An Ode to Perrin Kaplan
Tuesday, October 16th, 2007 at 9:07am by Jack
“The princess is in another castle.”
I really, really hope some diminutive Toadstool re-utters those famous words next month. Just once. It’s cheesy, sure, but the blatant nostalgia, combined with what are shaping up to legitimately be the best visuals and innovations on the system to date, could make my head explode.
You know what else makes my head explode? Ignorance.
Perrin Kaplan, Nintendo’s quirky marketing workhorse for the past 15 years, will be leaving the company very shortly. We know her for some wacky one-liners and questionable Wii-related promises to the press, but believe me the majority of what her and her team did for Nintendo was done behind the scenes with careful study and execution. A major reason for the success of both the DS and Wii today is one part product, one part marketing and one part execution. I doubt Kaplan had her hands in the cogs and wheels of the Wii when it was being built in China, Korea or wherever, but you can bet once it was all shined up and ready to go she and fellow marketer George Harrison were on that system like white on, well, a Wii.
Fairly or unfairly though, Kaplan will probably be remembered for her celebrity personality rather than her professional one. Case in point: “A major insight that Nintendo had early on was that they saw that gamers were getting bored, even though they didn’t know it yet.”
And the vocal minority when apoplectic with rage. How dare she tell me I’m bored. How dare she dismiss the fun I had playing Gears of War and Halo 2 and 3! And so on and so on. The thing is, as usual, these chaps (and they are definitely ALL males), were dead wrong. Kaplan wasn’t talking to YOU, you short-sighted, selfish twits, she was talking to all the people who aren’t playing games anymore–or who never even started in the first place.
The thing is, people were getting bored with gaming. Revenues were rising every year over the past 5-10 years, but the population was shrinking. That’s bad for business. The trend has actually physically manifested itself on one of the current systems as well: the Xbox 360. The attach rate for the 360 is incredible. Some places have it at 5.2 IIRC, others slightly less than that. Those are great numbers, especially when compare to the Wii’s anemic +-2. But there are more Wii owners today than there are 360 owners, and there will be even more tomorrow.
Nintendo saw this, Kaplan saw this, and changed their strategy accordingly, probably as far back as the GameCube. I, for one, welcomed Kaplan’s strategy. I still do today, in spite of all the flirting she’s done with Matt Casamassina at conferences in the past. I’m cool with it.
So if you aren’t bored of gaming that’s great. Get over yourself. Kaplan wasn’t talking to you. As it will be from here on out, you are no longer the center of the gaming universe. Tough luck. The center belongs again to the real core gamers; those of us who were too bored to bother participating for the past 5-10 years. The cas-core. We’re back, and it’s pretty much solely thanks to Nintendo and people like Perrin Kaplan, George Harrison, Reggie Fils-Aime, Satoru Iwata and Shigeru Miyamoto. Deal with it.
So I say adieu Perrin, George, and all the rest of the Nintendo sales and marketing crew that have decided to remain behind in Washington to pursue other goals (just please, please don’t make it EA, ok?). At the very least you got this bored old battle axe back into gaming after a hiatus, but I imagine I’m not the only one. For that I say thank you.
October 16th, 2007 at 9:29 am
How silly of me to think the term “gamer” applied to myself. Thanks Jack, for clearing that up.
October 16th, 2007 at 9:40 am
Am I the only one that thinks that NOA’s marketing department is pathetic and should have been given a box of pink slips 15 years ago? Nintendo lost their footing in America, and have been branded a kiddie company that makes kiddie games for girls and losers. When I worked for Gamestop I couldn’t believe how much hate Nintendo got from everyone. Nintendo, up until very recently, has been the laughing stock of the gaming world. They’re a joke in America. The gaming press gave the absolutely no respect during the Gamecube era, and it’s only slightly better now. It’s finally turning around for them with the Wii and the DS, but there is a LOT of work ahead. Most gamers still consider the Wii to be a kiddie/girl system. And the turnaround is the work of Iwata, Shiggy, and Reggie, NOT Kaplan and Harrison. So I say good riddance, maybe now Nintendo can get a marketing department that is competent.
