Perrin Kaplan on Zelda, going Viral, and strangulations

GameSpy managed to sit down with Nintendo’s Vice-President of Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Perrin Kaplan. Below are some of the more intriguing portions of the interview.

When asked about the success of the Wii over the holidays and which particular title is responsible for Wii’s success thus far, Kaplan attributes the success to the combination of Wii Sports and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Both titles provided avenues of enjoyment for both enthusiasts and those new to gaming. Kaplan explains:

All the people who are core gamers bought Zelda, and that’s a pretty wide group. But you, the enthusiasts, experienced Wii Sports too, since it was packed in with the system. So I have to say it was two different audiences that the games appealed to, which combined to lead to a successful launch lineup.

When asked about the affect of the PS3 launch on the Wii’s launch, Kaplan noted the different approaches that Sony and Nintendo had when it came to managing their launch. She also credits the fact that Nintendo was prepared for their Wii launch, citing years of experience. She even takes time to make a nice (friendly) jab at Sony’s launch:

Well, we didn’t have anyone in line that got shot waiting for our system. So there’s one sign of the different approaches between our two companies. I think that there were really two different audiences. The core gamer probably went out and tried to purchase both systems. I think Sony’s efforts were in trying to get the core gamer to accept and adopt it, which for them in the PS2 era, spread to the mass consumer. I think we were just really prepared. Years of experience doing this ensured that we would have a very good launch.

When asked how Nintendo plans to keep the momentum going, Kaplan says that, at least on the marketing side, Nintendo has a lot of “viral” stuff planned. When asked what “viral” entails, she notes that a lot of it involves support for things – Wii party sites, Wii fitness programs, Wii-kittys, Mii parades on MySpace, etc. – that have taken off on their own. She does emphasize though that they’ll be very upfront if the particular movement is theirs or not, unlike the infamous All I Want For Christmas Is a PSP campaign.

I don’t like to take shots at what Sony does, because every company has its imperfections, and I believe their intention was a good one. But Nintendo will never try to fool the consumers. We will always be up front and very transparent. If we’re appearing somewhere, we’re going to say it’s us. And if it’s not us, we’ll let you know that too.

We’ll close this with a little quote regarding the upcoming Rockstar Games violence-fest that is Manhunt 2. When asked if we’re somehow going to see Wiimote “strangulations” in the near future, Kaplan responds by saying: “Let me just say that I hope most consumers’ minds don’t go where yours just went!”

For the whole interview, feel free to click our read link below. Oh, and when Manhunt 2 does come out, please don’t get too carried away folks.

GameSpy managed to sit down with Nintendo’s Vice-President of Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Perrin Kaplan. Below are some of the more intriguing portions of the interview.

When asked about the success of the Wii over the holidays and which particular title is responsible for Wii’s success thus far, Kaplan attributes the success to the combination of Wii Sports and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Both titles provided avenues of enjoyment for both enthusiasts and those new to gaming. Kaplan explains:

All the people who are core gamers bought Zelda, and that’s a pretty wide group. But you, the enthusiasts, experienced Wii Sports too, since it was packed in with the system. So I have to say it was two different audiences that the games appealed to, which combined to lead to a successful launch lineup.

When asked about the affect of the PS3 launch on the Wii’s launch, Kaplan noted the different approaches that Sony and Nintendo had when it came to managing their launch. She also credits the fact that Nintendo was prepared for their Wii launch, citing years of experience. She even takes time to make a nice (friendly) jab at Sony’s launch:

Well, we didn’t have anyone in line that got shot waiting for our system. So there’s one sign of the different approaches between our two companies. I think that there were really two different audiences. The core gamer probably went out and tried to purchase both systems. I think Sony’s efforts were in trying to get the core gamer to accept and adopt it, which for them in the PS2 era, spread to the mass consumer. I think we were just really prepared. Years of experience doing this ensured that we would have a very good launch.

When asked how Nintendo plans to keep the momentum going, Kaplan says that, at least on the marketing side, Nintendo has a lot of “viral” stuff planned. When asked what “viral” entails, she notes that a lot of it involves support for things – Wii party sites, Wii fitness programs, Wii-kittys, Mii parades on MySpace, etc. – that have taken off on their own. She does emphasize though that they’ll be very upfront if the particular movement is theirs or not, unlike the infamous All I Want For Christmas Is a PSP campaign.

I don’t like to take shots at what Sony does, because every company has its imperfections, and I believe their intention was a good one. But Nintendo will never try to fool the consumers. We will always be up front and very transparent. If we’re appearing somewhere, we’re going to say it’s us. And if it’s not us, we’ll let you know that too.

We’ll close this with a little quote regarding the upcoming Rockstar Games violence-fest that is Manhunt 2. When asked if we’re somehow going to see Wiimote “strangulations” in the near future, Kaplan responds by saying: “Let me just say that I hope most consumers’ minds don’t go where yours just went!”

For the whole interview, feel free to click our read link below. Oh, and when Manhunt 2 does come out, please don’t get too carried away folks.