cannibalize

代表取締役社長（CEO）の岩田聡氏が胆管腫瘍のため死去したことを任天堂が発表。享年はわずか55歳でした。
今回採り上げるcannibalizeは「(ほかに応用するために)〈不要な部品など〉を分解する」という意味ですが，そこから転じて「〈新製品が〉〈古い製品〉の売れ行きを悪くする」という意味があります（『プログレッシブ英和中辞典』小学館）。今回は「製品をスマホやタブレットで利用可能したとしても（本来の）ゲーム機本体に関するビジネスは影響を受けないだろう」と解釈できます。（Koyamamoto）

Worldwide gaming community mourns death of Nintendo CEO
Video game enthusiasts and developers across the world paid tribute on social media Monday to Nintendo’s chief executive Satoru Iwata, mourning his death at the age of 55.
Many took to Twitter to express their sorrow after the Kyoto-based company announced his death from a rare tumor in his bile duct over the weekend.
… Iwata announced his illness last year, and was absent from the June 2014 shareholders’ meeting, although he subsequently returned to his desk and continued his high-profile role.
A leading figure in the video game industry, Iwata oversaw the success of the Wii console and a surge in revenue before smartphone games started eating away at its success.
That eventually forced a rethink of Nintendo’s avowed position that it would never cannibalize its console business by letting its creations be used in smartphone and tablet gaming.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/07/13/business/worldwide-gaming-community-mourns-death-nintendo-ceo/#.VaPDB3irbWE