Am I wrong here? Hasn’t the NOA marketing dept been a dramatic failure over the last 15 years?
October 16th, 2007 at 9:52 am
Great people learn from bad experiences. To say that the marketing department is a complete failure because of its earlier efforts is, again, ignorant. My point about bored gamers being the true target of Kaplan’s message still holds true, by the way.
October 16th, 2007 at 9:52 am
“And the turnaround is the work of Iwata, Shiggy, and Reggie, NOT Kaplan and Harrison.”
100% agree with this statement.
October 16th, 2007 at 10:00 am
I agree with that statement, because I was one of the bored gamers.
However, I also agree that it could have been worded better, because she was obviously not referring to the hardcore minority, who happen to be the loudest, as usual, to react.
October 16th, 2007 at 10:19 am
That’s just foolish, and dismisses (either purposefully or ignorantly–it’s irrelevant) the work of the Wii Ambassador program, amongst many other things. They were all the work of marketing, which, ironically, is where Kaplan and Harrison worked. The fact that Nintendo has won no less than two prestigious marketing awards in the span of a week also casts serious doubt on whatever counter point is trying to made in these comments.
Some things simply don’t need a Devil’s Advocate, but the effort is appreciated. I think.
October 16th, 2007 at 10:22 am
“she was talking to all the people who aren’t playing games anymore–or who never even started in the first place.”
Yes, this is exactly the group I think of when I hear the term “gamers.”
Sorry Jack, I don’t buy your argument. People have a right to question her comments. It’s not like she’s never said anything questionable.
October 16th, 2007 at 10:53 am
I never cared for Kaplan and doubt she was directly involved with the DS and Wii marketing strategy — she was just a messenger, and not a very good one at that.
October 16th, 2007 at 11:04 am
No offense Andrew, but I think there is more truth to Jack’s comments than you would like to believe. I’m sure there are more gamers that have gone through “the sucking” than those that believe they are the core. I know I’ve gone through that twice already. In the early Nineties I got bored with consoles and only played PC games, then I got bored with the generic games there and stopped playing games until about two years ago when I picked up Megaman Aniversary and a Gamecube. Really expect for a few games like Odin Sphere, Beyond Good andd Evil, and Persona 3(which has sucked me into it’s iron grip) I’ve still been bored with gaming. I find more to get excited over on the Wii than even the DS. That is my personal opinion; however, I know a lot of people that are the same way.
October 16th, 2007 at 11:22 am
Look, I was starting to get bored with video games too. I don’t like the majority of the top selling franchises on PS2 and Xbox. I’m not a final fantasy fan, I”m not a GTA fan, and I’m only casually into Halo. That said, these games are selling like mad. I think it smacks of fanboy for Nintendo fans to come along and say that “gamers” are getting tired of these games when I don’t see that sentiment echoed anywhere in enthusiast press or websites.
Look, all I’m saying is that gamers have a right to look at Kaplan’s comments with a raised eyebrow and shrug them off. She (and really, all of Nintendo) are claiming the industry is broken - why shouldn’t the enthusiasts of that industry be a little annoyed by this?
This argument is simply going to break down into the same argument that happens on every other infendo post. I don’t think the industry needed fixing. Just because Sony is boneheaded and MS had some red ring problems doesn’t mean that what they’re doing is fundamentally flawed. I don’t believe for a minute that the industry needed saving.
And the important part is that I can think this way, and still enjoy Nintendo products. I can still believe that they are the best developer on the planet, and believe in their philosophies in game design. It’s called being level headed.
I’m going to bow out on this thread (for real this time) because I really don’t have the time to get sucked in like I usually do.
October 16th, 2007 at 11:30 am
Broken? Not really. Dying? Perhaps a bit melodramatic. Slipping? Definitely. Revenue was up, while people who identified themselves as “gamers” was way down. This is indisputable. And, I don’t think you’ll find any Nintendo exec saying the industry is “broken” (not with those valuable third parties on the line anyway). All I’m saying is that the woman was around for 15 years, and that includes Nintendo’s resurgence as well as its former follies. To dismiss her behind the scenes contributions because of a few off-color remarks she made throughout a given year is, in fact, uninformed no matter how you slice it.
