When you think of Nintendo of America, the first thing that might come to mind is their well-known Redmond, Washington building, which effectively serves as the headquarters for that branch of the company and is where all the localizations take place. You might not have known that Nintendo also has a number of other buildings dotted around the United States and Canada, which serve as sales and marketing offices. In a sudden decision, however, Nintendo has closed two of those offices--the ones in Toronto, Ontario, and Redwood City, California specifically. The news appears to come as somewhat of a surprise, not just to the public, but also to the employees at those respective Nintendo locations, as an anonymous source at Kotaku claims that the now displaced staff--about 100 former employees--are upset at this decision. According to a statement from Nintendo, some of that staff will be kept on and instead moved to the Redmond and Vancouver locations.

The office closures also come with the resignation of Nintendo of America's SVP of Sales and Marketing, Nick Chavez, a role once held by the current president of NOA, Doug Bowser. An update to Chavez's LinkedIn profile shows that after years of working at Nintendo, he will be moving to Yum! Brands, where he'll be in the sales and marketing department for Kentucky Fried Chicken. With his departure, Devon Pritchard will be the new SVP of Sales and Marketing.

Nintendo of America headquarters are in Redmond, WA, and Vancouver, BC. We are moving more of our employees and operations into those headquarters and will be closing small satellite offices in Toronto, ON, and Redwood City, CA, over time.

Devon Pritchard, Executive Vice President, Business Affairs and Publisher Relations for Nintendo of America (NOA), will assume interim leadership of Sales, Marketing and Communications following the departure of Nick Chavez. Ms. Pritchard will oversee strategy and execution of sales, marketing and communications across the U.S. and Canada.

Source

 

[ElSasori69]

Guess there's another reason to not hipe Nintendo that much.

 

[Izual Urashima]

Isn't the localization group a seperate group from NoA?

It came from NoA, and their translations still need validation from NoA to be inserted into the games.

 

[NexMaxu]

NOA down bad

 

[Dr_Faustus]

You guys shouldn't have pirated Dread this hard you know!

Joking aside, I would not at all be surprised if the shakeup in marketing had anything to do with the recent mass disapproval of the new Online expansion pack service. Which apparently now serves as Nintendo's most disliked video on their Youtube and still seems to be flooding with plenty of issues and hate from its fans/users.

If that was all a marketing call, then those heads will need to roll to fix up the expectations they failed to keep with their core audience. After all, at the end of the day, Marketing folk are probably the most soulless in a company.

 

[djnate27]

It depends on your severance package - I personally know a guy who celebrated being laid off.

Oh, I had a very nice severance package. I'd still rather have had that job. After a decade I still haven't found one I loved as much.

 

[DonCaballero]

Joking aside, I would not at all be surprised if the shakeup in marketing had anything to do with the recent mass disapproval of the new Online expansion pack service. Which apparently now serves as Nintendo's most disliked video on their Youtube and still seems to be flooding with plenty of issues and hate from its fans/users.

If that was all a marketing call, then those heads will need to roll to fix up the expectations they failed to keep with their core audience. After all, at the end of the day, Marketing folk are probably the most soulless in a company.

I think it is possible, they read the market very poorly for that and they never managed to make the package seems like a premium. Instead of getting a free Animal Crossing DLC, you're FORCED to get Animal Crossing or the subscription just flat out isn't worth it. While marketing did fumble it, at the end of the day it's a business decision. They forced it too hard. Scapegoating the people at California to protect glorious nippon steel isn't by itself a move I disagree with out of principle, but I do hope it leads to some modicum of self reflection on how much money they can suckerpunch out of the fanbase before the jig is up and people get restless.

 

[Spider_Man]

I guess recycling its old games, releasing cheap hardware and taking any tom dick and harry they can to court isnt paying off.

I guess they need to save some pennies to develop its new console that will need better hardware soon or else it will be ignored more by third parties as they shift their focus to the new hardware and theyve ran out of old titles they can port.

And dont cry snowflakes, before you jump to the rescue like the loyal die hard fanboys, i am taking the piss (though i wouldn't be surprised if theres a pinch of truth to it) lol.

