Nintendo Plans to Make Games for Smartphones

Finally, Nintendo has seen the light of day, which is the fact that we now are living in the smartphone-toting Digital Era and that mobile is part of the future of gaming.

The Japan-based company has finally overcome to its "aversion" to non-console platforms as it announced Tuesday that it will be expanding into mobile gaming, Time reported.

"Nintendo said it would partner with mobile gaming company DeNA Co. to develop 'gaming applications' for smartphones and other non-console devices," the news source said.

This announcement apparently generated positive response, at least on the stock market, as the company's shares rose 28% in New York on the same day, Wall Street Journal observed.

"Until now, Nintendo had clung to its traditional, console-based business model, refusing to license its characters for mobile use for fear it would undermine the value of its rich catalog of games," WSJ said. "That strategy has come at a steep cost, analysts say, because games played on smartphones, tablets and other portable gadgets are providing much of the industry's growth."

A game consultant based in Tokyo, Serkan Toto, observed that the expansion to mobile gaming is "about the most drastic, bold shift in strategy Nintendo could have undertaken."

As expected, Nintendo is not letting go of console-based gaming. In fact, the "Super Mario Bros." creator is planning to make a new one, said to be code-named NX.

"By tapping into the smartphone we can increase the number of Nintendo fans," explained Nintendo chief Satoru Iwata. "No companies in any industries can survive if they fail to adjust to changing market environments."

Interestingly, it was only about two years ago when Iwata "adamantly ruled out" an expansion to mobile gaming.

"If we think 20 years down the line, we may look back at the decision not to supply Nintendo games to smartphones and think that is the reason why the company is still here," he told WSJ back in 2013.

According to Wired, Iwata did not say which games will be coming to mobile devices, although he did mention that certain games may not have a mobile version due to the "significant differences in the controls, strengths and weaknesses between the controllers for dedicated game systems and the touchscreens of smart devices."

"We have no intention at all to port existing game titles for dedicated game platforms to smart devices because if we cannot provide our consumers with the best possible play experiences, it would just ruin the value of Nintendo's IP," Iwata said.

As can be recalled, this is mostly why Nintendo had long held out from mobile gaming, as the company puts a premium on gaming experience.

Additionally, Nintendo and DeNA will put together a customer membership program that will cover all devices, replacing the Club Nintendo customer loyalty program.

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