Rank the Presidents of Nintendo

[Shatts]

This is a difficult one cuz they are all surprisingly good for what they are. |

Yamauchi is obviously the most important one. Without him, Nintendo wouldn't be where we know it today. I also want to rate him for passing the torch to Iwata instead of his kids. This is a big brain move, especially when there are so many Japanese company that went downhill due to the president's incompetent kid taking over. Not saying the children of the Yamauchi family are incompetent by any means, but I think it was crucial that Nintendo got someone that was best for Nintendo and not for the sake of continuing the Yamauchi bloodline. Much more to be said, but keeping it short.

Iwata the fan favorite. His blue ocean strategy made Nintendo stood out and claim the top spot in the industry again. Although it quickly faded away and resulted in Nintendo's first financial loss in history. Great reputation and indefinitely changed the gaming market for good. There's so many legends and stories of Iwata that makes him the GOAT. Not only was he a great CEO, he was also a great developer. I think Iwata gave the biggest impact even more than Yamauchi, however he also lead to one of the worst times for Nintendo.

Kimishima is the most underrated one. It ain't no easy task to take over and deliver perfectly. It's hard to say because he was only in that position for a short amount of time. Obviously it's also not like the Switch was his doing, as Iwata was heavily involved in it prior to. However, we can't deny the fact that it was Kimishima's era that completely revived Nintendo to it's former self.

Furukawa is the current CEO, and so far he's been great. However, he hasn't really been challenged much as he's only riding the success of the Switch. I see him as someone that takes the solid, efficient choices. Doesn't seem to take many risks, chooses the most logical options. Although I like the creative minds with the likes of Iwata, I do think consistency is what Nintendo lacked and Furukawa seems to understand that well. I do feel like Furukawa doesn't have that charm Iwata had, he's more of a business man. After all that's what a CEO is supposed to be, as long as their developers remains creative I don't mind. I think it really depends on what they do with their next console to rate Furukawa properly, but so far Furukawa has been solid.

1. Yamauchi
2. Iwata
3. Kimishima
4. Furukawa

Last edited by Shatts - on 02 October 2023