Nintendo has announced a deal which will finally see the company enter the world of mobile gaming.
We’ve been waiting with bated breath for the day when Nintendo would enter the mobile gaming arena, and despite reports that it’d never happen, it seems that day has finally arrived. The company has just announced a partnership with Japanese mobile game developer, DeNA, which will see Nintendo characters make their way across to smartphones and tablets for the first time.
According to the terms of the agreement, the two companies will work on “joint development and operation of gaming applications for smart devices using Nintendo’s intellectual property, including its characters.”
DeNA went a step further than simply explaining the bones of the deal, to confirm that the agreement will only see new and original games developed using Nintendo’s property. So if you were hoping to play a bit of Ocarina of Time or Mario 64 on your mobile, you’ll have to stick with those emulators. Most likely, Nintendo’s mobile titles will be short mini-game efforts, perhaps to accompany future console releases – especially as the company won’t want to compete with its own 3DS device.
In a statement, DeNA said: “To ensure the quality of game experience that consumers expect from this alliance of Nintendo and DeNA, only new original games optimized for smart device functionality will be created, rather than porting games created specifically for the Wii U home console or the Nintendo 3DS portable system,”
The two companies also announced an exchange of stock, to shore up the deal. Nintendo will receive 10 per cent of DeNA’s shares, while the mobile games company will receive 1.2 per cent of Nintendo’s shares.
The move into the mobile world isn’t to be seen as a harbinger of doom for Nintendo. Despite entering a new and lucrative market, the company intends to remain true to its roots. Nintendo’s head honcho, Satoru Iwata also confirmed that the company is currently working on a new dedicated games console, codenamed the NX, which should be announced next year.
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