Iwata says he has "proof customers do not want online games." Don't throw your GameCube away just yet, though.
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata recently met with the Japan Economic Foundation, explaining his view of the current state of the game industry in Japan. One of the major topics brought up during the talks was online gaming.
Nintendo has always been reluctant to make the jump into the field like Sony and Microsoft have, but Iwata insists that people don't want it yet. Iwata gave the rather odd example that Minna no (Hot Shots) Golf for the PS2 sold better with the offline original compared to its online sequel, claiming it's "proof that customers do not want online games."
Remember that this is Japan Iwata is referring to, and not online gaming here in North America. The majority of people in Japan access the internet through cell phones or internet cafes, because owning a home broadband connection is very expensive there. This is one of the big reasons why online console gaming has not taken off in Japan lke it has in the U.S.
With Nintendo's "Revolution" system set to be revealed at E3 next year, it will be interesting to see if Nintendo integrates some kind of online component into the hardware, like Sony and Microsoft are surely planning for their next systems.
For some more details on what Iwata had to say, as well as a comment on that Bandai buyout rumor, click here.