Nintendo loves "insatiable" hardcore

By Robert Purchese Published 13 May, 2009

But doesn't ever want to satisfy it.

Nintendo of America bigwig Denise Kaigler has cheekily admitted she doesn't want hardcore gamers' appetites to ever be satisfied on Wii, because then she would have nothing to do.

"I will give you that hardcore gamers have an insatiable appetite for everything Nintendo, and we love that! We love that," she told Bitmob. "When we get to a point where core gamers say, 'OK, Nintendo, enough! We don't need any more games from you guys...' None of us wants to be put in that position, right?

"We don't want your appetite to ever be satisfied, because when we satisfy you, it's time for us to go, 'OK! Let's go on home now!' And none of us wants to go home.

"So there's this sort of fun relationship, I think, that's happening between Nintendo and the hardcore gamer, which we enjoy and hope that the core gamer enjoys it," she added.

Kaigler said the unveiling of Zelda: Spirit Tracks at GDC was Satoru Iwata's way of saying, "Yes, Nintendo wants you to know that we are absolutely still committed to providing game experience that you care about."

She also challenged the "hardcore" and "core" labels, and asked if we liked being told what told enjoy.

"Or do you want to be part of a broader community that wants to have fun, that wants to be surprised, that wants to have this immersive experience in games that you can't find any place else?" she said.

Feed us, Denise, we're hungry.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (89) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • SYS64738 #1 3 years ago

    And then she started throwing cats at people...

  • Eraysor #2 3 years ago

    "I'm a marketing crackjob!"

  • Wastelander #3 3 years ago

    /picard

  • Ninja_Tino #4 3 years ago

    Psycho! And wrong.

  • kinky_mong #5 3 years ago

    Sorry Denise, I got fed up of banging my dinner bowl against the door waiting to be fed that I went next door to lovely Mr. Microsoft's house where I get overfed and given chocolate buttons every time I give the puppy dog expression.

    How much further can I strain this metaphor?

  • Freek #6 3 years ago

    Why oh why do they keep on insisting they want the hardcore fanboys on board?? They're money is being made in the casual market, accept that and move on.

  • Domovoi #7 3 years ago

    I wonder how Denise's relationships work. "I love you so much, and I don't ever want you to get bored with me and leave, so I'll completely ignore you."

  • Steroyd #8 3 years ago

    This puts any spin from Sony into perspective...

    If I'm to understand this right, if I enjoy too many games on PS3 eventually I'll get so satisfied with so many games that i'll never go and ask Sony for more games?

    Sure the context of the article means she was in jest?

    ...Right?

    ......RIGHT!?

  • owl #9 3 years ago

    denise kaigler confusing love with stockholm syndrome up in here
    Edited by 1 at 13/05/09 @ 15:16

  • spookyzombie #10 3 years ago

    She's so wrong.

  • The_Inquisitor #11 3 years ago

    Nintendo, you can go now. I don't care...

  • Triggerhappytel #12 3 years ago

    The only relationship between Nintendo and the hardcore audience is that the former completely ignores the latter while trying to convince them otherwise.

  • SYS64738 #13 3 years ago

    Let's wait and see what Nintendo is going to 'cook up' for the hardcore...

    "Hardcore chef xtreme - killa edition"

  • DaDon123456 #14 3 years ago

    'Sorry Denise, I got fed up of banging my dinner bowl against the door waiting to be fed that I went next door to lovely Mr. Microsoft's house where I get overfed and given chocolate buttons every time I give the puppy dog expression.'

    Quality mate.

  • neilka #15 3 years ago

    You quite literally couldn't make it up.

  • menage #16 3 years ago

    Like gamers will ever get enough.

  • Slabbathepave #17 3 years ago

    Not even a handjob?

  • FenderMaster #18 3 years ago

    do these nintendo reps really believe the garbage they're spouting?

    2008: SSBB, Mario Kart and.... um.... Animal Crossing 1.05? Wii ****ing Music

    2009: GC Remakes?

    2010: replay you're old games year! remember those 4 good games we released in 2006 and 2007? well you should play 'em again! we're sure you'll enjoy them just as much the second time!!

