ShareThis
Despite posting some killer sales numbers in 2017, Nintendo is moving forward with a new global president. Come June, Shuntaro Furukawa will be calling the shots for the company. Although current president Tatsumi Kimishima has been doing a solid job for Nintendo in the role, he feels that his time in the big chair has come and gone. Kimishima cited his advancing age as part of the impetus for his departure, noting that it’s become increasingly difficult for him to keep up with things like taking long flights. His goal in assuming control over Nintendo after the passing of former president Satoru Iwata was to turn the company around following the debacle that was Wii U, a target that Kimishima has declared to be more or less met.
Furukawa’s transition will allegedly be shepherded by both Kimishima and Shigeru Miyamoto, to start. Furukawa professes to have grown up a Nintendo fan, playing from the days of NES/Famicom until now. He’s a more youthful leader than Kimishima, which should afford him the energy required to keep up with the day-to-day needs of Nintendo, particularly in the wake of Switch’s massive success (which apparently was another factor that weighed into Kimishima’s decision to vacate his position). Kimishima stated that Furukuawa has been eyed as a candidate for global president for years now, so his ascendance is seemingly a natural extension of Nintendo’s behind-the-scenes plans.
Furukawa for his part has stated that he hopes to step in and continue Nintendo’s upwards trend. Kimishima pointed out that there are a number of upcoming Switch titles that have yet to be revealed (and likely will be during Nintendo’s E3 broadcast), so that should theoretically help give Furukawa a boost as he takes over daily operations. We’ll continue to update as we discover more about Furukawa and his plans for the company.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
