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[Veitsev]

So it seems like there were two trains of though when it came to Nintendo going mobile

- Abandon dedicated hardware and go completely mobile/third party; mainline Pokemon, Fire Emblem, etc on iPhones and Android devices, etc

or

- Release mobile games using Nintendo IP on mobile platforms that tie in to the "mainline" games on dedicated Nintendo devices. So you will get games like Pokemon Shuffle but not necessarily a new Pokemon. You may get one of the older nes mario games but not necessarily Super Mario 3D Land.

Am I correct that the latter is now happening? This is somewhat hard to follow.

 

[Malio]

If these are just typical shitty mobile phone games designed to introduce people to the characters, I'm good with that. And that's probably what they will be. Mario Crush Saga, etc.

 

[HUELEN10]

The reason I'm not overly happy with this is due to my feelings on mobile gaming. I just don't get it. The games seldom control well due to capacitive touch screen which is far from accurate and the games drain the battery like crazy. I need my phone to have battery but just 5 minutes on a game drains the battery 5 to 10%. It's insanity.

I'll never embrace mobile gaming until this is resolved. That's why I'm sad that my favourite developer is jumping on it. I'll seldom be able to properly play the games they provide because I need my phone not to be dead.

Get a tablet?

 

[Morfeo]

they are also good at crafting not so mechanically complicated games that appeal to to casuals as well.

they don't have a platform that these sorts of games flourish on any longer... now they will.

This was true with stuff like Brain Training and Nintendogs, but I think it will be very hard to replicate that success again in this market with so many developers already in this buisness doing stuff like that.

probably not but it's fucking knack.

Still, could be a quality game for all I know. Wasnt there also an Uncharted Temple Runner, and the Halo twin-stick shooter etc that could be used for comparison?

The worst argument of all. If Nintendo is as great a developer as we all think they are, then they will have no issue designing great games that take advantages of the strengths of mobile.

They are great when they play to their strengths, which is designing interesting mechanics and great level design. With the limited inputs on mobiles, this is certainly possible, but much harder to do, and I at least does not have great hope in them coming up with interesting stuff there when I look at the stuff that exist on mobile already. They would have to completely reinvent the wheel, which I doubt they will be able to do.

 

[Calamari41]

The reason I'm not overly happy with this is due to my feelings on mobile gaming. I just don't get it. The games seldom control well due to capacitive touch screen which is far from accurate and the games drain the battery like crazy. I need my phone to have battery but just 5 minutes on a game drains the battery 5 to 10%. It's insanity.

I'll never embrace mobile gaming until this is resolved. That's why I'm sad that my favourite developer is jumping on it. I'll seldom be able to properly play the games they provide because I need my phone not to be dead.

The slightly decent news is that it seems as though they'll also potentially be releasing these mobile games on their traditional handhelds as well. No reason not to, really.

 

[HawthorneKitty]

Since they're also talking about PC could a potential HD release of Pokken Tournament release through Steam?

That'd be... Nintendo would be buried in money, is all I'm saying.

Whoa, imagine Pokken in HD.
Also, no, try to read and understand the PC component of their plan.

 

[ninjablade]

The worst argument of all. If Nintendo is as great a developer as we all think they are, then they will have no issue designing great games that take advantages of the strengths of mobile.

I really can't see any advantages in mobile compared to consoles, you get leagues better hardware on consoles and, a playing with a controller will always give you vastly better controls.

 

[bomblord1]

The implications, scope, resources dedicated, and even time are not the same.

Not to mention the CD-I was ONE platform, this endeavor is coming to three (iOS/Android/PC) many of which are available to millions of consumers already.

The only thing similar is that both of them were partnerships, and both involved platforms not made from Nintendo. That's the extent of the similarities.

Do we really know the scope, resources, and time in direct comparison though? The CD-i partnership seemed pretty set in stone and lucrative at the time the problems didn't arise until later when things started falling through. This very well run into unexpected issues as well.

 

[Metal B]

This also has to be a great news for the employees of Nintendo. The company now has all three tiers of modern game-development covered: Small Games (mobile games), middleware games (games with small budgets, experiments, niche-games, etc) and blockbusters (the big IPs). Which in return means, that there is always a need for developers to work on a project. So they have a much saver working-place, which helps to maintain the workflow of the company and you don't need to introduce new people all the time. Nintendo already is not known to let people go in big numbers and this will properly help to keep the talent and give them something creative to do even more.

