Nintendo’s President Aims to “Spread Joy” Beyond Just Gaming

For decades, Nintendo has introduced a string of iconic characters that have transcended their video game spaces and become pop culture icons. From television to movies to their own theme parks, Mario and friends have become a merchandising machine–something the company has understood for some time now, and what Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser wants to continue.

“Going all the way back to our origins in 1889, we were all about entertainment. We started out as a manufacturer for playing cards…through our history, we’ve had various interactions of gameplay. Whether that’s toys, bowling alleys, a whole host of things,” he said on MSNBC. “Now? Absolutely. Video games are at the core of our entertainment experiences, but we’ve also learned that these characters and these worlds have the ability to step beyond the video game environment.”

He was asked if Nintendo was “coming after Disney” with this kind of approach. Bowser didn’t see it that way, but wanted to state the company’s important mission statement.

“In the end, our mission is to create smiles. Very simple, very straightforward. The strategy that we utilize for doing that is to increase the number of touchpoints that consumers can have with our characters and worlds,” he added. “So movies, theme parks, other out-of-video-game experiences continue to create those touchpoints. If people then want to come into our gaming ecosystem and be a part of that? We welcome it.”

When asked if we should see more live-action adaptations, movies, and physical attractions, Bowser said the trends that we see now will continue.

“There’s a lot of this that will be coming over the years to come.”

Back in 2016, then-president of Nintendo Tatsumi Kimishima had the same mentality when it came to presenting Nintendo to the world. “We want to have everyone become familiar with our IP by reaching as many people as possible from an early age within their daily lives,” he said. “Our long-term strategy is to spark our consumers’ interest in playing Nintendo game systems and encouraging continued growth of our games business.”