Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past week, you will have no doubt heard about the ongoing rumours regarding a possible partnership between Microsoft and Nintendo.
According to multiple sources, Microsoft has plans to bring an Xbox App, Game Pass, cloud technology and even some Xbox exclusives to the Nintendo Switch at some point this year. This rumour began when it was discovered Microsoft would be discussing its plans to make Xbox Live compatible with multiple platforms at the upcoming Game Developers Conference.
In the latest development, Gematsu is now reporting a Switch version of Ori and the Blind Forest has appeared in “at least one” United Kingdom wholesale database. Unfortunately, there’s no mention of the actual wholesaler or photographic evidence. Apparently, though, the game will be distributed by THQ Nordic, which would make sense as it has worked with Microsoft in the past to publish games on the digital distribution platform, Steam.
This isn’t the first time this game has been mentioned. Yesterday, Direct-Feed Games name-dropped the 2015 release and French gaming website Jeuxvideo supported these claims while also referencing the platforming boss-battler, Cuphead.
Are you convinced yet? Would you like to play Ori and the Blind Forest on the Switch? Tell us down in the comments.
“My name is Reggie. I’m about kickin’ ass, I’m about takin’ names, and we’re about makin’ games.”
These were the words uttered by then industry newcomer Reggie Fils-Aimé while standing on Nintendo’s stage during the Electronic Gaming Expo (E3) in 2004.
Fils-a-what? “Ass”? Who the heck was this guy?
These were likely the thoughts of any soda-addled hyperfan who was purposely tuning into a video game conference in the year 2004. They were mine, at least. And here are the answers:
The name is “Reggie Fils-Aimé”. “Reginald”, actually. His last name is French, and his parents, Haitian. And in case you didn’t notice, he’s black. Yes, he said “ass” (although it was not his idea). And he was then Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Nintendo, brought on to do one thing: sell Nintendo. In the 15 years since, Reggie, as the general public has come to know him on a first name basis, has done nothing else but sell Nintendo (he famously dedicated his body to the cause).
He sold Nintendo in 2004, when not a lot of people were buying Nintendo. He sold Nintendo in 2006, when seemingly nobody was lucky enough to get their hands on a Nintendo product – for years. And later, by the end of the 2010s when nobody was buying Nintendo anymore (again), he eventually figured out how to sell Nintendo again, today leaving Nintendo in one of their best financial and critical places in decades, thanks to the Nintendo Switch console.
Now, Reggie will finally sell Nintendo no more. He announced his retirement from the company on February 21, 2019, effective mid-April.
To really appreciate the gravity of his departure, you have to understand what he did for his company. Really, this is evidenced by the fact that you are reading a feature article about a retiring COO on an enthusiast website, not a business one.
His are pretty big shoes, and not just literally. How big, exactly? Fils-Aimé helped translate Nintendo into the modern era. In doing so, he helped shape the overall gaming industry. And by doing that, he changed how people could feel connected to a corporation.
Reggie’s Background
Objectively speaking, everywhere Reggie ever went, he didn’t only matter, he made other things matter. (Fascinatingly, it didn’t even seem to matter what that thing was.)
Here is what Reggie sold in the ‘80s-’90s, up until he joined Nintendo in the early 2000s:
Healthcare, beauty, and home supplies.Out of college, he rose through the system to become the brand manager at Proctor & Gamble.
Pizza. He helped popularize “The Bigfoot Pizza” over at Pizza Hut, in fact.
Beer. He took the Guinness brand and sold it worldwide.
Bikes and Chinese food. He directed eight totally different brands at Derby Cycle Co.
Music. Maybe his most famous “baseball card stat”: Reggie was reportedly responsible for a 30% increase in viewership by shifting the channel’s demographics towards a younger audience with original programming, now standard practice in the music entertainment industry.
In the marketing world, Fils-Aimé was no secret. (Wikipedia has him good for six different major marketing awards, including Advertising Age naming him to the “Marketing 100” in 1998.)
