FFVII writer: Nintendo is finished

With early iPad sales indicating that Apple could have another global tech success on its hands, one industry notable has issued the most damning verdict yet of Nintendo’s future prospects in the handheld space.

As noted by Kotaku, Masato Kato, the writer behind cult RPG classics such as Final Fantasy VII, Chrono Trigger and Zenogears issued the following warning via Twitter over the weekend:

With the iPad going on sale, the epoch of Nintendo is finished. But with the DS and the Wii, it’s been digging its own grave.”

Analysts have long warned of the potential threat posed to current handheld players Nintendo and Sony from the growing momentum behind the likes of iPhone, iPod Touch and now the iPad.

Sony confessed to MCV last week that it is completely rethinking its PSP strategy in light of a real shift in behaviour” seen in the handheld gaming market.

However, Nintendo’s American boss Reggie Fils-Aime has consistently downplayed the potential threat of Apple, claiming that the success of iPhone has not impacted on the DS market and has not encroached on Nintendo’s business.