    I can understand not wanting to overfeed us, Zelda is stale enough as it is, yearly updates would only inspire ennui, but Wii owners are ****ing starving, throw em a morsel you heartless fiends!!

    so there you have it, rather than releasing loads of core games, they aren't releasing any, because if they did theres a danger that... um... core gamer might... be satisfied?

    i think 2008 was just some sinister conspiracy, designed to lower gamer expectations from nintendo, so that their new lower quality output would seem more palatable...

    oh, and SSBB sucked!!

  • bluem4gic #19 3 years ago

    Zelda Thomas the Tank engine more like

  • Golgo #20 3 years ago

    WTF is this silly cow on about?!

  • Eraysor #21 3 years ago

    Brawl was good, but I unlocked every character and stage in two days, whereas I had Melee for about 6 years and never unlocked everything despite playing it far more. They made Brawl too easy :(

  • FenderMaster #22 3 years ago

    oh, and isn't it funny, the laws of diminishing returns?

    After the SNES, evereyone thought the N64 had a lack of games

    After the N64 everyone thought the GC had a lack of games

    Now with the Wii, people are starting to say, Hey... The GC wasn't so bad after all!

    I dread to see how bade the next console is...

  • Razz #23 3 years ago

    Avert your eyes if you're sensitive to swearing.

    After reading those quotes all I can think is "What a fucking stupid cunt."

  • BadBoyBonner #24 3 years ago

    Rob Purchase

    "if we liked being told what told enjoy."

  • hiddenranbir #25 3 years ago

    Broader community ftw.

  • MORZTAN #26 3 years ago

    Now now.

    She may spout shit, but let's see what happens at E3.

    I swear though, if they pull a 2008 again, I'm of the bandwagon

  • Domovoi #27 3 years ago

    You quite literally couldn't make it up.

    Well, she could, because obviously what she's saying is a complete fabrication.

  • drumbaby #28 3 years ago

    No chance of them satisfying my appetite...or even piqueing my interest, for that matter. Silly toy-making twots.

  • SimonM7 #29 3 years ago

    A person who's starving isn't "insatiable". This statement is just adding insult to injury.

  • BartonFink #30 3 years ago

    /mega joey

  • redlander #31 3 years ago

    Fantastic first post!!

  • BartonFink #32 3 years ago

    "When we get to a point where core gamers say, 'OK, Nintendo, enough! We don't need any more games from you guys...' None of us wants to be put in that position, right?

    It will be more like 'OK, Nintendo, enough! We have waited long enough ... why don't you fuck right off now'

  • DFawkes #33 3 years ago

    There's a difference between making people satisfied and watching them all just leave for other machines. Sure, I'll stick with the Wii since there are good games there, but it really is difficult finding some of them in the shops, when there are shelves of Carnival Games instead!

  • BartonFink #34 3 years ago

    Ah now I get it Denise has anorexia ... explains her idea of feeding us

  • Domovoi #35 3 years ago

    Actually, the rest of that interview is pretty amazing too. I definitely love this bit:

    Kaigler: Are you saying that we don't have any games for the core audience on the market right now?
    Bitmob: Some. They're pretty sporadic. There's Mario Galaxy, Smash Brothers, sure, but...
    Kaigler: We came out with so many -- [snaps fingers] title after title after title last year. You named them all, boom boom-boom boom-boom! And still it's, "Where are all the games for the core?" And it's like, "C'mon, c'mon!"
    Bitmob: Do you feel like you're in a no-win situation?
    Kaigler: You just named them all!

    I love how she admits that there are only two games for the core audience, but still insists it's "boom boomb boom title after title", with fingersnapping.

    Think the reality of this story is that she has been asked the question "when are you going to satisfy hardcore gamers needs?". In that context, obviously, you never want to fully satisfy your customerbase, you always want them coming back for more. So it is a fair response

    Yeah, except if you read the interview that wasn't really the context. It actually was "When are you going to make more games for the core audience?"
    Edited by 1 at 13/05/09 @ 16:22

  • BartonFink #36 3 years ago

    It's called delusional - much like anorexia ;)
    Edited by 1 at 13/05/09 @ 16:29

  • s3y3 #37 3 years ago

    That is wrong and stupid in equal measure.

  • owl #38 3 years ago

    well, today i downloaded super mario world on the virtual console, how d'ya like them apples?