Reggie’s Impact on Nintendo
On the strength of that resume was how Reggie began his Nintendo chapter. It makes sense; if you were hiring someone to market a large brand that has a parent company in another country, you’d want someone with experience bridging brands across multiple markets. Yet what Reggie probably didn’t realize then as a 45-year-old was just how instrumental he himself was going to become to that cause.
Sure, there existed figureheads like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. But especially before the era of Twitter and YouTube, it was usually game creators, not game execs, who stuck in people’s minds. After Reggie, no longer.
“So let’s get a couple things straight right off the bat,” confidently began Reggie from his first major appearance for Nintendo at E3 2004. “…I understand, if you’re among the terminally hip, Nintendo isn’t your only choice for gaming.” Brutal. He then went on to dictate Nintendo’s philosophy the company still uses to this day when he immediately followed up, “We’re not going to run our company just for hardcore gamers.” Even worse! This was not an easy sell in his first year with Nintendo, when image was everything. However, given he had just introduced a sizzle reel of games that included Resident Evil, Star Fox and Metroid, franchises all strongly associated with the “terminally hip”, it’s safe to say that seeds of acceptance were being cross-contaminated with mass appeal.
Reggie premiered the Nintendo DS (a system that would go on to become one of the highest-selling devices in modern electronics history), then teased their next console, the Nintendo Wii. Finally, Nintendo ended that show with arguably the most excitatory reveal in E3 history: a trailer for the game Zelda: Twilight Princess. It was a game that looked every bit the part of what people wanted from Nintendo at the time: gritty and realistic, not old-fashioned or childish.
Why focus on this first appearance for Nintendo? Here, his ultimate goal was to introduce the next era of Nintendo products in a positive light to hardcore media critics who, at that point, had largely written the company off in favour of competitors Sony and Microsoft. A scary task. People take for granted how elegantly he helped accomplish what many within the petering out GameCube-era thought was impossible.
Today, many feel 2004 was the company’s boldest in their history. Yet in retrospect, it’s truer that it was simply a year where a new face was spoon-feeding people “same old Nintendo”: that is, experimental, toy-like devices and Zelda and Metroid games, but spoken to them in their language.
Reggie sold people on Nintendo all over again.
This is precisely what Reggie did for Nintendo for 15 years: “translating” Nintendo’s actions, then selling them. And in doing so, he helped not just sell products, but make “Nintendo” a brand again.
Appreciate that Fils-Aimé guided the company through lucrative fads like 3D, motion controls, and toys-to-life, and was at the helm of the company during the dawn of both the online and esports eras. Take note on how he leveraged Nintendo’s massive back catalogue of old video games in such a way that the company could not only take it all away between hardware releases, but have customers begging to resell it back to them. He put his neck out for risks, too. Some, like Nintendo TVii and Wii U Chat, didn’t pan out. Others, like “StreetPass” functionality or cardboard gaming, did just fine.
And when Nintendo needed his guidance the most following the loss of their CEO Satoru Iwata to cancer in 2015, Reggie successfully steered Nintendo through two projects that were initially bridled with uncertainty: the Nintendo Switch, as well as what would become Pokémon GO for mobile. Not to mention he also personally issued a remembrance for their CEO on live TV (Unfortunately, Reggie had some professional experience to draw from even in this sector; he was actually in charge for all marketing for the Paul McCartney-led charity concert in New York City back in 2001, which took place only a month after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It garnered more than $35 million in disaster relief).
From day one, and two years later with Fils-Aimé as president, Nintendo never strayed from a tradition of risks, bold character, and leadership – all qualities difficult to scale to a company Nintendo’s size.
Reggie’s Effect on the Gaming Industry
It was in October of 2011 when Reggie sent us all a video to ask us a simple question: “What’s wrong with you?”
That question, you might expect, was directed to people who did not yet own a Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo’s latest hardware at the time. The message came in the form of a YouTube video uploaded by Nintendo themselves. It was a new attempt to talk directly to their customers.
