In a revealing new account, former Nintendo UK PR manager Ashley Day says the late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata personally ordered staff in Europe to play Animal Crossing: New Leaf in the run-up to the game's 2013 western launch.
The anecdote, shared on The Back Page podcast (via FRVR and GamesRadar+), underscores a rare internal push by Nintendo to build first-hand familiarity with a title among non-development employees.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf originally launched in Japan on November 8, 2012, and released in North America on June 9, 2013, followed by Europe on June 14, 2013, for the Nintendo 3DS.
The game went on to become the best-selling entry in the Animal Crossing series at the time, a position it held until Animal Crossing: New Horizons launched for Nintendo Switch on March 20, 2020.
Day said that, unlike standard practice where employees might receive retail copies at launch, Nintendo Europe staff were given games months before release so they could play them in private.
According to Day, Iwata instructed employees to make playing New Leaf part of their daily routine so they would understand how the title fit into players' everyday lives.
The intention, Day explained, was to let staff experience the habitual nature of Animal Crossing firsthand so that marketing, sales and other teams could better communicate the game's appeal.
That internal enthusiasm, Day added, was tangible.
He described seasoned sales staff who seldom played video games becoming deeply engaged with New Leaf, discussing community mechanics, in-game trading and customization with colleagues.
Day attributed part of New Leaf's commercial success in Europe to that deliberate effort to bring the game into the everyday conversations of Nintendo staff.
Satoru Iwata, who served as Nintendo president and became a public face for the company, passed away in July 2015.
He is widely credited with helping guide Nintendo through major hardware successes, including the Nintendo DS and Wii.
The New Leaf story offers a window into how Iwata emphasized firsthand experience and cross-departmental understanding of games as part of Nintendo's broader approach to product launches.
Sources: The Back Page podcast (via FRVR and GamesRadar+), official release dates for Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
The anecdote, shared on The Back Page podcast (via FRVR and GamesRadar+), underscores a rare internal push by Nintendo to build first-hand familiarity with a title among non-development employees.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf originally launched in Japan on November 8, 2012, and released in North America on June 9, 2013, followed by Europe on June 14, 2013, for the Nintendo 3DS.
The game went on to become the best-selling entry in the Animal Crossing series at the time, a position it held until Animal Crossing: New Horizons launched for Nintendo Switch on March 20, 2020.
Day said that, unlike standard practice where employees might receive retail copies at launch, Nintendo Europe staff were given games months before release so they could play them in private.
According to Day, Iwata instructed employees to make playing New Leaf part of their daily routine so they would understand how the title fit into players' everyday lives.
The intention, Day explained, was to let staff experience the habitual nature of Animal Crossing firsthand so that marketing, sales and other teams could better communicate the game's appeal.
That internal enthusiasm, Day added, was tangible.
He described seasoned sales staff who seldom played video games becoming deeply engaged with New Leaf, discussing community mechanics, in-game trading and customization with colleagues.
Day attributed part of New Leaf's commercial success in Europe to that deliberate effort to bring the game into the everyday conversations of Nintendo staff.
Satoru Iwata, who served as Nintendo president and became a public face for the company, passed away in July 2015.
He is widely credited with helping guide Nintendo through major hardware successes, including the Nintendo DS and Wii.
The New Leaf story offers a window into how Iwata emphasized firsthand experience and cross-departmental understanding of games as part of Nintendo's broader approach to product launches.
Sources: The Back Page podcast (via FRVR and GamesRadar+), official release dates for Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