I feel sorry for the workers, so close to Christmas too.

Nintendo need to start focusing on making great consoles and new titles than they do trying to find any excuse to take people to court.

 

[RedBlueGreen]

I guess recycling its old games, releasing cheap hardware and taking any tom dick and harry they can to court isnt paying off.

I guess they need to save some pennies to develop its new console that will need better hardware soon or else it will be ignored more by third parties as they shift their focus to the new hardware and theyve ran out of old titles they can port.

And dont cry snowflakes, before you jump to the rescue like the loyal die hard fanboys, i am taking the piss (though i wouldn't be surprised if theres a pinch of truth to it) lol.

I feel sorry for the workers, so close to Christmas too.

Nintendo need to start focusing on making great consoles and new titles than they do trying to find any excuse to take people to court.

The consoles are fine as long as we're not getting half assed ports made with UE4. Plenty of stuff that "shouldn't run" on Switch works because it's completely capable of running on it.

 

[impeeza]

They should take "that" 4.5M and save all these employee's jobs

 

[Spider_Man]

The consoles are fine as long as we're not getting half assed ports made with UE4. Plenty of stuff that "shouldn't run" on Switch works because it's completely capable of running on it.

How does that even make any sense, plenty of stuff that shouldnt run on switch works because its completely capable of running it.

Ehhh

So, when you take a game made with unreal engine, to you its not a half assed port when its had to be heavily dumbed down in order to run..... hence why its lacking majority of the new third party titles...... nintendo again promised to improve on.

And what we are getting are all the old third party ports they lacked from ps2/xboz upto ps4/360, that was built using a lower unreal engine.

If you are looking at games like doom eternal and thinking wow the switch shouldn't be able to run this, well erm, its not exactly hardware demanding, but when you compare it to the console versions, its very crap, your paying full whack to play a shit version.

And why is this, nintendo wants a cheap gimmick to print money, but also if they restrict third party devs, it leaves the market open to nintendos games selling better as it has less competition.

But they havent been arsed either, porting its same old crap, metroid was pretty shit to be honest, shame the one that actually looks good is been made by a different studio.

Hmmm, says it all.

Nintendo cant make great new consoles
Nintendo cant make great new games

I used to be a nintendo fan, nintendo used to be my only console, but when you wake up and realise your buying a new console to play the same recycled nintendo titles and games you already own or can buy for less without having to buy a new console.

Nintendo now only focus on cheap hardware and some bs gimmicks to brain wash its fans into thinking its something great.

Whats so innovative about the joycons that are prone to break just by looking at them and evem still after all these years, you have to be sat close to the tv or else your too far away for them to work.

Yet i can control my xbox downstairs while sat upstairs, again, nintendo and their cheap inferior hardware.

Even its new oled model is a joke to only gice 64gb internal, fuck me, thats what, 4 games.

 

[SG854]

Iwata literally took pay cuts to prevent anyone from losing their job when Nintendo was struggling. Nintendo isn’t even struggling these days, this was just a dick move from a company drifting further from what everyone used love them for.

Iwata was a real one

 

[RedBlueGreen]

So, when you take a game made with unreal engine, to you its not a half assed port when its had to be heavily dumbed down in order to run..... hence why its lacking majority of the new third party titles...... nintendo again promised to improve on.

Code optimization and lower resolution graphics really aren't "dumbing down" a game.

 

[FAST6191]

They should take "that" 4.5M and save all these employee's jobs

So assuming rent is free/no land tax/no operating costs of building/no retirement contributions/payroll tax/health insurance....
We will assume 40000 per year (kind of low but it is games so people seem stupid enough to take it).
40000 x 100 = 4 million.
So that is a year they would get from it.

 

[Viri]

Iwata literally took pay cuts to prevent anyone from losing their job when Nintendo was struggling. Nintendo isn’t even struggling these days, this was just a dick move from a company drifting further from what everyone used love them for.

I just wish they purged the Tree House or "restructured it". Putting "memes" in a game they weren't originally in, and Fire Emblem Fates is unforgivable.