  • gav_and_the_gavster #39 3 years ago

    Nintendo have to be careful - Microsoft and Sony are no doubt eyeing up the casual market right now and will soon have the best of both worlds. Nintendo doesn't seem interested in both customer types right now and they should 'cos soon they're going to have some big companies taking some big bites out of their lovely (currently exclusive but not for long) pie. Fight back Nintendo dammit - so many great IP's just rotting away, it's frustrating as hell!

  • wittynic #40 3 years ago

    Wow. That is some really spectacular self-delusion. "hardcore gamers LIKE having to wait for actual GAMES to come out!"

    So, SO glad i stuck to my 2nd hand GC to enjoy Twilight Princess, and know enough wii owners to enjoy some BRawl every now and then. I'd be so pissed if i'd wasted money on a Wii.

  • LowEnergyCycle #41 3 years ago

    "So there's this sort of fun relationship, I think, that's happening between Nintendo and the hardcore gamer"

    Fun?! How is it fun? Skant little "core" games squashed under the weight of several tonnes of vapid mini-game shovel-ware?

    You think wrong, lady. Most of us think you're a bunch of money-sucking twats.

  • Xerx3s #42 3 years ago

    This article absolutely made my day. I almost fell out of the chair laughing.

  • geeza2020 #43 3 years ago

    man, that girl has some serious issues! Does she live in the same world as us?

  • seasidebaz #44 3 years ago

    Nintendo of America bigwig Denise Kaigler has cheekily admitted she doesn't want hardcore gamers' appetites to ever be satisfied on Wii

    Thank fuck for that! Means Darkfall will never appear on a Nintendo machine :D

  • wittynic #45 3 years ago

    just read the full interview, and she actually comes across as if she is joking. Even for a game exec that is an incredibly blinkered view.

    Denise:"Would you rather be pigeon-holed?"

    "yes"

    Denise:"but then you wouldn't be able to play Lets Tap!"

    "i dont want to"

    Denise:(confused grin)"...Yes, you do!"

    " i dont. i want a new zelda game!"

    Denise: "no you dont, it keeps you excited NOT having a new Zelda game!

    "...What?"

  • Grayvern #46 3 years ago

    Yes it's bizzare, yes it's wrongheaded. But some of the sexist comments don't come across as jokes, not that the jokes are in any way a good thing either.
    Edited by 1 at 13/05/09 @ 17:10

  • Farzlepot #47 3 years ago

    Nintendo's next big game must involve some kind of LSD usage I guess.

  • Eraysor #48 3 years ago

    From the interview:

    They put Wii Music up, and I picked the different instruments, and I had so much fun! And they didn't say anything. For one thing, they speak Japanese and I don't. Few of them spoke English, so we wouldn't have had that ease of communication anyway. I was in that room maybe half an hour to 45 minutes rockin' out to Wii Music.

    From there, they went back to Mr. Miyamoto, relayed the excitement and fun that I genuinely had with the game, and I get an email from NCL [Nintendo Co., Ltd.] two weeks later asking if I would be part of his demo finale at E3 because I'd had a genuine response to the game.

    It's pretty hilarious to see her trying to make Wii Music sound amazing, and you tell she was trying hard to get some sort of promotion by being a super-suck up.

  • THATinkjar #49 3 years ago

    "Fun relationship"...

    ...well, it is certainly more fun than playing my Wii!

  • special_move #50 3 years ago

    Can some one tell Nintendo that the Emperor has no clothes on?

    It's getting embarrassing now...

  • Raz76 #51 3 years ago

    Did she happen to crack a whip at any time during the interview?

  • secombe #52 3 years ago

    They aren't half the company they use to be in the 80's/90's.

    That's correct, but not in the way you think it is.

  • patchbox360 #53 3 years ago

    fact is she is right

  • Cadence #54 3 years ago

    Is she fit though?

  • Cadence #55 3 years ago

    Just checked, and the answer is a definite no
    Edited by 2 at 13/05/09 @ 17:52

  • Smoped #56 3 years ago

    Back when he was the Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics Stan Lee used to say "never give the fans what they want", which I agree with, and I think that was the sentiment she was going for, but somehow managed to make it sound really dumb. The idea there is basically that if you bend over backwards trying to please and second-guess fans you'll just end up hurting the product because the fans as a group don't know what's best for them anyway. Of course that doesn't mean not keeping the fans satisfied but rather satisfying them in ways they hadn't thought possible. Or something.

