For years, gamers have been imploring Nintendo to release its older games on smartphone platforms and operating systems. These pleas have fallen on deaf ears, however, current president Satoru Iwata is instead taking an entirely different approach.
More specifically, he plans to remake popular smartphone games for the Nintendo 3DS. This has been met with dismay by many fans, who cannot believe the decision or the reasoning behind it.
The Issue with Nintendo
To start with, the obvious question: why would anyone pay Nintendo for a game that was already accessible to play for free on their smartphone? Cue radio silence from the Japanese gaming giants, who have yet to provide clear and concise reasoning for their strategy. Although it has received support from those who claim that Nintendo’s decision to invest solely in gaming for its own hardware is similar to Apple’s strategy of creating software exclusive to its branded devices, this is not an argument that stands up well to scrutiny.
The sound bites coming from Nintendo suggest that leading developers are convinced that games such as Golden Nugget Casino, offering classic games such like Blackjack and Roulette, are best played on unique and specifically designed hardware. But this philosophy makes little sense in an age where mobile online gaming of most played games such as European Roulette and the freemium gameplay model remain Omni-potent.
The Last Word
Recently, Nintendo have confirmed that it would introduce leading characters such as Mario to the popular smartphone game ‘Puzzle and Dragons’. This is a small concession on behalf of the brand, and one that may see more classic characters and gameplay elements incorporated into mobile games.
This is as far as it goes for Nintendo at the moment, however, as the brand seem determined to refrain from releasing its most popular games for mobile devices. They may be forced to change their philosophy in the near future, however, especially given the flexible and constantly evolving nature of smartphone gaming.