Japanese game developer Nintendo is planning to release at least five mobile games by 2017. The company has always rejected the idea of developing video games for the smartphone.
However, Nintendo made it clear that the popular game Super Mario Bros. won't be released for smartphones.
"If we were simply to port software that already has a track record on a dedicated game system," he cautioned, "it would not match the play styles of smart devices," Nintendo President Satoru Iwata explained.
A few months ago, Iwata expressed his reluctance to join the mobile games industry due to the rapid fall of its prices. But he announced that the company will be bringing the "Mii app" on mobile. The company has also shied away from the smartphone gaming industry, as it might hurt its console division. Investors, however, are looking for higher profits.
"In the past, I have opposed making smartphone and tablet versions of Nintendo titles. Prices for content aimed at smartphones and tablets are falling quickly. I am still wary of the category. We intend to develop products that will allow customers to identify with Nintendo products and make people pay attention to Nintendo games," Iwata shared in an interview last February.
The Nintendo executive also explained that consoles and smartphones are very different platforms, and this must be given some serious consideration. Selling a mobile videogame for US$0.99 for instance, greatly devalues well-known titles that have been around for a long time now, according to Iwata.
This is the same time that gamers will soon be able to create an avatar on their smartphones, which would represent them on Nintendo gaming consoles. These avatars can also be used on social media, according to sources. The app was said to be available any time this month.
Since the Japanese console maker had already lost greatly to industry giants such as Sony and Microsoft, the next logical step would be to enter the smartphone videogame market.
"This will allow us to build a bridge between smart devices and gaming consoles. It doesn't mean smart devices will eat away at gaming consoles, it will create an entirely new type of demand," Iwata said.
