 20 times the graphics, the work would be harder, and I don’t think it’s that easy to make customers clearly recognize the difference.”
“When other companies release products that are improvements on existing ones, the question is whether Nintendo can release something that can be called revolutionary. In this way, our goal is for our challenge to bear fruit, and I believe that is what we should be doing.”
Iwata didn’t have much to say about the Wii, which was still in development at the time, but he noted:
“Just as Nintendo surprised people with the DS, if we were to create new hardware after the GameCube, I believe there’s no point in making it unless it’s something that will surprise people. That’s all I can say today.”
The success of the Nintendo Switch, which has sold over 140 million units as of February 2024 despite being released in 2017, is a testament to Nintendo’s commitment to innovation. While Microsoft and Sony remain active in the console market, they are also focusing on cloud gaming and PC gaming, respectively.
The interview also features previously unreleased footage, including a section where Iwata misunderstands a question and talks more about his predecessor, Hiroshi Yamauchi, instead of Shigeru Miyamoto. While Iwata mentioned Yamauchi in the original interview, he goes into more detail about how the former head of Nintendo inspired him.
“I have heard a lot from him in the past about his philosophy on how the gaming industry should change, and I intend to inherit that philosophy as it is, if it’s good,” Iwata said.
“And he himself said that we need to change with the times, and I also intend to inherit that.”
Iwata died in 2015 due to complications from a tumor at the age of 55. He had been the president of Nintendo from 2002 until his death. His legacy continues to inspire Nintendo’s innovative approach to gaming.
