The Nintendo of today is known for being quiet and humble, making conservative decisions, and doing its best not to intentionally piss potential third-party partners off. Most of the complaints directed at Nintendo's current state can partially be attributed to this behavior -- which isn't to say that it didn't work for the Wii and DS. This wasn't always the case, though. There was a time when Nintendo of America was the biggest, baddest shark of them all, and software developers and retailers were genuinely afraid of the House of Mario.
One of the key figures in establishing Nintendo as a Western powerhouse was Howard Lincoln, the lawyer turned Nintendo executive who was recently the focus of a lovely feature by Not Enough Shaders' Emily Rogers. He defended Nintendo against Universal's "Donkey Kong" lawsuit, became senior vice president of NoA in 1983, then served as chairman from 1994 until his departure in 2000. In his nearly two-decade tenure, he was responsible for some of the most influential decisions in Nintendo's third-party relationship history.
From bringing on both Rareware and Retro Studios as second parties to defending Nintendo during the videogame violence Senate hearings in the early 90s, Lincoln wasn't afraid to take risks. He also wasn't afraid to speak his mind -- some of his words regarding the competition were so brutal that you can still feel the scorch marks years later. Could his actions be part of the reason many third parties became wary of working with Nintendo later on? Possibly, but you can't deny that the man got results.
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via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/ex-nintendo-chairman-howard-lincoln-had-big-brass-balls-248932.phtml