| firebush03 said: Quick thoughts: Iwata, as sweet and charismatic as he was, did not move Nintendo in the right direction as far as software was concerned. Iwata focused on developing pre-establish system-selling IP (e.g. look at Wii and Mario during Wii and Wii U: It was all Mario!) whereas Furukawa’s focus has been on expanding, bringing life back into dormant IP (e.g. just look at the NS1/NS2 generation: Famicon Detective Club, Switch Sports, Mario Strikers, Metroid Prime 4, 3D DK, Kirby Air Riders, 2D Mario/Zelda, etc.) and venturing into new mediums (e.g. films, amusement parks). Furthermore, while Iwata did subscribe to an innovation-first specs-second (Blue Ocean) approach, the creation and development of the DS can ultimately be credited to his predecessor, Hiroshi Yamauchi, who himself conceived and propelled the idea of a low spec, dual-screen system. |
I appreciate this thread, and I'm not even disagreeing with you, but your thesis is wobbly. You focus mostly on the software pipeline, but you don't dive deeply enough into the games developed during each leader's tenure. I think it's unfair and incorrect to characterize the totality of Iwata's output simply as tepid variations on a theme, and Furukawa's output only as bold, expansive, and comprehensive.
Just to break some of these things down:
1) Iwata focused on developing pre-establish system-selling IP (e.g. look at Wii and Mario during Wii and Wii U: It was all Mario!)
Well, look at Switch: Super Mario Odyssey; Mario Kart 8 Deluxe; Mario Tennis Aces; Super Mario Party; New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe; Super Mario Maker 2; Paper Mario: The Origami King; Super Mario 3D All-Stars; Mario Golf: Super Rush; Mario Party Superstars; Mario Strikers: Battle League; Super Mario Bros. Wonder; Super Mario Party Jamboree; etc. Plus at least five Zelda games. Plus Animal Crossing. Plus a bunch of Pokemon games.
And what about all the out-of-left-field projects green-lit during Iwata's tenure: Brain Age; Wii Sports; Nintendogs; Tomodachi; Rhythm Heaven; Splatoon; etc.
2) Furukawa’s focus has been on expanding, bringing life back into dormant IP (e.g. just look at the NS1/NS2 generation: Famicon Detective Club, Switch Sports, Mario Strikers, Metroid Prime 4, 3D DK, Kirby Air Riders, 2D Mario/Zelda, etc.)
Iwata's reign gave us New Super Mario Bros., the first brand new side-scrolling Super Mario game in 11 years. It gave us Pilotwings Resort, the first Pilotwings game in 15 years. It gave us the first Glory of Heracles game in 14 years (and the only one released outside Japan). Also, why does Furukawa get credit for Metroid Prime 4, but we don't celebrate Iwata for Metroid Prime 2, 3, and Hunters? Or Metroid: Zero Mission? And why give props to Furukawa for 2D Mario and Zelda? We got a lot of those across DS, 3DS, Wii, and WiiU. And why pay tribute to Switch Sports for bringing back the vibes of Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resorts, hallmarks of the Iwata era?
Again, I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you. I just don't think your analysis thoroughly explores the nature of Nintendo software released between 2002 and 2026.
Edit: corrected the name of Metroid Prime Hunters
Last edited by Veknoid_Outcast - on 17 May 2026
