"Game Boy Micro was a nonstarter," Reggie Fils-Aimé warned Nintendo Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. "Game Boy Micro was a nonstarter," Reggie Fils-Aimé warned Nintendo Failure became "teachable moment" for company. News by Tom Phillips Deputy Editor Published on 4 May 2022 37 comments Former Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aimé has revealed his misgivings on the launch of Game Boy Micro - a project he said his company was "forced" to launch despite its concept being a "nonstarter". Writing in his newly-published Disrupting the Game memoir, Fils-Aimé said he was surprised to hear of plans for Game Boy Micro relatively late in its development, and despite Nintendo having moved on to focus on Game Boy Advance's successor, Nintendo DS. In a section of the book posted online by VGC, Fils-Aimé also said he disliked the Micro's form factor. Overall, it was a "distraction", he concluded - something which he later moved to ensure became a "teachable moment" and not repeated. Watch on YouTube "From my perspective, the concept of Game Boy Micro was a nonstarter," Fils-Aimé wrote. "The hardware was exceptionally small, not only were the control buttons difficult for any reasonably-sized adult to manipulate, but also the screen was tiny. This ran counter to current consumer electronics trends of making screens larger. "But development of this hardware had continued, and now we were forced to launch the system. 'We should have talked about this long ago', I told [Nintendo of America colleagues] Don James and Mike Fukuda. 'We should have all agreed that this product would be a distraction for us in our market and either not introduce it here or have it terminated as a project globally. By working together we could have had a different outcome'. "My point was not to rebuke them - at the time we were peers," he continued. "It was to identify that we were operating in silos and this made us ineffective in managing projects coming from NCL [Nintendo Japan]." The "lesson" here was that Nintendo of America leadership needed a closer relationship with other executives in the company, and better sharing of information, Fils-Aimé concluded. Earlier today, Fils-Aimé distanced himself from recent reports concerning contract workers at Nintendo, and said the issues raised were not representative of his time in charge. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 7 Nintendo Switch firmware update lets you take screenshots in the Switch Online app The app on your console, not your phone. 7 Latest Articles Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Jelly Deals Logitech's G Pro X gaming headset is its lowest-ever price during Amazon's Early Access sale Prime Members can get it for just £52. Jelly Deals Save over £500 off the retail price on this beefy ASUS TUF Dash gaming laptop from Amazon Under £1080 for an RTX 3070 laptop. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store