The question and answer portion of Nintendo’s investor meeting was paused when CEO Satoru Iwata punched a stockholder when they asked when Nintendo will start making smartphone games.
The stockholder first asked when Nintendo will start making smartphone games. Iwata simply replied, “Nintendo has no plans to make any smartphone games for Android or Apple devices. I encourage you to take a look at the Nintendo 3DS which has many portable games.”
Then the stockholder mentioned that many companies make a lot of money through microtransactions to which Iwata replied, “That may be true, but it often comes at the expense of gameplay. As a former developer who worked on many hit titles, if Nintendo games started down this road, quality would surely suffer. However, the Wii U does allow games with microtransactions on its eShop.”
The moderator then told the stockholder his time was up but he continued to ask questions anyway. Iwata did not seem to mind when he was told an anecdote from the stockholder about how his four-year-old daughter plays more games on his iPhone than on handhelds like the 3DS. Iwata told him, “Once your daughter grows up, I’m sure she will learn to appreciate the complexity and depth of games like Kid Icarus: Uprising and Super Mario 3D Land that can not be replicated on smartphones.”
Iwata maintained his composure throughout the questioning until the stockholder asked that since Nintendo would not make smartphone games that they should instead go third-party and make games for Sony. Iwata then charged the man and punched him in the face causing him to bleed. Security then escorted both men outside. The Q&A session then resumed with other Nintendo employees answering for Iwata.
The stockholder said afterwards that he is selling all of his Nintendo stock and is now investing in Zynga.
