During its recent General Meeting of Shareholders Q&A session, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa answered several questions that were mostly focused on the Switch and its successor.
However, one attendee asked the Nintendo president about his thoughts on the metaverse. The attendee described the concept of the metaverse as a shared virtual space where multiple unspecified users can play together.
When asked what he thinks about the metaverse, Furukawa said, “Although the enthusiasm may not be as high as before, the metaverse continues to capture the attention of many companies around the world, and I think the concept has potential. But though we sense its potential, we also believe it will not be easy to clearly define what kinds of fun and surprises it can provide to consumers.”
The Nintendo president went on to add, “We might consider something if we can find a way to express it with a Nintendo-like approach – which is to say, one that is easily understood by many consumers – but I believe that this would be difficult at the present time.”
So while it doesn’t seem like the company isn’t delving into the metaverse space yet, it’s keeping an eye on the trend and will likely jump in at the right time.
Game tournaments, not esports
After technical difficulties affected the official Pokémon Scarlet and Violet game tournament hosted by The Pokémon Company, an attendee asked Furukawa about his initiatives for esports moving forward. The Nintendo president said, “We are aware of the technical issues you pointed out. The management of the Pokémon brand, including general Pokémon events, is handled by our affiliate, The Pokémon Company, and we hope to continue working together with them to expand the world of Pokémon.
“Game tournaments [we do not use the term ‘esports’ for our game events] are an appealing way to enjoy games, where many people can share the fun and excitement of the game together at the same time and build enthusiasm.”
Furukawa adds that Nintendo has hosted a variety of other events including Splatoon Koshien as ways to encourage people to keep playing a game and generate interest among people who aren’t playing the game yet.
“For this reason, we place great importance on having a wide range of people participate in our game tournaments, regardless of age or gaming experience. This year, we are holding the event for the first time in the US The event is called Nintendo Live 2023 Seattle, and it too will include game tournaments.”
Isa Muhammad is a writer and video game journalist covering many aspects of entertainment media including the film industry. He's steadily writing his way to the sharp end of journalism and enjoys staying informed. If he's not reading, playing video games or catching up on his favourite TV series, then he's probably writing about them.
