After the "failures" of the Nintendo GameCube, and I'm only using quotes here because it certainly lagged behind the PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles, Nintendo looked to pivot its strategy. That pivot led to the runaway success of the Nintendo DS handheld and Nintendo Wii console, according to Reggie Fils-Aime, who recently spoke at New York University.
Both the DS and Wii sold like hotcakes. I was working at GameStop when the former came out, and every time we got a shipment in, it would sell out within the hour. The latter became a massive mainstream success, with virtually everyone playing Wii Sports. Your parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, neighbors, and co-workers who don't play video games; They all caught Wii Sports fever.
That success would eventually run out, and Nintendo faced struggles during the Wii U era. To say that the Wii U console was a massive disappointment is an understatement. Times had changed at Nintendo. They were no longer printing money. Instead, people online were wondering if they would ever recover as a company.
One thing they never experience through those struggles, though, is layoffs, and Reggie is a big reason why. Despite all that success,...
