Jaffe: Nintendo's anti-app stance is 'ironic'
Outspoken designer David Jaffe has said Nintendo president Satoru Iwata's anti-cheap app stance is a reversal of the company's earlier tactics.
"I was at [Iwata's] keynote, three, four years ago. He stood on stage, had this great, powerful presentation where he was talking about disruption," the Twisted Metal and God of War creator told Eurogamer.
Jaffe said Nintendo's message at the time was that the platform holder didn't have to play the traditional tech-war game, instead scoring massive success with the low-powered, innovative Wii.
"I don't know if it's karma or good old fashioned irony that now he's pushing back against the very thing he was claiming was valuable in his earlier keynote, which is disruption," he said.
The designer dismissed the idea that cheap games are undermining the traditional industry.
"The reality is, you can't put a price on fun. I don't care if it's 99 cents or $150 or $1,000 over the years in sub fees to an online MMO.
"Fun is fun, so I think it's an absurd concept to say, this is the criteria, these are the ingredients you [need] to make fun otherwise you can't play. That's bullshit, man."
Iwata's GDC 2011 keynote featured a bitter rant against smartphone and social gaming.
Thanks, Games Industry.