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Develop Magazine recently published a list of "Game Changers", people who were transforming the industry from inside out. Not only does this yield up an unusually interesting perspective on how the industry works, but it gives an interesting nod to Satoru Iwata for Nintendo's 2007 success with the Wii and DS.

Iwatas hand in Nintendos renaissance is significant. The DS and Wii have been phenomenal hits, but the initial surprise on their unveiling was all part of his careful plan to disrupt the norms of the games industry. It was a lesson he learnt during his days as a coder for Nintendo subsidiary HAL, where he and his colleagues would deliberately aim to make that which Miyamoto would not in order to keep their games fresh. This approach works: the devices he launched as president have reached out to new audiences and spurred an industry-wide thumbs up of the casual set, encouraging developers to make more physically demanding and lower cost experiences. His next target is getting more development talent supporting Nintendo: the imminent unveiling of download service WiiWare should help bridge the gaps between the casuals and the hardcore developers.

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