Nintendo not frightened of global slump
Believes fun will prevail.
The boss of Nintendo Korea reckons the global economic recession poses no threat to Wii and DS sales because people always want to have fun.
"Regardless of downturns, consumers pursue something fun," Mineo Koda told the Asian News Network. "Sales of our products do not depend on whether the economy is good or not, but whether we introduce fun products or not."
The Wii has sold over 2 million units in Korea and continues to fly off the shelves worldwide, leaving the Xbox 360 and PS3 far behind. But Koda doesn't even class Sony and Microsoft as marketplace rivals.
"People often ask such questions, and we say our competitor is neither [of] those companies, but consumers indifferent to games," he said.
Despite his bullish stance, Koda sees plenty of challenge in shaking parental negativity towards videogames across the region. He sees plenty of potential, too, as ex-online gamers or those turned off by hardcore pursuits look for something to do.