Dromble: Dan Adelman Discusses Nintendo’s Culture, Third Parties, VC & More

[Mr Khan]

DélioPT said:
Even though N64 and GC had lower and lower install bases, there still was enough money being made, but now that's not the case: a LOT less games on Wii U (probably less games on 3DS, aswell), increased budgets, smaller market (mobile market influence) = less money to be made automatically.

Something really has to change within. And i think the change is already happening.
If you read the Q&A from their last investor meeting you'll see that change is already happening. Splatoon is a good exemple of that. Years ago, a project like that might never had been green lighted.

But this is what i am referring to (taken from question 7):

Iwata:
"When it comes to judging the future of technology and whether certain ideas have the potential to become great entertainment, a few people who have been with Nintendo for many years have been taking on these roles at the company. It is inevitable, however, that everyone becomes older and there will be a day in the future when we will all have to retire. If the abilities of the people making such important decisions for the company have declined due to aging, or if these people reach retirement age, they might not be able to perform their job duties. It is natural to be concerned about this. To deal with this issue, it is important for us to seek out younger members of the company who have the potential to take on these new tasks and to let them go through the necessary experiences. This ability can be cultivated and obtained only through serious decision-making processes at the relevant positions. It is not something we can make them understand by taking them by the hand and teaching them step-by-step."

Genyo Takeda (Hardware):
"The world of technology has been quickly evolving – every one of us has to be as flexible as possible, even to the extent that we have to rethink what we have firmly said before. This is a global movement. We cannot afford to say things such as, “We are Japanese and we only need to think about Japan.” We are having these talks inside the company and nurturing individuals who will be able to make decisions as to what technology we should pursue. I say “individuals” because I believe that the right decisions (to judge the future of technology) cannot be made by a majority vote."

Miyamoto:
"I am now trying to establish internal systems that can primarily operate by the decisions made by people who are 20 years younger than I am, not just 10 years younger. We are preparing for a bright future."

Right, the culture can change, but even that takes time, and the fruits of those changes take longer still to grow (2 year dev cycle, 5 year console dev cycle)