Biggest Surprises Come from Nintendo, Says Ancel

Whether they come in the form of the Wii’s emphasis on motion controls or the Wii U’s peculiar GamePad, surprises are still abundant over at Nintendo. Not all the risks that the company takes pan out, as the name and nature of its most recent piece of hardware have many people questioning what the thing really is. However, that sense of mystery and creativity is still strong with the Mario maker, and Rayman creator Michel Ancel thinks that’s its biggest asset.

“Nintendo’s greatest strength, and its greatest weakness, is innovation. It’s a company that takes a lot of risks,” Ancel told ONM in a new interview. “Few people understand that innovation involves risk-taking, because you don’t control everything on the market.

"Today, the biggest surprises seem to come from Nintendo. People may like those surprises or not, but that’s a fact. Miiverse was a surprise, the GamePad was a surprise. What will come next? I can’t wait!”

What’s hopefully next for Nintendo is some profit. The Wii U hasn’t been selling nearly enough to call it a success, and the upcoming release of next-generation hardware is only going to make Nintendo’s job harder. Right now, new The Legend of Zelda or Mario games might be the team’s best bet.