The late Satoru Iwata was many things: a video game designer and programmer, computer science graduate, and, most notably, CEO and global president of Nintendo. Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom from Nintendo’s Legendary CEO is a biographical recount of his time with the company, and includes a collection of his business successes and motivational approaches. Originally published in Japan in 2019, the English translation was released earlier this week.
Per publisher VIZ Media, Ask Iwata “offers game fans and business leaders an insight into the leadership, development, and design philosophies of one of the most beloved figures in gaming history.” Also included are conversations with Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of the Zelda and Mario series and longtime colleague to Iwata.
Iwata was known for his somewhat unorthodox business philosophy that approached video game development and marketing with the idea that games should focus on novelty and entertainment rather than the latest graphical and hardware advancements. Nintendo benefited from this ideology, and Iwata is credited with assisting in the financial success during the Nintendo DS and Wii eras.
The title of the book is derived from Iwata’s interview series Iwata Asks, in which he would routinely interview key figures within Nintendo to discuss their involvement in current projects and various other industry topics. Many upcoming Zelda titles were featured in this series throughout the years, including:
- The Wind Waker HD
- Majora’s Mask 3D
- A Link Between Worlds
- Ocarina of Time 3D
- Skyward Sword
- Link’s Crossbow Training
- Twilight Princess
- Spirit Tracks
Nintendo Directs, now staples in Nintendo’s digital marketing campaigns, also began during Iwata’s tenure. Iwata was the executive producer of the series until his death in 2015 and often hosted international Directs in both Japanese and English.
Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom is available in both hardcover ($22.99 suggested retail) and digital ($15.99 suggested retail) editions from various retailers. In addition to English, the book is also being translated into nine other languages (French, Spanish, German, Russian, Italian, Korean, Hungarian, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese).
