Iwata isn't Nintendo's problem. It's Miyamoto

[Ohio Joe]

Satoru Iwata's job is on the line. You can tell that it is, because he's been forced to say that he's hanging on to it. Not long ago, this situation would have been inconceivable. Nintendo's president and CEO since 2002, Iwata turned the drifting company around with the explosive success of the DS and Wii consoles, innovating in touch and motion control, exploring new markets, and outstripping the sales of his megacorp rivals at Microsoft and Sony.

But now Nintendo is facing a situation even worse than it did in the early 2000s. 3DS is underperforming, Wii U is a flop, the company is predicting its third annual loss in a row and its stock has slumped. Commentators are calling for Iwata's head, pointing to Nintendo's quixotic strategies, tattered third-party relationships and ineffective marketing.

But perhaps - to think the unthinkable - there is another famous figurehead at Nintendo who is holding the company back; a man regarded for decades as its most valuable asset. I'm talking about the legendary game designer, the creator of Mario, and general manager of the famed EAD development teams: Shigeru Miyamoto. Lately, he hasn't been doing his job so well.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-01-25-iwata-isnt-nintendos-problem-its-miyamoto

I think this is a pretty good article of what problems Nintendo is facing right now.

[Bjorn Against]

1. I think the problem is not so much Miyamoto as it is the company relying too heavily on Miyamoto

Miyamoto is a great developer despite the fact that his recent games have not been as innovative as his earlier games, but he is just one person and only has time to work on a small number of games. Nintendo has not done well in attracting third parties so they have build their entire console around first party software and Miyamoto can not create enough games to support the console.

I really think Nintendo needs to go third party, their games would sell much better on Playstation and XBox than they would on a console that no one is buying.

[Reter]

2. Shigeru Miyamoto should be the CEO

Like him or not, he's the most famous game designer to ever live, and even in 1,000 years, he'll still hold that title.