…The worst part is, they probably don’t care. In an all too expedient internet culture where players, developers, and journalists alike are getting that much closer to each other via social media and company outreach, Nintendo may have just made their biggest mistake in pushing the loyalty of one of their own so far, he was forced to part ways with the company. Via an announcement on Twitter (see?) Nintendo’s indie ambassador and all around likeable presence Dan Adelman, has formally annonuced his resignation from Nintendo of America after a tenure of 9 years with the company, in the most unusual way:
Happy to announce I reached an arrangement w/ @NintendoAmerica whereby I can tweet again. Arrangement includes my not working there anymore.
— Dan Adelman (@Dan_Adelman) August 4, 2014
Not-so-subtle (and frankly surprising) wording aside, the circumstances surrounding his departure don’t reflect particularly well on the Big N. After what an only be described as an outwardly abrasive, monolithic, impenetrable PR presence in not only the mainstream, but indie gaming communities (Reggie notwithstanding, and unfortunately as of late he’s less about “kicking ass” and more about sounding like a verbal press release), Dan Adelman was a bit of a triumph in his own right.
His position as the head of their indie department was one that arguably changed the scene not only for Nintendo, but for many indie developers in general, helping grow the scene through avenues such as digital distribution, updating some of their more ridiculous and frankly archaic publishing policies (like…requiing developers to prove they work from offices?), and keeping the ever growing audience closer to the critical conversations than most companies are willing to–including the one he worked for.
His outspoken, sometimes brutally honest disposition and rapport with fans was always at odds with Nintendo however, with his attitude brushing against the tightly controlled image of the company more oten than was comfortable. Allegedly a comment about the company’s stringent policy regarding region locking their titles on 3DS over Twitter was the straw that broke the camel’s back. His social media presence was obliterated soon after.
@Cheesemeister3k @gypsyOtoko @lite_agent @EndRegionLock I too used to live in Japan. Had 2 SNESs – one Japanese, one US. I feel your pain.
— Dan Adelman (@Dan_Adelman) September 11, 2013
(This was his last tweet before the one you saw above. Do YOU see anything wrong with it?)
“I think people were kind of on pins and needles about anything untoward I might say,” Adelman told Kotaku in an interview. “And every once in a while, I’d give an answer that people didn’t like, and some people would freak out, so they tried to scale things back. First they had me do interviews with someone from PR or marketing. Later they just decided that I shouldn’t be in the press at all anymore.”
Ouch. Just when you thought times have changed with runaway success, even in the face of slowed Wii U sales and a still almost indecipherable public presence, Nintendo’s “Just be happy you can use our consoles at all” public cadence shows no signs of cracking. They’re sorely in need of a genuine, human face to their company at this point, especially during a time where gamers at large are rejecting corporate AAA culture, and diving slowly, wholeheartedly into the hands of guerrilla, independent development.
It’s a shame that Sony and even Microsoft are ahead of them in this aspect, and it’s something that hopefully won’t continue to damage their reputation moving forward. There’s a reason many developers are reluctant to embrace the Wii U, here’s hoping this attitude won’t continue to stifle their progress without him. As we get further and further away from a generation of gamers who didn’t grow up with NES consoles, its going to be that much harder to inspire the same kind of faith that an approachable, genuine presence like his can achieve for new developers, as well as fans hoping to join the fold.
There’s a great interview that reads somewhat like an obituary over at Kotaku if you’re up for more information, and his personal site is filled with nothing but optimism for his newly chosen path. I can only wish Adelman the best, as his plans moving forward involve independently supporting the industry he still loves dearly.
We wish him the best.
