Nintendo has been sending some very mixed messages over the last few days regarding its stance on making apps, specifically games, for smartphones. First they were said to be looking into it, then a Nintendo official denied that it was an eventuality. Thankfully, Nintendo’s President, Satoru Iwata has today put an end to all doubt regarding this issue; he announced that Nintendo is officially making smartphones apps to show “the value of our entertainment offerings, this encouraging more people to participate in Nintendo platforms”.
This is a pretty round-about way of saying that these apps could range from anything from demos to catalogues of trailers, or basically any advertising material that Nintendo deems enlightening. While Iwata didn’t directly address the issue of Nintendo games appearing on smartphones, he did add that “I have not given any restrictions to the development team, even not ruling out the possibility of making games or using our game characters. However, if you report that we will release Mario on smart devices, it would be a completely misleading statement” which I’m reading as ‘don’t get your hopes up’.
Even so, it is exciting to think that Nintendo is finally turning some of its attention to the mobile platform, but for Nintendo purists everywhere, it’s almost depressing to see the state of affairs that Nintendo has gotten itself into that has led it to this point. What do you think about Nintendo opening up development for smartphone apps? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: Nintendo via Kotaku Australia
