We may be learning more details about Nintendo’s upcoming mobile games very soon, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Nintendo first announced its foray into mobile gaming back in March. At the time they said that mobile games would be coming before the end of the year. Well, the end is nigh, and Nintendo has an investors’ meeting next week. Ominous??
According to WSJ, Nintendo’s share price increased nearly 70% after its partnership with mobile games company DeNA was announced. We also know that Nintendo has invested a ton of money in mobile augmented-reality game Pokémon GO, which shows their faith in the mobile marketplace.
Still, WSJ reminds us that Nintendo is coming late to the mobile party. “The rise of smartphone games has hit Nintendo harder than other console makers,” the article reads, “because it has taken aim at Nintendo’s traditional strength with casual gamers, who prefer catchy titles that can be played on the go to more violent or risqué content that is best consumed behind closed doors.”
We still don’t know if Nintendo’s upcoming apps will feature Mario, Luigi, or other characters from Nintendo’s core cast of characters. We do know that the company won’t be porting any existing console games over to mobile. Instead, we can expect all-new titles. This is a smart move, considering how exclusive Nintendo games tend to be. Nintendo games sell Nintendo consoles; if too many of those games were to become available on the world’s most popular platform (smartphones), it could leave their consoles dead in the water.
For now, all we can do is wait and see.
(Fingers crossed for a Lara Croft GO-style Zelda puzzle game!)
