GI: There’s also some speculation in what’s going to happen with Nintendo Power. What’s the deal with that publication?

Kaplan: It’s going to be licensed, but it’s going to remain a magazine.

GI: So it’s going to be licensed and sold to another publisher?

Kaplan: We will be announcing that soon. Details forthcoming. Nintendo Power’s licensed property is moving to New York. That doesn’t mean that the owner will be in New York. You can connect those dots if you want to. We’ll still own it, but it’s a licensed property.

GI: …So those three titles will be playable at E3?

Kaplan: We’ll see. I can’t tell you what’s going to be at E3 yet. You’re going to like what we have to offer, though. I can tell you that. We have some additional surprises.

GI: Is Nintendo going to be at TGS this year?

Kaplan: We don’t know yet. We have not decided. We will literally decide TGS at the last minute – both Japan and us. It’s not an organization that we’re technically a part of. People are sort of TGS members. We just haven’t really been a member. They keep asking Iwata to come speak.

GI: Speaking of hardware, there’s a lot of companies that are making light-gun shooters that we’ve been seeing. At E3 last year, you had that gun peripheral. Is that ever going to be released?

Kaplan: Could be.

GI: Some third parties have said you don’t have the guts to release a gun peripheral. Because it’s a gun.

Kaplan: Well if we don’t call it a gun, is it a gun?

GI: You mean call it Zapper 2? That would be cool.

Kaplan: I agree it would be a cool peripheral. Come to E3!

GI: So, this year, we’ve got Metroid, Smash Bros. and Mario all launching. Zelda’s already out. You guys are blowing out all of your big guns this year….

Kaplan: It’s just the main course. You’re getting dessert coming, there’s a whole lot more coming.

GI: Are we going to see that at E3 or is it something that we’re going to see later?

Kaplan: You’re going to see some of that at E3.

GI: It seems like the core gamer is being left in the dust for this new gamer.

Kaplan: Reggie would tell you that we’re fully committed to the core gamer. You know it’s interesting. We have these arguments internally. Do we have too much expanded audience and not enough core? Do we have too much core and not enough expanded? Everybody on any given day has one opinion, and they can change their minds the next day. We’re figuring out what that balance is. By December I’d love to know if you still feel this way.

GI: By December I’d expect to have Smash Bros. Mario and Metroid out the door.

Kaplan: Tell me by November then.

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