Nagoshi-san did not say that “Nintendo hardware is for kids and teens”

According to GaijinHunter, professional translator, producer, and industry veteran (most commonly now known for his amazing Monster Hunter video series on Youtube) the translation of the SEGA 60th Nagoshi interview got the tone wrong in the subtitles. Other sites have been taking this quote out of  context and have spun a narrative that Nagoshi believes Nintendo is only good for kids and teens. This statement is misrepresenting how the legendary creator actually feels when he was just talking about the strong user base of the hardware, not igniting a console war.

Starting at 11:59 in the above video the subtitles translate Nagoshi’s response as “I think even now the Nintendo platform is still a game console that is played by a wide range of age groups, but basically, I think it’s hardware for kids and teens.”

When in actuality the Japanese spoken by Nagoshi is: “任天堂プラットフォームは今も結構広い年齢層で遊ばれているゲーム機だと思うんですけど、基本的にやはりキッズやティーンに強いハードだと思うんですね。”

Which when translated correctly is: “Nintendo’s platform has, and continues, to be played by a wide range of age groups, but I think in general their hardware is strong when it comes to kids and teens.”

GaijinHunter goes on to explain the subtle difference when someone in Japanese uses the term “Basically” means something closer to “In general” and that the hardware being just for kids and teens is completely wrong. Changing the entire tone of the statement.

Let this be a lesson to everyone as to why localization is important. Without it you miss the entire tone of what he’s trying to say. The video subs, while technically correct, do not take in to account what “basically” means in Japan vs the West.

The error makes it seem like Nagoshi-san doesn’t believe the Nintendo line of consoles should be played by everyone. When all he’s really stating is that they perform better in their market with kids and teens. The translation difference is subtle but very important.

Especially as SEGA publishes a lot of their titles on Nintendo platforms!