Nintendo can be about more than video games, says Iwata

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata elucidates the genesis of his "quality of life" rhetoric in an interview with Japanese business reporting website Diamond. Iwata surprised many when, in the course of January's Nintendo shareholders meeting, he promised that Nintendo would strive to become a platform business that aims to "improve people's quality of life" in the next ten years. Today, Siliconera published translated excerpts of an interview that Japanese economic reporting outlet Diamond conducted with Iwata in which he takes pains to explain how Nintendo's new direction really isn't so novel. To hear Iwata tell it, Nintendo -- which also created hanafuda cards, novelty toys, and a TV network before getting into video games -- is an entertainment company focused on "improving people's quality of life with fun," rather than on a specific medium. "Surely, a lot of people around the world must think ‘Nintendo is a company that is just for video games,’ about us, and I believe that there are more and more of our own employees who’ve begun to think like that," Iwata reportedly told Diamond. "I finally figured that ‘improving people’s quality of life with fun,’ with emphasis to the ‘fun’ would be perfect for Nintendo. And that’s when I decided to use this as a focus." You can read further translated excerpts of the interview, including Iwata's thoughts on the directives of former Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi, on Siliconera.