Although Reggie Fils-Aimé no longer works at Nintendo, he still seems to talk about his former employer just about every week.
During an interview with Gamertag Radio yesterday, Reggie was asked if he was even surprised by the Switch’s success. It doesn’t seem – with Reggie explaining how he knew right away that the system was solving a “major” consumer complaint by letting the player game everywhere.
The success of the hybrid system made his “retirement decision” easy – knowing that the company would be in “great shape” for at least a few years. Here’s his full answer (via Nintendo Everything):
“No, it was no surprise to me. And I say this because the first time I saw the Nintendo DS, the hair on my neck stood up. The team demonstrated an early, early prototype of what would become Nintendogs. I immediately saw the potential. The first time I picked up a Wii Remote and played another rudimentary experience that would become Wii Sports, I knew it was going to be magical. The day I sat with Mr. Iwata holding a prototype of the Switch and we talked about the concept, I knew it was going to be magical.
And I’m saying this because the system provided a solution to a major player complaint, and that complaint is: I’m having fun, I’m playing my game and now I have to stop because I have to work, or I have to go to school, and I can’t bring my game. I can’t continue playing that game. So Switch, with the ability to play on that big TV, take it off the dock and play handheld style, it fulfilled a fundamental consumer wish. That was the trigger moment. There were so many other clever things the company did – the support for Unity and Unreal, which allowed all of the great independent content to come. A number of other important decisions.
But no, it’s no surprise, and to be fair, knowing it was going to be successful helped make my retirement decision easy as I knew the company would be in good shape for at least a few years. “
During a Twitch stream from the New York Gaming Awards dating back to last month, Reggie admitted that the Switch was a “make-or-break” product for Nintendo after the Wii U’s poor performance.
Do you miss Reggie at Nintendo? Would the Switch fare even better if it were still with the company? Share your own thoughts below.