Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima announces the company's financial results and future of corporate strategy during a press briefing in Tokyo on October 29, 2015. (Photo : KAZUHIRO NOGI/Getty Images)
Nintendo's newest president Tatsumi Kimishima said in an interview that the upcoming video game console Nintendo NX will not be an extension of the Wii and Wii U consoles.
Kimishima told the Time magazine, "We talked about the transition from Wii hardware to the Wii U hardware and how difficult it is to explain to the consumer base what is different and new about the new hardware." The 65-year-old president gave an assurance that Nintendo is not building a follow-up console to the Wii series.
Many market and tech analysts consider the Wii U as an utter disaster for Nintendo. Since the console's release in 2012, it has only sold more than 10 million units. The console is consistently lagging behind it rivals. At around the same span of time, the Sony PlayStation 4 sole 30 million units while the Microsoft Xbox One has sole about 15.6 million units.
Aside from the video game console market, Nintendo is also dipping its toes into the mobile gaming market. The company recently announced its plans to publish video games for smartphones and other non-Nintendo devices.
The company's first smart device app, Miitomo, will be released in March 2016. The device can connect with My Nintendo network in order to allow cross-merchandising possible.
Kimishimi said that the Amiibo figurines did not go as originally planned. Nintendo launched Amiibo figurines in order to have people use it and play with their friends. Contrary to the initial plan, Amiibo are being purchased as collectible items, according to Venture Beat.
