Nintendo has long resisted the temptation to cash in on the boom in smartphone gaming to offset a troubled few years for its console profits (or lack thereof). Looks like it’s finally swimming with the metaphorical tide: the gaming giant has teamed up with one of Japan’s biggest mobile game developers, DeNA, to develop games for smartphones featuring its iconic characters.
In a media statement, Nintendo said that the two firms “intend to jointly operate new gaming applications featuring Nintendo IP, which they will develop specifically for smart devices.” On the back of that, it also announced plans to launch a gaming service that runs across smartphones, PCs, tablets and Nintendo’s own hardware that will come out in “Fall” (our spring).
But if you were hoping to relive old memories of Mario Bros on your phone screen you’ll be disappointed – yet also possibly pleased to hear that there’s no plans to simply port over old titles in the same way that arch-rival Sega did with Sonic et al. “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,” Nintendo says.
Nintendo will also acquire a 10% stake in DeNA, while DeNA will get a 1.24% piece of Nintendo.
No more details are yet available, and Nintendo said that further details will be made available next year.
[Via: The Verge]
