Nintendo became one of the Champions on the Tokyo stock exchange in March, when he announced his decision to start releasing games for mobile devices. The company did not really want to move on to gadgets, however, buckled under the pressure of shareholders. According to the Wall Street Journal, the first app for iPhone and iPad from Nintendo should be out next week.
Nintendo signed a contract on long-term partnership with one of the largest representatives of the so-called “Japanese mobile revolution” – DeNA. According to the company, the partnership bonded by buying a large stake in DeNA. Now Nintendo is the second largest shareholder of the publisher. According to the source, DeNA can present their work next Wednesday or Thursday.
For a long time it was believed that all the problems Nintendo could be solved with one single blow – a blow to their own exclusivity. Super Mario, Metroid, The Legend of Zelda and a number of famous franchises, the Japanese refused to give to anyone. All these games were released exclusively for the console Wii/Wii U and handheld version for the DS/3DS. At the same time, sales of the Wii U did not meet expectations: by the end of last year sold just over 9 million consoles. In this situation a bet on the exclusivity with Nintendo played a malicious joke on the background of the decline in sales to promote the brand became increasingly difficult, and the great TV series blockbusters from the 80s and 90s, which “rose” Nintendo could lose publicity.
Experts asserted that the most popular games of the Japanese company are ideal for transferring to mobile devices. It’s either the so-called platformers and quests, or race. The iPhone and iPad owners will gladly spend big money on such apps. It is not surprising that the decision on the licensing of Nintendo games and partnership with DeNA has been received positively.
It should be clarified that Nintendo are not surrendered in the face of “mobilization” finally. The company will give the market the gadgets your classic brands like the very first Super Mario. New items should remain exclusive, then the Wii U and 3DS will be sold and Nintendo will retain its classic division. The company’s management believes that the full transfer of modern Nintendo games on mobiles and tablets is nonsense.
Note that even before the agreement with DeNA Nintendo tried to implement the business model the most successful developments of the “mobile competitors”. In particular, they have tested the model of free-to-play. However, the system of microtransactions within the Nintendo ecosystem is not able to operate as smoothly, as payment through a smartphone or tablet. But all the disadvantages “premium” users have noticed. When the game requires constant cash injections and refuses to provide a level playing field, it may impact on her reputation and good name of the developer and the publisher.