This first video was, admittedly, a bit stiff. In contrast, the preceding eight years of videos set a new standard at Nintendo for goofiness, customer interaction, and transparency. When Nintendo eventually announced they were bucking the traditional yearly press conferences at E3 in favour of these “Directs”, the internet at large was initially livid. Today, yearly E3 conferences are increasingly an afterthought, while Nintendo’s online announcement videos are the things dreams are made of.
Through Nintendo Direct, greater than ever before did Reggie become the conduit between what Nintendo of Japan was doing and what Nintendo fans across the world were thinking.
Again, this was Reggie’s biggest strength, as well as parent company Nintendo’s greatest need. Admittedly, direct messaging is a strategy difficult to pull off without the appropriate “Jobs-like” figurehead. Lucky Nintendo. Before long, timely produced videos totally changed the way Nintendo interacted with their customers. In turn, developer videos posted onto YouTube have become more commonplace industry-wide indirectly because of, well, Directs.
Soon, not only was Reggie talking to YouTube fans, but he was taking his marketing show to late night talk shows, game awards, and much more. How many company presidents can you name who also ran as the primary mode of PR?
And speaking of important symbols, if not for the Nintendo Wii, Fils-Aimé’s tombstone may one day have read: “He was a black man leading a Japanese company.” In the grand context of diversity, Reggie’s presidency was not just industry-bucking, but an overall rarity in a world with so few minorities at the head of major companies. Reggie didn’t publically speak on this too often, but In an interview with Waypoint, he touched on its importance when asked about the issue of developer crunch:
…I believe the best way to lead is through example. And so what we do is reinforce with the way we encourage our business partners to act with the way that we encourage, if you will, the community that we touch.
And it’s not only on work life balance. It’s issues like diversity and inclusion. You know, with all of those tough conversations our mentality is that we’re going to model the behavior that we want seen. So that’s why I have a diverse senior management team. That’s why as a black man leading a Japanese company, I feel good about the things that we do to deal with higher order issues and to deal with them in a way that models positive behavior.
Taken together, Reggie cultivated an environment of speaking directly to the people, and despite being worth an estimated $40 million, it didn’t matter to the fans: Reggie was the people.
Reggie’s Effect on Us
If this entire retrospective of a man who is simply retiring feels disproportionately like an obituary, in large part it is because Reggie’s departure is very arguably the industry’s largest resignation in many years. Fan sentiment is currently pouring in all across the internet to the tune of disbelief, frustration, and heartbreak.
He has been selling Nintendo for so long, he himself became part of Nintendo. And thanks to him, that’s the one thing everybody loves.
Through the endless memes and jokes that Nintendo uncharacteristically embraced, Reggie’s celebrity became one of the company’s greatest assets. It’s the one thing he could have never predicted when he began his tenure 15 years prior. And thankfully Nintendo never let it go to waste, as sometimes companies do after their employees become truly meme-worthy.
In his retirement video, Reggie left things a little fuzzy in terms of his future, other than to say he was going to spend more time with his family. What’s next for Reggie? Is he content to finally rest? Will he eventually move on to a brand new challenge? Are we due for another major CEO hitting the political circuit?
Whatever he does – whether it’s stay home with his family or take over the world – his track record strongly suggests that just like for Nintendo, he will find a way to make it matter.
When Analogue released its modern reimagining of the NES, the Analogue Nt, it was a thing of beauty. The premium $500 price, though, meant it was destined for the serious enthusiast market only. Its follow up, the Analogue Nt Mini, trimmed a couple of features but came in at a far more realistic pricepoint for the average gamer.
Then followed the Analogue Super Nt, doing for the 16-bit SNES what it had done for the console’s predecessor. Every console also came with an extra special gift – an exclusive Director’s Cut of Super Turrican featuring material that had to be cut from the original cartridge due to memory restrictions. With the upcoming Analogue Mega Sg – an equivalent modern interpretation of Sega’s Mega Drive/Genesis – fans were hoping there’d be a similar present awaiting them on the new console.