  • macmurphy #57 3 years ago

  • macmurphy #58 3 years ago

  • macmurphy #59 3 years ago

  • bad09 #60 3 years ago

    "Nintendo's next big game must involve some kind of LSD usage I guess."

    Would make the Wii more fun for gamers I guess....

  • Farfarer #61 3 years ago

    Well, being insatiable is fair enough...

    ...but how about at least a snack or some light nibbles?

  • makeamazing #62 3 years ago

    Hardcore and Nintendo dont mix... shes not the lady who went on about no need for a hard disk etc is she?

  • Domovoi #63 3 years ago

    I have no idea what I like the best out of that interview. The insane rock climbing game and her justification for the bit with the guitar, the bit where she keeps insisting there's only two games for the core audience, the moment she's surprised when the interviewer actually agrees with something she's saying... it's just a hilarious neverending circus of marketing nonsense.

  • FenderMaster #64 3 years ago

    Man, gamers sure do hate Nintendo right now...

    Then again, with the crap Cammy, Reggie or Densie or spouting these days it's no wonder. They're seriously deluding themselves or more likely, covering their ears and shouting louder than the interviewers in the stupid hope that they can cover up the extreme dearth of good games on the Wii...

  • VandelayIndustries #65 3 years ago

    "I will give you that hardcore gamers have an insatiable appetite for everything Nintendo, and we love that! We love that,"

    &

    "When we get to a point where core gamers say, 'OK, Nintendo, enough! We don't need any more games from you guys...' None of us wants to be put in that position, right?"

    &

    "We don't want your appetite to ever be satisfied, because when we satisfy you, it's time for us to go, 'OK! Let's go on home now!' And none of us wants to go home."

    &

    "So there's this sort of fun relationship, I think, that's happening between Nintendo and the hardcore gamer, which we enjoy and hope that the core gamer enjoys it,"

    All of which she said through a smile so forced, it bordered on a grimace.
    Edited by 1 at 13/05/09 @ 18:21

  • matrim83 #66 3 years ago

    I wonder where Nintendo will stand in 5 years or so. The Wii will continue to sell superbly this generation but I doubt all the casual gamers would line up for a Wii2 in 5 years from now. Not unless it offers something more than motion controls. And they way they are going right now they are pretty much pushing their core fanbase towards MS and Sony.

    So where to in 5 years. Retire off the Wii money?

  • Coughthulu #67 3 years ago

    It appears Denise was VP of "global communications and talent" at Reebok a mere 3 years ago.

    Yep, that makes her perfect to know what core gamers want. So basically, she's so good at spin, Ninty hired her to try and make it sound like they're doing what gamers want.

    Shame it hasn't worked.

  • Canyarion #68 3 years ago

    I like Nintendo, but her argumentation is pathetic.

  • yagisencho #69 3 years ago

    Denise, you shameless tease, you. *gigglesnort*

  • peterfll #70 3 years ago

    What a silly moo.

    I'm SO in the wrong job...

  • NeonStorm #71 3 years ago

    What an absolute state. Sorry but it's gonna take more than 5 GAMES in 2 AND A HALF YEARS before I'm borderline satisfied. This woman's gotta talk to Frank.

  • Rodchenko #72 3 years ago

    Crazy Ken just got dethroned

  • MARKIV #73 3 years ago

    How the fuck would a women ever understand hardcore gaming!

  • ChoedanKal #74 3 years ago

    She can't possibly be allowed by management to say anything else and neither would she since that would be plain stupid...

    If she did say the big N didn't care about the hardcore gamer that could be disastrous for nintendo.

    Just imagine Big N:s entire hardcore audience jumping ship to Sony and Microsoft...

    But I never would!
    Edited by 2 at 14/05/09 @ 00:20

  • man.the.king #75 3 years ago

    I think the link to the full interview is wrong. It leads to "page not found".

    Here's the link to the full interview (it's hilarious) on BitMob if you need any more entertainment than EG's paraphrasing/comments.
    Edited by 1 at 14/05/09 @ 01:31

  • man.the.king #76 3 years ago

    I think MattDamon is trying to divert attention from the bungle his favorite company made ( see his profile and games collection ) to Sony and the PS3 : )

  • smelly #77 3 years ago

    This thread:

    360 owners : boo hoo, wii sucks.. its not fair!
    wii owners : no it doesnt suck.

    and the loop continues.

