Nintendo has confirmed that they will continue Nintendo Directs, two months after the passing of their CEO, Satoru Iwata.
The company shared this statement:
Nintendo Directs will continue, but we have no details to provide now on who will be featured or the topics that will be covered.
Iwata started Nintendo Directs as a way to promote Nintendo products directly to fans. Since October 2011, these Directs were broadcast to the public online, and used to announce new games, release dates, price changes, etc. Iwata himself hosted most of these Directs, although there were other presenters as well, such as Satoru Shibata in Europe and Bill Trinen in America.
Expanding on the idea of marketing, Nintendo took the opportunity to share deep development details for many of its products in the Directs. They also took on a relaxed, entertaining air, with Iwata popularizing hand motions that emphasized he was sharing information directly to the public.
Nintendo made no announcement before this regarding the future of Directs, but this made it seem like Nintendo was no longer making them. However, it is possible that Nintendo chose not to have Directs until the end of the Japanese mourning tradition, which is 49 days after a person’s passing.
The future of the Iwata Asks interviews remains up in the air, and it is highly unlikely the new president Tatsumi Kimishima, will take on Iwata’s role as Nintendo’s public face. Still, for fans of Nintendo, Iwata, and the Directs, this news is a certain comfort.
