After excitement swirled at news that Nintendo is to produce a movie, the company has denied that they have greenlit any plans.
Their comments came at their shareholder meeting, where president Tatsumi Kimishima and creative fellow Shigeru Miyamoto were asked to talk about how Nintendo are continuing to broaden their IP use.
“First let’s talk about the video business,” Kimishima began. “It’s less a venture into the movie business, and more a question of how we can utilise the Nintendo IP in video content as part of the broader effort to put our IP to practical use.
“If anyone wants to partner with us, we’ll hold discussions. The fact that there are many interested parties is something we’ve already mentioned. People are our most valuable management resource, and it is important to give employees opportunities to develop their skills and achieve personal growth. But when it comes to business in a completely new field, it is essential that we build relations with external partners.”
Miyamoto was asked to expand on his comments, continuing: “Video content is a really interesting area for us. Going forward, it is extremely important for Nintendo to move beyond the limits of game systems and make good use of its character resources in order for Nintendo not to be forgotten. Nintendo has a variety of characters. That one company has all the rights to so many characters is something that is recognized as unprecedented.
“To avoid any misunderstandings, we have never said that we will produce a movie. We have talked about our expansion into video and other areas, but we are not saying anything official about the details. What I can say is that video is one of the business areas where Nintendo is making good use of its IP.
“Three years ago I created an about 20-minute video content of Pikmin’s short movie, and just recently I made a 15-minute PR movie for Star Fox Zero. These were made in association with video production companies. We can make video content by mostly leveraging the knowledge and capabilities of outside companies. For the production of those two short films, I was basically the only person from Nintendo involved.
“Nintendo needs to make a lot more products, but when a company gets too big, it faces continual problems nurturing its employees. Besides video content, we have begun to provide Nintendo characters for theme park attractions through a basic agreement with Universal Parks & Resorts. By working on development with others outside of Nintendo, I am working actively to expand the number of Nintendo products. These projects will take time to bear fruit, but they are something to look forward to.”
