It’s been two weeks since we lost one of the industry’s titans. A legend who brought so many smiles and great memories to the community. Of course, I am speaking about Mr. Satoru Iwata. One way or another, if you’re a fan of video games, this man influenced your life in some way. With great respect and gratitude, I say thank you for all the fond memories and for never shaking your conviction of putting fun factor over everything else. My thoughts are with his friends, family, and loved ones. I say all this now because of the speculation over who will be the new CEO and President of Nintendo, which I will be touching on today. Paying my respect is pivotal.
Alongside that, today’s Gaming Daily features Call of Duty: Black Ops 3’s recently unveiled beta date, Pokkén Tournament making its U.S. debut at select Dave & Buster’s locations, Geralt going NSFW in a Wild Hunt parody, and a better look at Dragon Quest Builders.
Genyo Takeda is likely to become the next President of Nintendo, not Shigeru Miyamoto.
There has been a lot speculation about who’ll be the next man to take up the mantel as the President and CEO of Nintendo. Everyone assumed that Shigeru Miyamoto, the father of Mario and many more Nintendo household names, was the obvious choice. But according to several analysts, Nintendo may not agree with everyone’s assumption. Nick Parker of Parker Consulting had this to say:
“I am pretty sure that the candidate will come from within the business; the very essence of Nintendo games draws from decades of management recognising a market desire for mass market fun. The obvious two choices are Takeda-san or Miyamoto-san, the former a hardware technology company veteran, the latter, the king of Nintendo first party content. Although it would be a romantic dream to have the company lead by the father of Mario, I think Takeda-san has more corporate experience and really understands hardware; it was he who argued for a new interface for the Wii rather than just a faster Gamecube with better graphics”
He goes even further:
“We are on the cusp of a new generation of Nintendo hardware within three years, both console and handheld, and Nintendo needs Takeda-san’s experience. The alternative would be a relative unknown from within, from which there is a deep pool of loyal, long serving (25 years+) candidates. The next five years are crucial to Nintendo as it launches new hardware and explores digital opportunities, including mobile, for its mascot titles; therefore it needs somebody who understands the company culture, can respond to global consumer expectations, and manage an enviable balance sheet.”
Mike Schramm, manager of Qualitative Insights at EEDAR, chimed in as well, saying Takeda is on the same career trajectory as the late Satoru Iwata:
“Genyo Takeda, who helped Punch-Out and Startropics, was one of the main devs on the Wii, and has a similar trajectory in the company as Iwata (from programmer to manager to executive). Takeda is likely a lead candidate for the job.”
At this point, it’s nothing more than speculation, so it’s best to take that information with a grain of salt. It would be interesting to allow someone relatively unknown to step up to such a prominent role. Only the heads of Nintendo really know what is required of the job. As magical and fairytale-like as it would be to have Miyamoto become the President, he may not want the position or his skill set may be better suited for the current role he holds. Only time will tell where the Big N is going to go.
HT: GamesIndustry.biz, Nintendo Life
Call of Duty: Black Ops III’s Beta is coming soon.
Activision announced today that the beta for Call of Duty: Black Ops III will be coming exclusively to PS4 on August 19-23rd, as part of the deal between the publisher and Sony. Fans on other platforms need worry not: PC and Xbox One owners will be able to enjoy the beta on August 26-30th. How’s that for an exclusive time period? What is known at this point is sparse, though. All we know is that you will be able to try out the new “momentum” physics, along with feeling out some of the maps. Which maps or modes in particular will be available is yet to be seen. What I’d be interested in is to see whether the new exclusive deal with Sony will force hardcore players to move over to the PS4. Is the deal a big enough incentive to attract more players to the console? Say what you will, Call of Duty players are dedicated and are a huge part of the gaming world.
HT: Nerdist
Pokkén Tournament will appear at select Dave & Buster’s locations for a test run.
Currently only available in Japanese arcades, the Pokémon fighter made in the vein of Tekken by Namco, Pokkén Tournament, will be making its U.S. debut at select Dave & Buster’s locations for a test run. During a Reddit AMA session with Kevin Bachus, the SVP of entertainment and game strategy at D & B was asked whether they had a good relationship with Nintendo and Namco that could potentially lead to the game making it to the arcade section of the chain. He had this to say:
“Yes. We will be testing Pokken. Candidly both NAMCO and I are more optimistic about that title and our typical guests than Tekken.”
Unfortunately, the title he is referencing not being too optimistic about is Tekken 7. He will, of course, have better knowledge of how well the classic fighter does at their locations, so that’s a bit disheartening. It makes sense that a Pokémon-themed fighter would be extremely popular, but it still makes things sound ominous about Tekken. No word on when or where the test runs will be occurring, but if you want to see this hit nation wide, make sure to go the spots to show the support.
There’s also no word on whether it would ever make it to homes, but there is hope. I’d wager that both Nintendo and Namco are waiting it out, gaging the interest levels before they decide to either keep it in arcades or release a retail disc. I’d love to play this on the Wii U.
HT: VG24/7
Geralt is NSFW in this hilarious parody of The Witcher 3.
The internet did what the internet does by creating this over the top The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt parody. Youtube user Bitter Strike! Cartoons created a video summing up some of the most notable situations that Geralt faces in the game– except he’s not as tame as his video game counterpart. Wacky and silly jokes ensue. Some of the highlights include our gray haired Witcher accidentally lighting ablaze the now incredibly flammable Unicorn in which Yennifer is seated on. Be warned, there’s plenty of crude language throughout. Enjoy.
Ht: Nerdist
We get a better look at Minecraft-esque, Dragon Quest Builders.
Not only is Lego trying to mimic Minecraft’s dig and build gameplay, now it looks like Square Enix is taking a shot at it as well with Dragon Quest Builders. Not yet announced for the U.S., the objective of the title is to smash and rebuild Alefgard. Today we get a better glimpse at the game that’s set to release later this year in Japan on PS4, PS3, and Vita, with some telling screenshots. Judging by the images, you can see that classic enemies will be included, and graphically it also looks mightily impressive. What’s funny is that from the looks of things, even the HUD looks “borrowed” from Mojang’s baby. And to add insult to injury, the broken items take the shape of tiny cubes. I wonder how Microsoft feels about this flattery?
It’s hard to imagine this not making it over to the West, considering Minecraft‘s insane popularity. I’m more interested in how the combat and RPG elements will be incorporated into the build mechanics. To be fair, from what can be gathered from the screenshots, everything looks great.
HT: Gameinformer
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That’s it for today, folks. As sad as it is to speak about the tragic loss the industry suffered, we must all remember to have fun with everything we do, especially with video games. Sometimes we take ourselves and our games too seriously, so let’s remember that this is an amazing hobby that is growing every day. That should be enough to make everyone happy. I also believe it’s the best way to honor Mr. Iwata. Make sure to do your best Mario impressions and hop into the comments section below to let us know what your best Nintendo memories are.
