Nintendo has finally announced that their new CEO, and successor to Satoru Iwata will be Tatsumi Kimishima.  This is a bit of a surprise, as Shigeru Miyamoto and Genyo Takeda had been sharing the duties in the mean time, and some had been expecting one or the other to take the top spot in the company.  With the decision made, and looking at all the pieces and how they look to be laid out, this seems to be a good choice.

You need a Business Person to run a business

As I’ve detailed before, when you have creative people in charge, sometimes important things can get ignored, at least till they’re emergencies.  At that point, everyone is putting their effort to fixing the emergencies rather than their work.  Tatsumi Kimishima is a businessman first, and looks to be well suited to taking care of those concerns.  If nothing else, 20+ years experience in banking should show that he can take care of the money pretty well.  Everything I’ve seen indicates that he is not interested in taking the company in some bold, new direction, making waves, or otherwise using the position as a vehicle for his ego.  There’s been no sign that he has a need to put his fingerprint on the industry.  He has stated that he intends to follow through with Satoru Iwata’s plans for at least a year.  Considering that this includes Nintendo’s entry into the mobile market, the “quality of life” initiative, and the development of the NX console, this is almost certainly the correct approach.  He has even stated intent to continue Nintendo Direct.  Though, I doubt they will star him personally.

There are two images of his face in this article. They are the only two images of him that display what could be called a “smile” that I could find. I don’t think he’s here to screw around.

Nintendo did not look for another Satoru Iwata

I haven’t made my admiration of Satoru Iwata a secret.  I would say that it is incredibly rare to find someone like him, who could handle himself in the trenches coding, be a visionary in management, and by all accounts just be a wonderful person to be around as well.  Putting effort into finding someone to be another Iwata is a waste of effort as you will almost certainly not find them.  Instead, Nintendo was looking for someone to maintain the course already laid out.  I would guess the possibility of the current appointee being temporary, or transitional was discussed, and with Kimishima, there seems to be flexibility for that.

Shigeru Miyamoto not being the CEO is a good thing

The popular theory that Shigeru Miyamoto would take the reigns of the company is one with a lot of sentimental cachet.  The idea of the man behind Mario, Zelda, and so many other huge portions of Nintendo’s history rising to assume control after the passing of his friend really does resonate.  Unfortunately that idea would probably be falling into the trap of the Peter Principle.

Shigeru Miyamoto is a creative person, and is capable of contributing the most while in that position.  He has also never, to my knowledge, demonstrated any particular skill in managing a large company.  In fact, his personal philosophy seems to go against what would be needed.  While speaking with Time he said the following:

“I have explained—in regard to entertainment in general—that if development of products that thrive on creative uniqueness is dictated by those who prioritize sales and profits, the possibilities for the future of entertainment will be limited,” says Miyamoto.

“So, what should we do in order to avoid it? I agree that as your question implies, the answer might be at odds with the nature of large business organizations. But at Nintendo we continue to endeavor to make such innovation possible, and we are constantly working on new ideas. If we manage to deliver them, I hope everyone will compliment our efforts.”

Time.com – 7 Fascinating Insights from Nintendo’s Gaming Genius Shigeru Miyamoto

So, instead of Miyamoto being thrust into a role he’s not suited for, taking him away from his creative inputs, and therefore reducing the creative output of the company, he is being kept in place and we will still be able to enjoy the fruits of his fertile imagination.  At the same time, he is staying in a position to help nurture future generations of creative developers.  He is exactly where he needs to be, and where he should be already.

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