 

[JoeM86]

why?



How old's your phone? Also, tablets.

Not old at all. Like a year or so.

 

[Montresor]

This gif is beautiful. The best thing is how lazy the cat is. Look at this guy, lounging around. The dog initially shows some signs of distress but the cat barely moves. He is clinging onto the slim hope that he won't have to move a single muscle and continue relaxing like on a permanent vacation... until all hell breaks loose.

 

[Aaronrules380]

I'm personally going to wait and see, because this could just as easily be a move to shut up shareholders by having DeNA produce a few mobile titles under nintendo supervision while they continue to prioritize the console and handheld space themselves

 

[Weetrick]

As long as they keep up their recent level of quality with first party games, who cares if they let another company make mobile games based on their IP? Hyrule Warriors didn't take lessen my enjoyment of the Zelda series.

 

[xamidoxhua]

Provided this strategy is just another revenue stream for them their base fans should stay happy. It'll be interesting to see what this does to their hardware strategy over time though. I imagine if hardware continues to decline and mobile becomes successful there'll be pressure from investors to abandon hardware and become a dedicated software company.

 

[Danthrax]

Patcher today:I called it!!

Oh Lordy. It would be great if he made a thread on here just to rub it in everyone's faces.

 

[rothgar]

Oh, I get it, we all slept for two weeks and today is April 1st, right?????

 

[Gwanatu T]

The worst argument of all. If Nintendo is as great a developer as we all think they are, then they will have no issue designing great games that take advantages of the strengths of mobile.

I absolutely agree. Nintendo has shown just how versatile both their IPs are and their strengths as designers and developers no matter the platform. Mobile will be no different.

 

[Morfeo]

anyone who thinks this is not amazing, is too hardwired into gaming being the exact same thing it was when we grew up. Nintendo doesnt release terrible games touch or no touch. IF they want quality it will be quality. More nintendo is better nintendo.

I dont see a single reason why this is amazing, but please enlighten me.

 

[QaaQer]

This also has to be a great news for the employees of Nintendo. The company now has all three tiers of modern game-development covered: Small Games (mobile games), middleware games (games with small budgets, experiments, niche-games, etc) and blockbusters (the big IPs). Which in return means, that there is always a need for developers to work on a project. So they have a much saver working-place, which helps to maintain the workflow of the company and you don't need to introduce new people all the time. Nintendo already is not known to let people go in big numbers and this will properly help to keep the talent and give them something creative to do even more.

You'd be surprised how much they outsource and rely on temp workers.

 

[Pie and Beans]

The reason I'm not overly happy with this is due to my feelings on mobile gaming. I just don't get it. The games seldom control well due to capacitive touch screen which is far from accurate

Haha, this old chestnut. Get one of the Galaxy Note series then.

 

[Basileus777]

It seems like a good comparison to me. Both are partnerships with outside companies. both are about something that Nintendo was notoriously leaving out (one was CD based games now it's smartphone based games). Both have Nintendo getting new products out of it to reach a market they are behind on(one was CD add on now it's an account system) and both have the partnered company receiving license to use Nintendo IP's in return.

On the surface they are almost perfectly parallel.

Not that I actually think it's going to bomb as hard as the CD-i partnership because the way they are entering the market as well as the markets themselves are completely different but I'm staying cautious because of it.

It's a really poor comparison because the CDI was not part of an industry worth billions and those games were not developed internally by Nintendo.

So IOS is still the majority of the market. It doesn't sound safe to ignore it.

 

[Chaos17]

So it seems like there were two trains of though when it came to Nintendo going mobile

- Abandon dedicated hardware and go completely mobile/third party; mainline Pokemon, Fire Emblem, etc on iPhones and Android devices, etc

or

- Release mobile games using Nintendo IP on mobile platforms that tie in to the "mainline" games on dedicated Nintendo devices. So you will get games like Pokemon Shuffle but not necessarily a new Pokemon. You may get one of the older nes mario games but not necessarily Super Mario 3D Land.

Am I correct that the latter is now happening? This is somewhat hard to follow.

Probably the second because Iwata said so in the past that their main games will stay on console because they don't like at all mobiles controls (and I agree).
And, imo, you will have to get go over Myamoto first before seing any Zelda on mobile, lol.
Since he showed many time his dislike for mobiles controls and mobile customers behavior.

