Catching and keeping gamers' attention is challenging, says Satoru Iwata

The amount of information available through social media and the internet is making it more difficult for developers to attract and keep gamers' attention, according to Nintendo president Satoru Iwata.

Speaking with Toyo Keizai, Iwata said the ability to quickly obtain information means the attention span of Nintendo's audience is a precious commodity.

"What I feel most now is that getting the attention of customers in video games is much more difficult than before," he said according to a Nintendo Everything translation. "With all of the information that people have access to now, the ability to pay attention is limited. These big differences occur, whether we like it or not."

Iwata added that word of mouth and social media also have a heavy hand in the sales — something evident with the continued popularity of Animal Crossing: New Leaf.

In July, Nintendo's stock closed at its highest point in two years, bolstered by steady high sales of Animal Crossing: New Leaf and the Nintendo 3DS hardware.