It is an understatement to say that no one expected the Nintendo Switch to be such a huge success. Even those who thought the console would do well didn’t expect the success to be this massive. One of those who weren’t expecting much is the CEO of Pokemon, Tsunekazu Ishihara. He revealed in an interview with Bloomberg that he told Nintendo that the Switch just wouldn’t be a success. The conversation happened before its March launch, but he felt that the Switch would fail because “in the age of the smartphone, no one would carry out a game console”. He did admit, however, that he was wrong. Here’s what Ishihara had to say:

I told Nintendo that Switch wouldn’t be a success before it went on sale, because I thought that in the age of the smartphone, no one would carry out a game console. It’s obvious I was wrong. I came to realize the key to a successful game is quite simple: software with absolute quality leads sales of hardware. Playing style can be flexible if the software is attractive enough. Currently, it’s popular among the early adopters, but there needs to be one more step to attract a wider audience. I see more potential in Switch, but one shouldn’t overestimate its potential.

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