It’s simple logic: She said gamers were bored. It’s a blanket statement, but if you were obviously un-bored when she said this, you were obviously not the target of her remark. Was it worded like a trainwreck? A little. But, again, the messenger is a far more appealing target than the message.
However, in hindsight, in this day and age of sound bites before substance, I really can’t blame anyone for thinking Kaplan’s silly diatribes in public were all there was to her. You are forgiven for thinking in such a way.
October 16th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
No one has mentioned this, but much of Nintendo’s (and therefore, Kaplan’s) alarm about bored gamers and shrinking market is based on Japan. Japan’s gaming industry is, like, 5 years ahead of the west (just like their cellphone tech). Iwata has made this clear many times, and while you can certainly argue that the shrinking market was not the case in the US, it was certainly coming.
Kaplan was just toeing the company line. You just have to remember that company is based in Japan.
October 16th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
“”"Kaplan wasn’t talking to YOU, you short-sighted, selfish twits, she was talking to all the people who aren’t playing games anymore–or who never even started in the first place.”"”
Dude, her comment wasn’t addressed to those people either. You totally misinterpreted her comment as well.
1.) People who have been absent for the past 5-10 years are very obviously bored and KNEW it. Comment was not addressed to them.
2.) People who have never played games before, how can they be “getting bored of it”? Comment was not addressed to them.
It was addressed to people like me, who HAVE been gaming for the past 5-10 years, still getting enjoyment out of it, but also getting a vague sense of been-there-done-that.
October 16th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
I think it applied to people more like me. I played games my entire life, but during the Gamecube generation found myself really, really, really nonplussed by a lot of titles.
Sure I had some fun during those days, but I was gaming to complete games. I am currently gaming solely for fun. Tanks! on WiiPlay is a huge representation of that, the game is easy as sin, but as much fun as a barrel full of puppies.
I am as core as it comes, but up until recently I haven’t gotten giddy for a game. Metroid, Phantom Hourglass, and The Orange Box have collectively changed that attitude.
So sure, I’ll toast PK, enjoy your life, while I enjoy more games!
October 16th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
dlindema - have you played Portal yet? Man, what a great game! Wii needs something like that. Could be great on DS as well.
October 16th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
Andrew-MG- Yes, yes, I have played Portal…and I love it.
I am also a HUGE fan of Team Fortress 2. Except not so huge on the massive lag the game constantly experiences (all of my other games play fine). But I love The Orange Box…really innovative actually.
October 16th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
Perrin leaving is the best thing to happen to Nitnendo in a while.
My fav PK quote “You have to remember as a core gamer you have an insatiable appetite. You, at all costs, probably don’t shower or eat until a game is done. You’re a freak.”
I don’t know about you guys, ut as a core gamer, i don’t consider myself a freak. She will not be missed by me.
October 16th, 2007 at 6:33 pm
Oh, frisby, you’re a super freak!!
Honestly, I wonder what happened to Perrin Kaplan the woman. She went from a fairly safe looking mom type to wrestling with Matt Casamassina during an interview. I just don’t see how you get from point a to point b without some life altering event. It’s none of my business, but it’s just a curious thing to wonder about.
Later, Perrin! You’re entertaining to say the least!
October 16th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
She gave it up to the REG!!! She went balls deep and it made her a new woman. Once again I take it too far
October 17th, 2007 at 1:02 am
Hey Jack, do you have a thing for Kaplan? I mean Jesus, not to start the mudslinging or anything, but you sound like you’re just begging to be her personal assistant or something.
October 17th, 2007 at 4:01 am
The ol’ “Your princess is in another castle” thing is getting pretty damn old too.
October 17th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Ryan, no, my thing is for Midna, but I’m sure that by saying that I’m doing myself any favors.
Besides, I’m defending Kaplans’s message and body of work, not her, um, body.