Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser has proudly reaffirmed the company’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion—just as fans are still recovering from a price hike and wondering when the company might actually start listening to its player base again.
Nintendo has once again demonstrated its uncanny ability to read the room—just not the one its customers are sitting in. In an alleged interview with Brazilian outlet Folha de S.Paulo, Doug Bowser stated that the company will continue to uphold its DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) policies, undeterred by political pressure from President Trump’s administration or, apparently, the disappointment of its own community.
According to Bowser, DEI is “baked into” Nintendo’s culture—presumably alongside rising prices and carefully “localized” scripts. “Our players are diverse,” he said, which is certainly true, even if a growing number of them are also fed up.
This public affirmation comes hot on the heels of Nintendo announcing a price increase for the upcoming Switch successor and its games, as well as renewed backlash over questionable localization and character rewrites in titles like Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. All of which makes the timing of this proud DEI stance feel less like principle and more like corporate checkboxing.
Of course, “diversity” in the corporate context rarely means diversity of thought. More often, it functions as a marketing veneer—where the goal isn’t better games or talent, but checking racial boxes and ensuring the cast and dev team reflect an HR PowerPoint slide. In practice, DEI tends to translate to “fewer white people” and a heavier emphasis on identity optics over actual skill or creative vision—because nothing says progress like hiring based on demographics rather than competence.
Once known for its tight grip on fun and family-friendly magic, Nintendo is now becoming more associated with controlled messaging, safe PR quotes, and making sure their latest console costs just enough to be annoying.
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