From the look of that trailer, they’re not going to be disappointed! The company posted the above video showing off Hardcore, a run-and-gun shooter from Digital Illusions (or DICE as they’re better known) that was cancelled in 1994 in a 99% complete state. Apparently the only known source code came from “a single, dead hard drive that was barely recovered”.
Analogue go on to describe the game thusly:
Hardcore is a fast paced, euro-style run’n’gun, space base thriller. We’re dedicated to preserving this piece of video game history and Hardcore is included digitally on each Mega Sg system.
The game will go by the name Ultracore ‘due to licensing reasons’, but whatever it’s called, it looks absolutely terrific. It’ll be a treat to tuck into a game from the era – not a remake, not an homage; a genuine 25-year-old Mega Drive game that had been ‘lost’.
The console is on pre-order for $189.99 from Analogue’s website and is scheduled to ship in April.
As you can probably tell, we’re quite excited – it’d be a massive shame if the game turns out to be rubbish! Does this make the Analogue Mega Sg a more attractive proposition? Share your thoughts below.
If you are something of a retro gamer and like to dabble on the dark side with classic Sega consoles, then you might be interested to learn that Retro-bit is releasing a series of officially endorsed controllers which are compatible with the Sega Genesis and Sega Saturn.
The Genesis / Mega Drive edition is a replica of the iconic 6 button pad and is perfect for playing Street Fighter on. There is a black version and a clear blue version. It can be yours from 5th April.
The Saturn version comes in 2 variations, classic black and slate grey. The slate grey one also comes with a USB option if you wanted to use it with a PC and not just the classic console. These will be available from 15th April.
Please note that some of the links on this page are affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale which helps support the site. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.
Let us know if you plan to grab one of these lovely official controllers with a comment below.
Further to last night’s rumours suggesting that Microsoft is planning to bring an Xbox app, Project X Cloud and its Game Pass service to Switch, more details have come to light regarding the possible cross-pollination.
French gaming website Jeuxvideo has extra details regarding the potential collaboration between the two gaming giants. Firstly, the site mentions not only Ori and the Blind Forest, but also 2D platforming boss-battler Cuphead as one of the potential games come to Switch, although it’s unclear if they’ll be native games or part of the 100 Game Pass and X Cloud titles potentially available before 2020 arrives. Getting Cuphead on Switch in any form, regardless of the technicalities, would be something of a coup for Nintendo after Microsoft nabbed lifetime console exclusivity for the game which emulates classic Fleischer animation from the early 20th century.
While no mention is made of PlatinumGames’ dead projectScalebound, there are suggestions that a big Microsoft franchise ‘could’ potentially come to Switch in some form. The website is hazier on the details in this area, so we’d recommend a significantly larger pinch of salt here. As a reminder for the Nintendo purists, the biggest exclusive series on Xbox include Forza, Gears of War and Halo. Master Chief for Smash? Quiet down at the back!
The company also owns Rare, the British developer which used to be in Nintendo’s wheelhouse until they were sold along with their IPs to Microsoft in 2002. The developer’s catalogue – especially for the Nintendo 64 era – holds a special place in the heart of many Nintendo gamers, so even the slightest possibility that we could see Rare Replay with classics like Banjo-Kazooie or Perfect Dark once again on a Nintendo console is very exciting.
Let’s not get carried away, though. While Jeuxvideo is certain that high-level meetings have taken place, other details are sketchy. It does mention that sources refuse to confirm whether Nintendo games could appear on Microsoft platforms, although we can’t imagine Nintendo would permit that. With Microsoft languishing in third place this generation following the bungled launch of Xbox One, an alliance would arguably stand to benefit the Redmond company over Nintendo.
