當站在E3這類全球最大的視頻游戲盛會的講臺上時，高管們很容易緊張，任天堂北美總裁道格·鮑澤同樣也是如此，他緊張的理由比誰都多。

即便不提E3、媒體發布會、聲明、消費者反應所帶來的一貫壓力，鮑澤也不能辱沒了公司的長久以來的聲譽。他從今年早些時候退休的瑞吉·菲爾斯-阿梅手中接管了公司，很多人依然在觀望這位新領導者到底會祭出什么大招。

然而，坐在E3大會任天堂展臺的鮑澤看起來很平靜，即便討論的話題涉及游戲行業爭奪霸主地位的競爭者不斷增加，以及消息泄露讓任天堂年度媒體發布會的聲明黯然失色，他依然表現的很平靜。

《財富》雜志采訪了鮑澤，探討了游戲市場、它的未來以及任天堂如何融入這個市場。出于對篇幅的考慮，并方便讀者理解，我們對下文進行了刪減。

《財富》雜志：首先，我要問的是，鮑澤是超級瑪麗游戲中的人物角色，你是否討厭人們拿你的姓開玩笑？

道格·鮑澤：不，并非如此。對我而言，它意味著我們擁有一群了不起、有激情的追隨者，而且我們的粉絲十分熱愛這款游戲。具有諷刺意味的是，我的名字和游戲角色的名字相同，有時候也很有意思，而且我們也會拿這一點來開玩笑，但我和游戲中的角色完全不是一類人。因此，我對別人拿這個開玩笑并不在意。

自從原創的GameBoy游戲機面世以來，任天堂一直是手持設備市場的引領者。你怎么看待5G（將取代4G LTE高速無線網絡技術）對公司業務的影響？

如果5G宣稱的優點都能夠實現，那么我認為它會改善玩游戲時的地點限制問題，也可以增強連接的質量，尤其是線上游戲。

這也就涉及流媒體的問題，這是一個最新的游戲趨勢，它能夠讓玩家在不預先下載游戲的情況下通過流媒體在線體驗游戲。你認為任天堂在這一方面會有什么舉措？

本周有不少人在討論這個話題。有意思的是，各大公司已經圍繞可以用于提升游戲體驗的科技和新技術做了很多工作。很顯然，我們會密切關注這一趨勢。如今，我們認為Switch（任天堂最新的單機）便可以實現很多上述功能。借助這個設備，人們可以隨時隨地與任何人暢玩游戲。

我們看到，很多公司都加入了游戲流媒體大軍，例如谷歌，但它是一家科技公司并非是游戲公司。看到它們和類似公司進入這一行業，你會采取什么舉措？

我認為這個問題涉及游戲業務的實力，以及整個游戲產業。如今，游戲產業是全球第二大娛樂形式，僅次于電視，后者包括視頻流媒體和網絡電視。游戲行業正在增長，很多公司都將其看作是一個機遇。

你是否把谷歌看作是一位競爭對手？

我們不會選擇使用“競爭對手”這個詞。但我認為，如果各大公司加入游戲行業這個現象能夠讓更多的消費者進入這一市場，那么這對于整個行業來說是件好事。

Netflix有一款名為Dark Crystal的游戲，便是其中的一員。它基于即將播出的Netflix連續劇。Netflix在E3上說要將原創內容以游戲的形式表現出來，這一點你怎么看？

有意思的是，我們看到，很多不同類型的娛樂形式能夠將自身植入其他平臺。我覺得這對于所有公司來說都是一個令人振奮的機遇，因為最終，它可以讓我們繼續拓展我們的內容，并吸引更多的人參與進來。我認為這是件好事。

在人們眼中，任天堂并非是電子競技領域的強者。但公司的平臺上有很多競技類游戲，尤其像《明星大亂斗》（Smash Brothers）這類，它在大約半年之前還推出了新款游戲。在你看來，這是否會給任天堂帶來更多的電子競技機會，或者也可能會組建自家的競技團隊？

業界有很多支持競技類游戲的聯盟，而且也有能力通過授權將我們的游戲納入這些賽事。但我們不打算組建團隊，并打造帶有獎金的任天堂賽事構架等等。我們覺得現在外部已經有渠道可以做這件事，而且這些渠道都很強大。我只是想參與其中罷了。

我覺得去年對于任天堂來說是異常重要的一年，發布了很多重量級游戲。對于2018年，你怎么看？

去年發布的游戲提升了游戲機的銷售業績。在兩年時間內，我們在全球銷售了3400萬臺Switch，而且保持著這一態勢。Switch在美國的同比增長達到了22%。我想這很大一部分歸功于我們所打造的眾多游戲。正是因為硬件、軟件之間的這種關聯，我們才能夠在全年保持Switch的暢銷勢頭。

在E3大會的收官活動，任天堂直面會擁有很大的影響力，期間，公司宣布了《荒野之息》（Breath of the Wild）的續作。對于制作在2017年大紅大紫的《荒野之息》的續作，你是否感到擔心？

我想我的直接答案是“不擔心”。我認為公司的游戲開發人員在過去幾年中做的非常出色，我的意思是說，他們在過去數年通過各種方式為公司奉上了標志性的原創角色和世界，而且打造了眾多忠于此前知名大作歷史的游戲。我覺得今后也是一樣。當前《荒野之息》特別續作的制作人和導演采用的是《塞爾達傳說》（Legend of Zelda）的原班人馬。

直面會已經結束，你現在有什么感覺？

我倒是沒有焦慮的感覺。我很興奮。我很樂意去觀察人們對公司內容以及所講述故事的反應。我們的目標之一就是為他們帶來驚喜和快樂，而且在我們準備發布之前，我們非常注意內容的保密工作。

