Ex-employees say Iwata and Furukawa led with integrity, but admit “work-life balance does not exist” at Nintendo
Recently, former Nintendo of America employees reflected on their experiences working at the company for nearly 25 years. Longtime staffers Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang, who together spent over two decades at Nintendo of America, appeared on a podcast to discuss the pros and cons of working at one of the biggest video game companies in the world. In episode 232 of the Kit and Krysta Podcast, the duo reminisced about their days at Nintendo and the benefits and challenges of working in the company’s sales and marketing department.
Kit noted that the company’s leadership performed well in terms of honesty and integrity, stating:
“The leaders at the highest level of the company have integrity, and they do care about the company and its employees. So we’re talking about Mr. Iwata and then Mr. Furukawa, Reggie Fils-Aimé, Doug Bowser, Devon Pritchard, and that whole group. More than ever, you compare this to the people running these other companies, where it seems like they’re running a scam to bleed this company dry and make as much as they can on their way out.”
The duo also noted that Nintendo prioritized job security at both the individual and organizational levels, striving to ensure that no one bore the brunt of difficult times. So far, there have been no reports of layoffs at Nintendo, in stark contrast to the job cuts at numerous studios under Microsoft’s gaming division, Xbox.
However, on the other end of the spectrum, work-life balance became a major pain point and persistent challenge. Kit vented, explaining, “Work-life balance does not exist. There wasn’t any. It’s not unique to Nintendo or anything like that. It’s not that Nintendo is the only company in the world that is like this, but it is a place where there is no sympathy towards pacing.”
Kit and Krysta detailed the long hours, demanding pace, and constant time crunch they had to endure, with little to no flexibility. Opportunities for advancement were few and far between, as promotions were rarely handed out. Climbing the ladder at Nintendo meant going through rigorous performance evaluations and testing. The duo also noted that roles could become monotonous and repetitive, with limited opportunities to learn and grow.
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