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NINTENDO HAS ANNOUNCED it will be making its move into smartphone gaming after revealing a partnership with one of Japan’s biggest mobile gaming companies.
Those expecting the likes of Super Mario World and Ocarina of Time to make their to your smartphone will be left disappointed as these titles will be designed exclusively for the devices instead of ports.
Instead, the partnership with DeNA will focus on developing new gaming apps specifically for smartphones and tablets. They will feature Nintendo IP and according to Nintendo’s CEO Satoru Iwata, it will give them the opportunity to reach out to more people around the world.
For the consumers who are connected with Nintendo through smart devices and interested in Nintendo’s IP, we would like to provide even more premium gameplay experiences on Nintendo’s dedicated game platforms.By taking this approach, we firmly believe that doing business on smart devices will not shrink our dedicated video game system business and will instead create new demand as this broader reach will enable us to provide consumers around the world with more opportunities to experience the appeal of Nintendo.
While the main focus of this announcement was on mobile, Iwata also mentioned the company was working on a new console, codenamed ‘NX’. Little was revealed about it apart from it having a “brand-new concept” and that more information would be shared next year.
Nintendo and DeNA will also develop a cross-platform service that will run across PC’s smartphones, tablets and Nintendo’s own consoles. It’s expected to launch in autumn this year.
Nintendo has been briefly dealing with the idea of mobile gaming and lending out its IP to other developers. On 3DS, it released a free-to-play puzzle game Pokémon Shuffle on the 3DS, which shares a number of similarities to Candy Crush Saga, while a Super Mario version of Puzzle & Dragons will be released later this year.
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Mario Kart on my phone? Yes please.
Interesting that Nintendo are entering the smart phone gaming market literally straight after Sony are pulling out of it.
Nintendo has enough cash to last it for 50 years.
I wish they would release the back catalogue for smartphones though
They’ll never do it, they won’t even release GBA games on the 3DS because they cant guarantee a perfect emulation. I don’t see why people want this though even games with a level of sophistication you get on a Super Nintendo would play like ass on a touchscreen
It would destroy Nintendo as a hardware manufacturer if they released full titles and the back catalogue on smart phones.
Jailbreak your iPhone/iPad (guidemyjailbreak.com) download and play all the old Sega and Nintendo games on your iPhone/iPad for free. :D
But then I’d have to buy a horrible iPhone.
Do it on your android without having to jailbreak/root your phone!
Or just do it on your Nintendo
I just want Super Mario on my phone ☺
Just temper any expectations don’t expect traditional Mario Platformers or Zelda adventures, they’ve been saying for years that mobile will never replace this main business and this doesn’t change that, this move is about getting as much money out of their iconic IP as possible without compromising their core business. Like pokemon shuffle this will almost certainly end up as mostly puzzle/match 3 games, endless runners or other stripped down experiences that actually control alright on a phone screen
They’ll probably just follow the trend and make freemium shite that costs a fortune to play properly.
Exactly martin anyone that dislikes your comment is in denial
‘Finally’ start making mobile games as if this is something gamers wanted. This is a step towards free to play micro transaction heavy games.
Great idea . Will work for sure
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