一位匿名的推特（Twitter）用戶貼出了來自于直面會的一條未發布新聞，值得一提的是，該內容對于“給人們帶來驚喜”而言異常重要。對于上述內容的泄露，你有何感想？

我覺得你已經回答了這個問題。我們的游戲開發人員、公司耗費了大量的精力來打造內容、信息，并希望通過某種方式來展示這些信息，從而讓消費者真正了解即將到來的內容。待時機成熟，我們希望有這個能力把這個故事呈現出來。但消息泄露讓這一點化為了泡影。（財富中文網）

譯者：馮豐

審校：夏林

When presenting on stage at E3, one of the world’s biggest video game conferences, it’s easy for executives to get nervous. And few have more reasons to be nervous than Nintendo’s North America president Doug Bowser.

Putting aside the usual pressures that come with E3, the press conferences, the announcements, the consumer reactions, Bowser has a legacy to uphold. He took over after his predecessor, Reggie Fils-Aimé, retired earlier this year, and many are still waiting to see what exactly the new leader has to offer.

Yet, Bowser looks calm while sitting in Nintendo’s booth at E3, even when discussing the growing list of companies vying for dominance in gaming, and leaks that spoiled Nintendo’s announcements at its annual press conference, Nintendo Direct, earlier that day.

Fortune sat down with Bowser to discuss the gaming market, its future, and where Nintendo fits into it. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

Fortune: First off, I need to ask, are you tired of people making jokes about your last name being Bowser like the character from the Mario games?

Doug Bowser: No, not at all. It’s a signal to me that we have an amazing, passionate following, and our fans are embracing it. It’s ironic that we share the same name, and there are times when it’ll be fun and we’ll play with it, but we’re two very, very different characters. I’m not tired of it at all though.

Nintendo has been a leader in the handheld market ever since the original GameBoy. How do you see 5G [the high-speed wireless technology that is supposed to replace 4G LTE] impacting that?

If the promise of 5G comes to fruition, I think it enhances that ability to play anywhere. It will allow for a stronger connection, especially for online play.

That also leads into streaming, the latest gaming trend that allows players to stream games rather than pre-downloading them. Where do you see Nintendo’s efforts there going?

There’s a lot of talk about it this week. It’s interesting to see what various companies are working on when it comes to tech and new technology that may be able to enhance gameplay. It’s obviously something that we’re closely watching. For now, we feel the Switch [Nintendo’s latest console] delivers on a lot of those promises. It’s a device where you can play anywhere at any time with anyone.

You’re seeing a lot of companies come into game streaming like Google, which is a tech company but not a gaming company. What’s your reaction to seeing them and similar companies enter the industry?

I think it speaks to the strength of gaming. I believe it speaks to the industry. Right now it’s the second largest form of entertainment in the world, second only to TV, and that includes both streaming and network TV. It’s growing. Companies are seeing it as an opportunity.

Do you see Google as a competitor?

We choose not to use the word “competitor.” But I think in this industry as people participate if more consumers will come into the industry as a result of that, it’s good for the industry.

There is a Netflix game, Dark Crystal, based on the upcoming Netflix series, in your lineup. How do you feel about Netflix here at E3 talking about bringing its original content to life in games?

It’s interesting to see how various forms of entertainment are able to transform themselves onto other platforms. I think it’s an exciting opportunity for all of us because in the end it allows us to continue to expand our content and bring more people into it. I think it’s a positive.

Nintendo isn’t considered an e-sports powerhouse. But there’s a lot of competitive gameplay especially around games like Smash Brothers, which had a new release about six months ago. Do you see more e-sports opportunities for Nintendo or maybe launching your own league?

There’s a strong set of leagues out there that support competitive play and have the ability to license our product in those tournaments. But we’re not going to underwrite teams and create our own tournament structure with prize money and everything else. We think there are already channels for that out there that are very strong. We just want to be a part of it.

It feels like last year was a really big year for Nintendo after a number of notable titles were released. How do you look back on 2018 now?

The games that we released last year fueled the hardware results. Through two years we sold 34 million Switch units worldwide, and we’re continuing that momentum. Switch is up 22% in the U.S. year-over-year. I think a lot of that is being fueled but the catalog of games we’re creating. It’s this relationship between hardware and software that has allowed us to continue the momentum on Switch through the year.

The closing of Nintendo’s Direct event at E3 was pretty impactful with the announcement of the sequel to Breath of the Wild. Did you have any fear in following up on the massive hit that Breath of the Wild was in 2017?

I guess the direct answer would be no. I think our developers have done an incredible job over the years, and I do mean years, finding ways to take our iconic original characters and worlds and creating games that are respectful to the history of the franchise that was there before. I think that will be the same. The producers and the director that are working on this particular version of Legend of Zelda worked on the Breath of the Wild.

How do you feel now that the Direct is done?

I don’t know if I’m anxious. I’m excited. I’m always excited to see how people are going to react to our content and the story we have to tell. One of our goals is to surprise and delight, and we take a lot of care to make sure we keep things close to the chest and in the vault until we’re ready to launch.

What was your reaction to the leaks, in which an anonymous Twitter user posted unannounced news from Direct, especially since it’s so important to you to surprise everyone?

I think you answered my question. Our developers, our company put a great deal of effort into creating our content, in creating our message, and wanting the message to be presented in a way consumers could truly understand what is coming. And we want to have the ability to tell that story when it’s right. Leaks take away from that.