  • spammage #78 3 years ago

    I'm Sold. I want a console that promotes shovelware over games with good production and quality values! New Mario title or "Wave Your Arms Around Wildly vol 4", tough choice...

    Does this mean that Nintendo strategy is to continue as it has been? Also reads "We only really pretend to care about games, we've got Miyamoto so we can rely on him to keep the people who remember what Nintendo was before it was a seller of glorified weighing scales"

    Fuck off Nintendo, you can ram it for all I care.

  • Madder-Max #79 3 years ago

    is she on drugs?

  • Domovoi #80 3 years ago

    She can't possibly be allowed by management to say anything else and neither would she since that would be plain stupid...
    If she did say the big N didn't care about the hardcore gamer that could be disastrous for nintendo.

    There's a difference between saying "We still care for the hardcore gamer, and titles like X, Y and Z, and some upcoming titles I can't talk about that demonstrate that" (even if that's a lie) and saying "Boom boom boom, we ship hardcore title after title after title! C'mon! Yes, those two are it, yeah, and we've only released so few of them because hardcore gamers want to wait two years for another good title, they like that relationship with us!"

  • cawley1 #81 3 years ago

    Having read all the above posts it amazes me that so many of you don't seem to get it...

    Nintendo has pretty much spent (with the exception of handhelds) since 1996 in the wilderness in terms of real commercial success, having watched the PS1 and PS2 domiate everything in their path.
    Now they are making big bucks again, and are market leaders, something they have not been in Japan since the Super Famicom.

    While this woman is clearly a nob-head, and as much as I miss the old ways of the company as many of you clearly do, nobody should be surprised that while casual gaming is being such a success for them they are not going to sink $$$ into developing games for a limited market compared to the one they are currently focusing on.

    It remains to be seen what happens after the Wii/DS era, but I don't think they will have major trouble staying top of their new casual game, despite what MS or Sony may throw at them, people once again associate Nintendo with videogames, just not the type of videogames most of us enjoy.

  • Domovoi #82 3 years ago

    Having read all the above posts it amazes me that so many of you don't seem to get it...

    It amazes me that you don't seem to get all those posts. Nobody's disputing that they're succesful at making and selling stuff for the casual market, and that it's working out for them. They're disputing what this woman is saying, which is clearly nonsense.

  • AgentCool #83 3 years ago

    Too little, too late. I've pretty much given up on the Wii. It is, without question, the worst console I've owned in terms of quality software in over 20 years of gaming. It's certainly the only console I can think of that I simply wouldn't be able to live with as my only source of gaming. Even the Dreamcast had substantially more quality titles than the Wii currently has and that was only around in Europe for 2 years.

  • Lin #84 3 years ago

    where's my new starfox or f-zero game huh?

  • Dan234 #85 3 years ago

    I think NOA have been taken over by some kind of sect, probably the masons. Practically everyone who's anyone there has no experience whatsoever in the videogame industry, which you might have thought was a basic requisite.

    Instructions, hardware, and games are all parachuted in from Japan anyway, so the least they could do is have one person there who speaks the same language as a fairly important section of their market. Important not in terms of size but these people will supposedly carry on buying games and the next generation of hardware when everyone else has got bored of Wii Sports.

  • megarust #86 3 years ago

    He loves that we're malnourished, it's great

  • Ryze #87 3 years ago

    Fuck off, Denise - you talk shit.

    Deliver the decent games, or fuck off if you think I'm buying in...

  • Kami #88 3 years ago

    The problem isn't in what she said though, the problem lies in the fact she's kind of right. The hardcore Nintendo fanatics WILL hold on and wait for any scrape of new material of their favourite games. This is the same for any fans of a series (I succumbed to Resident Evil 5 fever and I wish I hadn't...).

    But we don't want the truth I guess. It's much nicer to be oblivious and take it quietly up the rump from them.

  • Stompy #89 3 years ago

    "The hardcore Nintendo fanatics WILL hold on and wait for any scrape of new material of their favourite games."

    Abso-fucking-lutely. I think it makes sense to make less games for each of Sony, MS, and Nintendo. Gamers will wait around to buy 'em and, if more 'starved' of entertainment, buy new rather than second hand.
    'Core' gamers have so much to play (sequels, knockoffs, and repetitions - and I'm not just talking about Nintendo) that they end up getting a lot of it 2nd hand because they can't play it all on release. I don't see how this benefits anybody.