Former top Nintendo exec thinks that Meta's plan for the metaverse won't succeed
In a recent Bloomberg interview, the former COO of Nintendo, Reggie Fils-Aime, criticized Meta's vision for the metaverse. Meta's plans involve users socializing, doing business, and playing games, much like a VR version of Facebook.
Fils-Aime suggested that Meta's plan for the metaverse won't work out because he thinks it is "not an innovative company". The ex-Nintendo Boss said that, in their opinion, the company had not built anything "interesting" since the social media platform launched. Instead, they believe that Meta's growth has primarily come from acquisitions or by quickly following other companies.
The former Nintendo exec, who retired from the company in 2019 after 15 years at the company, also stated that they felt Meta was focusing primarily on advertising, given this accounts for 98% of the company's revenue. They said they thought that "in order to be innovative, you really need to be thinking about the consumer first."
In the interview, Fils-Aime made it clear that they believe the metaverse will take off, but they think that startups and small businesses, such as Epic Games and Roblox, are more likely to control its future.
Alongside this, Fils-Aime voiced his support for AR, which they think could be a more suitable medium than VR. They explained, "I think the idea of wearing a light set (of) visual glasses and using that at different points of your day to interact with a digital experience, I believe in the end, is going to be much more compelling."