Can 'one big hit' save Nintendo?

Nintendo has hit a dry spell recently, but the gaming titan is down and not out – at least, that's the message from legendary ideas man Shigeru Miyamoto.

Although Miyamoto announced in December that he would be taking a step back from supervising Nintendo's development teams and focusing on training the company's younger employees, Miyamoto says his job remains basically unchanged.

"I am spending more time than before on finding new ideas for new developments rather than focusing my energy on work in my (development) teams in order to solidify the contents of franchise titles," Miyamoto said at a recent corporate briefing.

"I am acting with the understanding that one big hit can change multiple phases of a situation in the entertainment business, and I feel that finding such one big hit is my basic job.

And no one knows better than this man how one big hit can make or break a company – he is, of course, the genius behind a little-known moustachioed Italian plumber.

Whether or not Miyamoto can turn the company's fortunes around remains to be seen, but it is hard to doubt a company that has such a force at its disposal.

What do you think – can one man keep the dream alive, or is it time to abandon Nintendo's sinking ship?