Miyamoto on game ownership: Operate like a toy company

shigeru-miyamoto

Today, Miyamoto offered his thoughts on Microsoft’s controversial approach to game ownership and why game companies should allow the customer to retain the use of their property. Speaking with Eurogamer, Miyamoto states that a consumer has the right to keep a game or download for as long as they please. He further mentions that gamers will want to keep the ownership of these games from their youth and experience them later in the future.

This is not the only statement from Nintendo on Microsoft’s DRM and used-games approach for the Xbox One; Reggie Fils-Aime later added his own thoughts: “…we have been able to step back and say that we are not taking any technological means to impact trade-in and we are confident that if we build great content, then the consumer will not want to trade in our games.”

It blatantly appears that both Sony and Nintendo are going head-on against Microsoft on their means of business to the consumer. And both companies are showing no signs of adapting to this philosophy.

You can read Miyamoto’s full statement below:

“What’s really important is viewing Nintendo almost like a toy company where we’re making these things for people to play with,” he said. “As a consumer you want to be able to keep those things for a long time and have those things from your youth that you can go back to and experience again.”

“I really want to retain that product nature of the games that we create so that people can do that and have that experience. To me that’s something that’s very important about entertainment itself. So from the approach of continuing to create things that are entertaining for people, that’s an important direction for me that I want to maintain.”

Harrison Milfeld is a writer, editor, and freelance journalist from Missouri. Ever since he could walk, Harrison has been an avid fan of the world of Nintendo. For years, he has purchased every one of the company's subsequent products (yes, including the Virtual Boy and eReader). It wasn't until he was a young teen when he bought a PS2 that he began to embrace cross-console relations, a decision he doesn't regret. When he's not gaming, Harrison is looking to break into the magazine journalism industry and realize his dream of becoming a features reporter.