Nintendo’s userbase is equally shared by both sexes, claims Iwata.
Addressing shareholders in a recent meeting, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata boasted that Nintendo platforms have “almost the same” number of female and male users. Iwata further claimed that this was “extremely rare” in the gaming industry, comparing the numbers to other companies’ platforms, which he said had as much as a 75% to 25% disparity.
He attributed the more even numbers on Nintendo’s side to its newest consoles, saying that “the number of female users increased tremendously while the Nintendo DS and the Wii were expanding the gaming populations.” He did not specify whether these new female gamers are still active and purchasing new titles, or stopped gaming when the consoles’ explosive popularity died down.
Finally, Iwata emphasized that women have equal opportunity working for Nintendo, with many “actively working as administrators and managers.” He further acknowledged that without women taking an active role in “all aspects in [Nintendo’s] business,” including upper management, it will be impossible to create games that appeal to women. His final word on the original question, which was about the lack of women in the company’s current board, was that there is “nothing hindering female employee’s efforts.”
Source: Nintendo
