Satoru Iwata sadly left us in 2015, and following that tragic event there was a moment of emptiness and pain for both Nintendo employees, both for those who are passionate about gaming in general, regardless of their preferred platform. This is because the late Iwata was truly loved by everyone for being a leader before a simple executive, and all the fans remember the phrase, also placed on the back cover of the book dedicated to him, Ask Iwata, who quotes: “On my business card, I’m the president of a company. In my head, I’m a video game developer. In my heart, I am a player“.
- Original title: Ask Iwata
- English title: Ask Iwata
- Japanese release: 2019
- Italian release: March 3, 2022
- Number of volumes: 1 (single volume)
- Publishing house: Planet Manga
- Type: biography, collection
- History: Hobonichi
- Format: 13.5 x 21.5, b / w, paperback
- Number of pages: 192
We reviewed Ask Iwata via press volume provided to us by Planet Manga.
An anniversary that celebrates the man and the player
Ask Iwata is a book originally released in 2019 only in Japan and released on March 3, 2022 thanks to Planet Manga in Italy, which collects excerpts from interviews, anecdotes and various information about Satoru Iwata, as well as chats with the president’s closest friends Most loved Nintendo, or characters of the caliber of Shigesato Itoi and Shigeru Miyamoto. The release date of the book is really special, given that March 3 is also the anniversary of the release of the last console of the Big N: Nintendo Switch. Platform we can consider his latest work of art, even if he has never seen it on the market. But when the NX project was pushed forward, as written in the Iwata book, he put his all into it.
Ask Iwata contains all of Iwata’s working life, but it is not a book that explains how to become successful people like him or events related only to the corporate sphere, so much so that it also tells about decidedly human events. Not to mention that we will talk about the development process of the consoles that have brought Nintendo really high, like GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Wii and DSbut also the two platforms that caused many problems for the Osaka company and caused very serious problems within the company, referring to Wii U and 3DS.
Ask Iwata isn’t just a bio
Ask Iwata it is a very special book, because most of the information it contains is also available online. But one of the most interesting aspects it’s the fact that the book is told in the first person by Iwata itself and there are plenty of interesting facts and anecdotes, mostly autobiographical, in which Iwata recounts its beginnings. For example, how he approached programming, his college years and his first Commodore computer. Up to the HAL Laboratory and video games. The company just mentioned is the one that was saved from bankruptcy thanks to the intervention of Nintendo, which chose Iwata as the role of president, despite the company having all its accounts in red. But here his wife came in, which prompted Iwata not to miss the opportunity. And it is here that we are already beginning to see the genius of the president, who manages to restore the accounts of HAL Laboratory with small steps and without carrying out any reshuffling within the company, that is, without firing any of the employees.
But there’s a lot of talk about Nintendo, of course, in Ask Iwata. The process is described in detail creation of Kirby’s Dream Land, and Super Smash Bros. Yes, because Iwata also helped Masahiro Sakurai to develop the first entry of this historical saga, so we can say that the fighting game in question was almost a four-handed job and neither of us expected that it would be such a success. Then we talk about his family, his son’s marriage, and his experience as a manager when he finally becomes president of Nintendo. The nickname given to him by Miyamoto: Kirby, as Iwata loved to eat a lot of sweets.
The words written in black and white reveal one of Iwata’s greatest qualities: being a visionary. Being constantly projected towards the future and never thinking about the present, not even when it comes to profits. The friendship with Miyamoto, the ideas exchanged with him and then Nintendo Switch. Iwata’s latest gift to the company, born from the desire for the future, from the desire to revive Nintendo after the half-disaster of Wii U and what fully succeeded, but which he unfortunately could not see. For him, Nintendo was not supposed to be run as a simple money mill company, but had to sell happiness and make players happy, and his two consoles – Nintendo DS and Wii – prove it, as we still sing the Wii Sports jingle that it remained in pop culture regardless of whether it played the title or not.
Iwata factor
Over the years Satoru Iwata has managed to enter the hearts of all gamers, representing the most “human” face of Nintendo. So read this book, which presents a very good translationis a panacea for anyone who loves the gaming world and wants to find out a little more about what was going on in the mind, in the company and around the fourth president of Nintendo.
Also, there is to consider a very touching emotional factor that surrounds the book, because for example Miyamoto says that by now he feels alone when he has ideas, because he doesn’t know who to talk to. Obviously, when we talk about the disappearance of a person who changed the history of the videogame world, the memory is inevitably very sad, but if we think about the success of Nintendo Switch and the legacy of the man who continues to live and who all employees – Miyamoto among all – continue to carry on, this book can only print a smile on the lips of those who read it. Why yes, Ask Iwata is the story of the CEO, the programmer and the president.
Satoru Iwata has been Nintendo’s beloved CEO for more than ten years. Under his direction, the Nintendo DS and Wii were born and the company achieved unprecedented success. This book collects not only many of Iwata’s anecdotes and reflections on Nintendo and his time within the company, but also on his particular way of thinking, his vision of leadership and much more. An essential book to get to know one of the most important figures in the history of video games.
Buy Ask Iwata following this link at the special price of € 14.25 (instead of € 15). Release scheduled for March 3, 2022. Support Akiba Gamers by purchasing on Amazon through this link!
Who do we recommend Ask Iwata?
We recommend reading Ask Iwata to anyone who loves to read about videogame history. The character of Satoru Iwata is important from many points of view: managerial, videogame and human. His ability to take over a bankrupt company and put it back on track, his brilliant ideas regarding video game development and his legacy, Nintendo Switch, make it clear how much he could be respected within the gaming landscape. Japanese. But the anecdotes present in the pages of this book tell every single aspect of Iwata, which we gamers have learned to respect after the release of Nintendo DS, Wii and which we have seen in difficulty with Wii U and 3DS.
- Smooth and enjoyable reading
- Good Italian translation overall
- Collection suitable for everyone, not just Nintendo fans
- There are some typos in the text
- Much information is available online and in the public domain
Ask Iwata
Business card, mind and heart of Satoru Iwata
Ask Iwata is a rich collection of anecdotes and events told by Iwata himself and his closest friends and colleagues, who tell us about the beginnings of his career, the crucial phases and the projects carried out by the Japanese executive. While much of the information is available online because it has been told individually over the years, it’s actually a very interesting read. Especially since interviews with Nintendo employees are collected, as well as thoughts of Miyamoto, and those of Iwata, of course. Therefore it is a must for gamers or for those who love the type of entrepreneurship carried out by Iwata.
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