That said, Switch gamers stand to win big if it’s possible we’ll see Rare games back on a Nintendo system for the first time in a long while (Nintendo-owned IPs notwithstanding, of course). Regardless, these whispers represent exciting times for an industry that’s more in flux than ever.
“Reggie and Phil sittin-“… No, hang on… “Doug and Phil sitting in a tree…” Is this wishful thinking? Do you think this move would make sense for both parties? Any Xbox exclusives you wouldn’t mind trying on Switch? Share your thoughts in the usual place.
It’s fair to say that the news that Reggie Fils-Aime – who has been Nintendo of America president since 2006 and joined the company itself in 2003 – would be retiring in April caught plenty of people off-guard.
He’s certainly one of the industry’s most recognisable characters and his willingness to get in front of camera and laugh at himself has endeared him to millions of gamers, not just Nintendo fans.
Reggie’s popularity is evidenced by the fact that the news has been followed by a flood of positive and supportive comments for the big man – most notably from his rivals at Sony and Microsoft.
Mike Ybarra – Corporate Vice President at Xbox – also had something to say about the news:
Reggie famously appeared on-stage with both Spencer and Layden at the 2018 Game Awards, and host Geoff Keighley added his voice:
The above trailer for Xaloc Studios’ upcoming soccer game, Super Kickers League gives us a far better look at the previously announced title, including special team abilities, plus a ‘spring’ 2019 release window.
The team acknowledges Super Mario Strikers (or Mario Smash Football in PAL regions) and Soccer Brawl as strong influences, with a fun approach to the beautiful game and its rules. The trailer shows that each team has a specific ability you can employ against the opposing side, including a Fortnite-like move which causes them to break out some impromtu dance moves.
With three different modes available – Teams, Kickers and Retro – that last one has our interest particularly piqued. According to the official blurb, Retro mode “allows you to play the game with an orthographic camera and pixel art graphics, transforming the graphics into a much more ‘classic’ format.” Intriguing!
So, while it’s still a game of two halves where a bunch of people try to kick a ball into a net, it seems that flaming meteors, teleportation and irresistible dance beats add a lighthearted layer of strategy.
Like the look of this madcap take on the beautiful game, or do you prefer a more serious intepretation of the sport? Share your opinion below.
Yesterday, the world of Nintendo was rocked by the news that Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime is set to retire in April after more than 15 years with the company. In that time, Reggie has overseen the launch of systems like the DS, Wii, 3DS and Switch, had himself turned into a puppet, become a meme many times over and – above all else – made sure that one of the world’s biggest entertainment brands has an approachable, human face on the global stage. To pay proper tribute to the great man, we’ve pulled together some of our favourite Reggie moments in video form for you to enjoy.
One of Reggie’s firsts tasks – as Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing (he wouldn’t become president until 2006) – was convincing the world that two screens were really better than one. His first major product launch was the Nintendo DS, a console which not only doubled the number of displays a handheld traditionally offered but also introduced the world to touch control.
Even in those early years, Reggie had a talent for really selling Nintendo’s products – as evidenced in this ABC interview regarding the Wii, his first home console launch.
The Wii, of course, was a runaway success, given Reggie his second hugely successful product launch in America. The Wii would also give rise to one of Reggie’s most famous quotes, delivered during a demo of the upcoming fitness title, Wii Fit.
Such was the quality of this catchphrase, Reggie couldn’t resist reviving it when the game was re-released on Wii U a few years later.
With the Wii and DS both comfortably dominating their respective sectors, hopes were understandably high for Nintendo’s next platform, the 3DS. As you might expect, Reggie was a key figure in the initial marketing campaign for the platform, alongside Shigeru Miyamoto and Satoru Iwata.
Reggie also did his usual marketing speech to hype up the console closer to launch, and while the 3DS hasn’t come close to matching the success of the DS, it’s easy to get carried away with the hype when watching Reggie’s delivery, even after all this time.
