NOA Sales & Marketing move fallout

[Gunmetal]

According to a Billy B at Game Informer, 90% of the staff at Nintendo's Sales & Marketing department have decided not to make the move with the Big N to another city, and have instead decided to quit the company.

http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/DBDBAA74-D8AD-4175-8286-3E54EB0494F1.htm

Perrin Kaplan and George Harrison are apparently among those who will be leaving the company. That's a shame as I think along with Peter Moore, Kaplan gives some of the best interviews around.

I imagine this will have some impact on Nintendo's future success with the Wii. Certainly, there's a very strong possibility that these people will be hired by Microsoft - there's a lot of market experience there - and will end up competing with Nintendo.

[zabuni]

I am at a loss to understand why such changes are taking place. Why bring change to a system that is already thrashing its opponents left and right? The team is good, the sales are good. How will moving to NY make anything better?

I can easily understand the selling off of the Nintendo Power property to some third party, as the influence and distribution of the magazine have dwindled. The only reasons I can see for NY are easy access to the marketing forces in the Big Apple, and a lack of space in Redmond currently. That doesn't seem like enough of a reason to destroy so much of a company.

[Mordrak]

I don't find it all that surprising that most wouldn't move, especially if they'd been working for Nintendo and in that area for a long time. It might be cheaper to just take the reverence and find new work, while keeping all the friendships and family ties you've built up.

[JD]

That's a shame as I think along with Peter Moore, Kaplan gives some of the best interviews around.
Really? I always thought that, compared to the other Nintendo officials, her interviews always were the least interesting ones. Hardly revealing anything that hadn't been announced already, hardly giving any insight into the vision of the company. She never came across as anything but your standard marketing person to me.

-Julian

P.S.: That's not meant to judge her general work at the company, of course.

[Matthew Gallant]

I hope the new people will be able to do something with the Registration Promotions page (http://www.nintendo.com//consumer/opr_promos.jsp) that's more interesting than a warranty extension or three free issues of Nintendo Power.

The best thing on that page over the last few years was actually the removal a couple of months ago of the offer for a free Custom Robo poster for the first 800 Canadians who registered the game. It had been up for literally years.

Ooh, a poster! If you're Canadian! Meanwhile Japan is getting stuff like replacement battery covers for your Wiimote with your Mii's face printed on it, an exclusive DS Lite carrying case, and a collection of every Game & Watch game ever ported onto a DS cart.

They probably are refusing to move because they don't understand simple concepts like "moving".

[TheTrunkDr]

Wow, 90% that seems like a really brain dead move. Why sack all that experience for a move? I can't honestly believe that whatever advantages are offered in NY or San Fran are worth losing that many experienced people.

[Chris Nahr]

Reggie sez (http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2007/06/nintendo_news_exclusive_reggie_fils-aime_interview.html) about 60% of the American PR staff will have to be replaced, but the move was necessary because Silicon Valley is close to game developers and publishers while New York is the place for media and stuff.

I guess that makes sense, given that there isn't much in Redmond other than Microsoft with whom Nintendo doesn't do any business. I do wonder if the Japanese management failed to provide decent compensation for the existing staff, expecting them to be loyal company soldiers just like in Japan...

[MyNameIsWill]

Really surprised to hear this too. Not sure how big of a loss it will be to the public Nintendo PR though since Reggie has been the "face" of the company since he came aboard.

[jfletch]

Really surprised to hear this too. Not sure how big of a loss it will be to the public Nintendo PR though since Reggie has been the "face" of the company since he came aboard.

Those other people did stuff, though, and I am sure more than a few of them were around a lot longer than Fils-Amie. Sure it might not affect their press conferences but that's not all a company is about. At least a good company.

[Rob_Merritt]

I keep reading this thread as "NMA Sales and marketing move against fallout." :(

[MyNameIsWill]

That's true but you could argue that Nintendo marketing/PR was pretty awful before he came aboard. I think he came in as VP Marketing and turned the company around.

It'll be a loss for the company, sure, but I don't think it will have a substantial impact to the publuc.