It might be easy to dismiss some of Nintendo Co Ltd’s disgruntled fans as sometimes being unfair or even entitled—I mean, who signs a petition to halt development on a game? But when Nintendo’s shareholders voice some of the same concerns, it may be time for the Japanese game maker to take a long, hard look at itself.

During a recent shareholders Q&A, several of Nintendo’s investors echoed fans’ sentiments about the failure of the Wii U and the studio’s plans for its next console.

One shareholder asked:

I have the impression that the launches of the two systems, Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, were consecutive failures. Nintendo 3DS seemed to recover after the hardware markdown and the availability of a wide selection of third-party software. As for Wii U, the situation does not look so good. I have the same concern for the launch of the new NX. What measures are you taking to avoid the same mistakes?

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata responded in a typically polite Japanese fashion.

“For Wii U in particular, it cannot be said that it had a successful launch,” Iwata said. Or, in other words, the Wii U wasn’t not a failure.

“Looking back at some of Nintendo’s past platforms, this ideal launch has been achieved 100 percent by perhaps only Wii,” Iwata added. “Even the Nintendo DS launch had areas in which we could have done better. I cannot disagree with your indication that Wii U is experiencing the most unfavorable situation.”

I think that is about as harsh of a statement toward the Wii U as we will get out of Iwata.

Regarding Nintendo’s next console, which is currently being called NX, Iwata remained tightlipped about the company’s plans for the system.

“I felt it was necessary to communicate that Nintendo is not pessimistic about the future of the dedicated game system business but rather more and more eager to continue it,” Iwata said, explaining why he first mentioned NX’s existence to the media. “On the other hand, details on the new platform essentially should come later. This is because the entertainment business has an aspect where there is value in surprising consumers.”

He added, “It is not convincing enough to the consumer if we describe how the magic works before actually showing it to them and then expecting them to be surprised or delighted.”

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