Former Nintendo president proposes move into film industry

Japanese console giant Nintendo is considering a foray into the movie industry, it emerged today, with former president Hiroshi Yamauchi telling a press conference that he plans to propose an animated film project to the firm.

Speaking at an event in Kyodo, Yamauchi, who still serves as an adviser to the company and owns a significant shareholding, said that he intends to propose the new venture at Nintendo's management meeting in October.

His intention is to develop an animated film - it's not clear whether this would be traditionally animated, or computer animated like Square Enix' forays into this area - based on the works of a Japanese poet from the famous Ogura Hyakunin Isshu compilation of poetry.

However, despite what that sounds like, Yamauchi claims that the movie would work both in Japan and abroad - suggesting that perhaps what he has in mind is along the lines of the animated films produced by director Hayao Miyazaki, which have proved successful worldwide and often draw on traditional Japanese sources for their inspiration.

Yamauchi, the great-grandson of the original founder of Nintendo, served as the company's president prior to the current incumbent, Satoru Iwata, and is largely credited as the man who changed the firm from a local toy and card manufacturer into a global videogames business.