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Over the last two years, members of a fan campaign called Operation Rainfall worked relentlessly to encourage Nintendo to release Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story, and Pandora’s Tower in North America. Two years later, all three games have made their way to the region, leading many to hail Rainfall as a massive success. But in a recent interview with Siliconera, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime stated that fan campaigns like Operation Rainfall really don’t have much of an affect on Nintendo’s actions. “We certainly look at it, and we’re certainly aware of it, but it doesn’t necessarily affect what we do,” he said in response to a question about various fan campaigns. He went on to say that when it comes to localization decisions, he and other executives always have to do what is best for the company. Fils-Aime stated that he always wanted to bring Xenoblade Chronicles to America, but wasn’t sure if it was a good financial decision.
Lucky for us, the numbers worked out and all three games made it to North American shores. Reggie’s words may seem harsh but they definitely make sense. That said, I hope this doesn’t discourage members of fan campaigns because even if they don’t directly affect decision making, they certainly help companies like Nintendo decide what to consider. What are some games you want to see come to America? I know I would love an officially translated version of Mother 3. Let us know in the comments below!
Source: Siliconera
“We don’t listen to our customers.” That sounds like something Microsoft would say. Nintendo has always prided themselves on customer satisfaction, and now Reggie turns around and says they don’t care what we think? Somehow I doubt that.
A key thing Reggie said was in a petition, 100,000 signatures doesn’t equal 100,000 sales, which is very true. I think fan efforts are just one aspect Nintendo looks at when deciding what to do. Niche movements just don’t have as much profitability as bigger and more marketable games. Sad thing is, it’s still a business.
Xenoblade was an interesting example to bring up, because it was a GameStop exclusive, which might have limited its sales. No excuse not to put Xenoblade on the Wii U eShop though! eShop games cost practically nothing to distribute!