Reggie’s next launch would prove to be his first serious taste of disappointment at Nintendo. The Wii U was a great idea in principle, as most of us no doubt thought as we watched this presentation at E3 2011. Sadly, it has gone down as one of the company’s biggest hardware flops.
Reggie certainly didn’t hold back when it came to pushing and promoting the system; here’s some candid footage taken from the queue for the Wii U launch, where he braved the cold to chat with Nintendo’s fans.
Another notable highlight from this period is footage of Reggie and Iwata using the Wii U’s video chat function, a feature which worked well enough but was perhaps overlooked due to the arrival of video calling on smartphones.
With the Wii U proving to be something of a commercial dud, it made sense for Nintendo to redouble its efforts with the 3DS, and Reggie was accommodating enough to allow us into his (virtual) home when Animal Crossing: New Leaf launched.
Fast forward to E3 2014, and Reggie (along with Iwata, whom he clearly shared a close bond with) starred in one of the most memorable clips in the history of the show, and Reggie was also turned into an action figure by the guys at Robot Chicken.
E3 2014 also gave us another amazing Reggie meme: Fils-A-Mech.
Such was Reggie’s commitment to his craft that he played Project Giant Robotin character:
If you ever wanted a Western take on Hotline Miami, then upcoming Switch game 12 Is Better Than 6 might be just the ticket. This hand-drawn pen-and-ink shooter with stealth elements takes place in the Wild West and looks pretty cool (and bloody!).
Here’s what the game has to offer according to HypeTrain Digital and Ink Stains Games:
Unique shooting mechanics – You’ll need to cock the revolver with one trigger before being able to shoot by pressing another trigger. Shooting mechanics in the game will keep you on your toes – one false move and you’ll be overrun in an instant!
Choose your own playstyle – You don’t have to go all guns blazing. You can choose to take a more stealthy approach to surprise your enemies, or even just sneak right past them. You can even complete almost an entire game without being noticed!
Locations – Real-life places and towns and the spirit of the desert will help you plunge into the cruel world of the Wild West. Visit Austin, San Antonio, Albuquerque, and Huston; find cheap saloons and expensive cabaret, Indian colonies and travelling caravans. But don’t you worry, you’ll find trouble in every one of these places!
Authentic weapons – You’ll use the favourite bounty hunter weapons in the game. Winchesters, double-barreled guns, revolvers and Gatling guns are at your service to help destroy your enemies. For the more adventurous players, we’ve also prepared the extra-crazy one: a rat with dynamite attached to it. Throw a rat and it will run towards your enemies by itself!
Upgrades – These will help your hero to stay alive while navigating through the Wild West hell. You’ll find breastplates that will have a 50% chance to deflect some bullets, a fast recharging skill that will allow the hero to insert 2 bullets at once, extreme accuracy (less spread for your shots), being able to kill an enemy in stealth mode without attracting the unwanted attention, and more!
Friends – Meet some main character’s old friends when travelling through the cities. But will they work as your allies or have they changed during the last five years?
It all looks rather great to us in the trailer and screenshots above. This Wild West-themed shooter is coming to the Switch on 5th March for $9.99. Will you be picking it up?
Fans of the Kunio-kun series will no doubt be delighted to hear that a new entry in franchise is headed to Switch. Downtown Rantou Koushinkyoku Mach!! is an enhanced version of River City Melee: Battle Royal Special which throws in some new elements which make for even more heated battles.
Here’s a quick overview of the game from Arc System Works:
What is Downtown Rantou Koushinkyoku Mach!!? Downtown Rantou Koushinkyoku Mach!! is an enhanced version of River City Melee: Battle Royal Special with new elements added that make for more heated battles.
New Item: “Bamboo Shoot” The player that eats it will become gigantic!?
New Game Mode: “Change Match” A battle mode where defeated teammates change characters on the spot. There may be also special gimmicks depending on the stage.
A release date has not been announced yet, but we’d imagine that this will come out sometime this year, at least in Japan.
Did you play the original? Up for a super-charged version? Let us know with a comment.
