Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa briefly addressed the issue of video game addiction during a recent investor Q&A and outlined one or two steps he believes can help combat the problem. "I think the problem of game addiction is more about becoming overly dependent on video games than is about any issues with the games themselves," he said. "One thing we have done as a company that creates games is to implement features that allow parents to limit the time that...
Nintendo
Shuntaro
Furukawa
Representative Director / President
Five years in as the sixth president of the famed Japanese gaming company, Furukawa has made Nintendo a force in the Switch era. The joint handheld and home console shipped more than 132 million units as of September, making it the third bestselling game system after the Nintendo DS and all-timer PlayStation 2. Despite its 2017 launch, the Switch has frequently led quarterly sales over the newer PS5 and Xbox Series consoles and now offers an OLED model, but its exclusives remain the biggest draw. “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” has sold close to 20 million units since its May release. Combined with the $1.36 billion success of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” in April, net sales for the first half of Nintendo’s fiscal year ending in September were the best since the Switch launched. October’s “Super Mario Bros. Wonder” 2D platformer was critically lauded as well, selling 4.3 million in its first two weeks, extending the hot streak of Nintendo’s biggest brand. “Wonder” won best family game at the Game Awards alongside best action and adventure game for “Tears of the Kingdom.”
