TCW Podcast Episode 239 - Nintendo: Wii Were Struggling

Nintendo’s struggle for cultural relevance in the lead-up to the Wii was marked by the N64’s poor fit for Japanese homes and the GameCube’s failure to outsell even the fledgling Xbox globally. Internally, a power struggle unfolded as Hiroshi Yamauchi prepared to retire. Former Sharp executive Atsushi Asada was brought in and became Executive Vice President and later Chairman of the Board. Satoru Iwata, whom Yamauchi saw great potential in, was appointed president of HAL Laboratory as part of a Yamauchi-backed bailout and ultimately succeeded Yamauchi as president of Nintendo. Minoru Arakawa was passed over, removed from the board, and after his retirement, replaced at Nintendo of America by Tatsumi Kimishima, who was later placed on the board himself, giving credence to the idea that Arakawa was pushed aside in favor of Iwata. We explore how, despite not facing financial collapse, Nintendo risked losing its creative identity after two struggling consoles and Sony's rising threat to its handheld dominance.