“It is possible to provide applications that feel related to the dedicated video game systems even if they do not have any direct connections.”
Nintendo has dipped its toe into the mobile gaming market, and now it appears the company is prepared to jump in all the way, revealing plans to release 2-3 games for smart devices every year moving forward.
During a Q&A with investors, Nintendo execs were asked how frequently the company plans to release smart device applications moving forward, to which president Tatsumi Kimishima stated that Nintendo plans to release “two to three titles per year that consumers can enjoy as Nintendoʼs smart-device applications.”
“We were sure that Pokemon GO would have some impact, but its extreme popularity and the incredible impact it actually had on the sales of Pokemon software for dedicated video game systems surpassed many people’s expectations,” Shinya Takahashi added. “It is possible to provide applications that feel related to the dedicated video game systems even if they do not have any direct connections. I believe that smart devices, particularly bigger ones like tablets, are easy for smaller children to use which makes it easier for them to experience Nintendo’s IP (intellectual property), so we have been planning to create synergy between smart devices and our dedicated video game systems.”
Shigeru Miyamoto also responded, saying that “we will continue to make use of smart devices in order to increase the amount of people who experience Nintendoʼs IP, and, though the Nintendo 3DS and, soon, Nintendo Switch will remain our most important business, we will continue to expand the smart-device business since it has gradually begun to contribute to Nintendo’s business as a whole.”
It appears that Nintendo’s strategy is to tackle the mobile market by continuing to make use of its existing IPs, in an effort to recapture the interest of older gamers as well as young children in an effort to “overcome generational gaps so parents and children can play together.”
