Former Nintendo of America President Says That The Console Wars Are Over

Since retiring, Reggie Fils-Aime, the former President of Nintendo of America, has stayed active by writing a book and joining the advisory boards of multiple companies.

Reggie still loves video games and happily discusses them whenever he can, as he recently did in an interview with Christopher Dring from The Game Business.

During their approximately 45-minute conversation, they discussed several subjects, including the positive reception of the Nintendo Switch 2. However, the main focus was the current state of the video game industry and its rapidly changing landscape.

GameStop playfully suggested the long-standing ‘console war’ is ending now that the popular Xbox game, Halo: Combat Evolved, is coming to PlayStation. Former Nintendo of America president, Reggie Fils-Aimé, agrees, stating that Xbox has largely become a game publisher that also makes consoles. He sees this shift as meaning Xbox is no longer a direct competitor to Sony and PlayStation.

Reggie believes Microsoft should go further than just releasing games on PlayStation and also make them available on the Nintendo Switch.

To reach the most players, Microsoft should consider bringing Xbox games – beyond just Minecraft – to Nintendo consoles. It seems like they’re moving away from directly competing with Nintendo.

Dring recalls the intense rivalry between PlayStation and Xbox during the PS3 and Xbox 360 era, noting how their competition drove innovation – particularly after Nintendo’s Wii and its motion controls proved successful and were then copied by Sony and Microsoft. He worries that with Xbox gaining a significant lead and Nintendo focusing on its own path, the gaming market could become stagnant. Reggie Fils-Aimé completely agrees with this concern.

I firmly believe competition drives innovation and ultimately benefits people. I’ve observed this pattern in many different industries, so I’m concerned about the possibility of this industry becoming stagnant. Lately, it feels like truly new and groundbreaking content is becoming less frequent, and I hope that trend doesn’t continue.

Reggie Fils-Aime Would Love To See Nintendo Assist Third-Party Developers In Efficiency

Now that the competition between gaming consoles has settled down, it feels like a good moment for the companies to collaborate. After all, with characters like Master Chief appearing on PlayStation, it shows that anything can happen in the gaming world these days.

A key factor for the next Nintendo console could be how well Nintendo supports developers creating games for it. Reggie, a former Nintendo executive, has consistently praised Nintendo’s efficiency, particularly in game development. He points to Tears of the Kingdom as a prime example, noting that its file size is surprisingly small – about half the size of similar games from other companies.

With Nintendo focusing on getting more support from other game companies for the Switch 2 – starting with Capcom releasing ‘Resident Evil: Requiem’ on the same day as PlayStation 5 and Xbox – other developers now have a clear opportunity to create games for the new system.

Nintendo’s ability to run demanding games efficiently is key, and they need to share that knowledge with other game developers. This would help those developers create successful games for the Switch 2, as we’ve already seen with titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Yakuza 0. It’s surprising, then, that Microsoft doesn’t seem interested in bringing their games to the new console, a fact that has surprised industry experts like Reggie and Dring. While games like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 and Indiana Jones are confirmed for the Switch 2, major titles like Forza Horizon 5, which is available on PlayStation 5, haven’t been announced.

Nintendo often likes to reveal information when they are ready, so that could be what’s happening here. Alternatively, with Xbox now exploring handheld gaming, they might view Nintendo as a rival. Regardless, the situation is pretty strange.

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2025-11-11 19:15