Although Reggie Fils-Aimé is no longer with Nintendo, he still talks about his former employer about every week.
During an interview with Gamertag Radio yesterday, Reggie was asked if he was at all surprised by the success of the Switch. It does not seem – with Reggie explaining how he immediately knows that the system solves a ‘key’ consumer complaint by allowing the player anywhere.
The success of the hybrid system made his ‘retirement decision’ easy because he knew the company would be in good shape for a few years. Here is his full answer (via Nintendo Everything):
“No, it was not a surprise to me. And I say that because the first time I saw the Nintendo DS, the hair on my neck stood up straight. The team was demonstrating an early, early prototype of what Nintendogs would become. Immediately I saw the potential. The first time I picked up a Wii Remote and re-played a rudimentary experience that would become Wii Sports, I knew it would be magical. The day I met Mr. Iwata sitting and holding a prototype Switch and talking to us about the concept, I knew it would be magical.
And I say this because the system has resolved a key player complaint, and the complaint is: I’m having fun, I’m playing my game, and now I have to stop because I have to go to work, or I have to go to school, and I can not taking my game with me. I can no longer play. So, with the opportunity to play on the big screen TV, then take it out of the dock and go play in hand mode, it has fulfilled a fundamental desire of the consumer. It was the trigger moment. There were so many other smart things the company did – the support for Unity and Unreal, which made all the great independent content possible. A number of other important decisions.
But no, this is not a surprise, and frankly knowing that it was going to be successful made my retirement decision easy because I knew the company would be in good shape for a few years. ”
Reggie admitted during a New York Gaming Awards Twitch stream last month that the Switch was a “make or break” product for Nintendo after the poor performance of the Wii U.
Do you miss Reggie at Nintendo? Would it be even better with the Switch if he was still with the company? Share your own thoughts below.