As part of a recent interview, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser shared his thoughts on the remarkable success of the Nintendo Switch, its rumored successor, unionization at the company, and more.
Bowser’s remarks come just as the eagerly awaited Super Mario Bros. Wonder hits store shelves and the Nintendo eShop, delivering Mario’s first new side-scrolling outing in over a decade.
Nintendo’s Doug Bowser praises the Switch’s long lifespan and says employees have ‘the right to form a union’ if they desire.
The wide-ranging interview with Bowser published by Inverse sees the Nintendo of America president sharing his views on the iconic company’s long legacy and discussing how it plans to remain competitive in the market moving forward. Speaking about titles like the recently released Super Mario Bros. Wonder and 2021’s Metroid Dread, Bowser praised Nintendo’s low-pressure approach when working with its development teams. He cited a focus on releasing high-quality titles rather than rushing to meet arbitrary deadlines as key to the company’s success, stating that if Nintendo’s teams “need more time, they’ll take more time.”
The discussion also briefly touched on Nintendo’s efforts to preserve its history and backlog of games for future generations. In addition to opening a Nintendo museum in the coming years to showcase the company’s long legacy, Bowser stated that the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack ensures fans have access to many of the classic titles that made it a success.
Much of the interview was focused on the enduring success of the Nintendo Switch, with Bowser stating its success is due to the eclectic collection of content available on the platform. While acknowledging that the aging handheld isn’t a graphical powerhouse compared to its competitors, he stated that Nintendo is less interested in hardware specs than in what happens once players “start engaging in the gameplay experience.”
Although Bowser had little to share regarding the Switch’s successor, he hinted at the importance of Nintendo Accounts as the company transitions to new hardware. Noting that previous Nintendo devices all had separate account systems, he suggested that the unified Nintendo Account should benefit players if and when they decide to upgrade.
The interview closed with Bowser sharing his thoughts on the future of labor at Nintendo as the gaming industry slowly embraces unionization. Though he notes that the company doesn’t currently have unions, a fact that he attributes to high levels of job satisfaction among employees, he stops short of saying they would be unwelcome at Nintendo. Stating that “everyone has the right to form a union,” Bowser claims the company will respect employees’ decisions on the matter should it ever arise.