 

[numble]

Not old at all. Like a year or so.

What phone do you have and what game are you playing that 5 minutes playing loses 90% battery?

 

[duckroll]

I'm not a business major but I thought you had to own at least a controlling majority to have anything but a cursory say in the company. At best Nintendo should only be one of several reps on their investors board now.

10% of DeNA shares would automatically make Nintendo the largest external shareholder of the company. Tomoko Namba is the founder of DeNA and she holds 13.1%.

http://dena.com/intl/investors/stock-information/stock-info/

 

[butman]

Flappy Mario World

 

[djtiesto]

Because traditional console/handheld companies have had such success on mobile...

...this will be an interesting diversion but I can't see it leading to anything fruitful outside of shutting up shareholders for a while.

 

[bomblord1]

It's a really poor comparison because the CDI was not part of an industry worth billions and those games were not developed internally by Nintendo.

It sounds like the games won't be developed internally by Nintendo based on the quotes in the OP though.

 

[Morfeo]

Since they're also talking about PC could a potential HD release of Pokken Tournament release through Steam?

That'd be... Nintendo would be buried in money, is all I'm saying.

You know the Wii U outputs HD right? This game will hopefully end up there.

 

[LocalE]

The reason we believe this, is that the games Nintendo are good at making are very mechanic-driven and thus wont really play well on mobiles. They are a good developer for sure, but their options will be very limited there, basically forcing them in this direction.

The games nintendo are good at making are games tailored to the strengths of specific hardware. I see no reason to assume or believe that the developers tasked with these projects will be incapable of making games that are suited to the capabilities of said target hardware.

 

[Celine]

I hope they will kepp their words and not making F2P games.

I would be surprise if Nintendo won't take F2P approach for some of their mobile games.
The hope is they do it right (giving proper value, not just extorting money from customers).

 

[marrec]

What phone do you have and what game are you playing that 5 minutes playing loses 90% battery?

Chain Chronicle, notorious for being a battery hog, only drains 1% of my battery in 5 minutes of playtime on the Note 3, notorious for not having an amazing game time battery. I think the poster was being slightly hyperbolic.

 

[Calamari41]

10% of DeNA shares would automatically make Nintendo the largest external shareholder of the company. Tomoko Namba is the founder of DeNA and she holds 13.1%.

http://dena.com/intl/investors/stock-information/stock-info/

Yeah, this isn't a Shark Tank situation. With large public companies, owning even less than 10% can make you the most powerful shareholder by far.

 

[JoeM86]

What phone do you have and what game are you playing that 5 minutes playing loses 90% battery?

iPhone 5.
Simpsons Tapped Out for 3 minutes drained me from 46 to 42%
Family Guy Quest for Stuff drained me from 49 to 46 for about 5 minutes

I used to play Doctor Who Legacy, Sonic Dash etc, but sometimes sessions dropped me by 10% to 20% and made my phone get really hot. To hell with that.

You know the Wii U outputs HD right? This game will hopefully end up there.

If it leaves the arcade, it will certainly be on Wii U and certainly not be on PC

 

[bomblord1]

10% of DeNA shares would automatically make Nintendo the largest external shareholder of the company. Tomoko Namba is the founder of DeNA and she holds 13.1%.

http://dena.com/intl/investors/stock-information/stock-info/

That's interesting. Like I said I only have a very superficial understanding of how business and investment works like this. What powers does that grant Nintendo in regards to the company?

 

[SmokyDave]

The reason I'm not overly happy with this is due to my feelings on mobile gaming. I just don't get it. The games seldom control well due to capacitive touch screen which is far from accurate and the games drain the battery like crazy. I need my phone to have battery but just 5 minutes on a game drains the battery 5 to 10%. It's insanity.

I'll never embrace mobile gaming until this is resolved. That's why I'm sad that my favourite developer is jumping on it. I'll seldom be able to properly play the games they provide because I need my phone not to be dead.

As long as it doesn't impact their core business on Wii U/3DS/NX, I'll be happy, though.

iPad Mini & Hori iOS pad. Job done.

 

[Killer]

Honestly, i think this is a smart move for them. Should have done years ago.

 

[Into]

It was bound to happen, all the arguments i saw against it never held up.

 

[Basileus777]

It sounds like the games won't be developed internally by Nintendo based on the quotes in the OP though.

The press release and conference state that there will be Nintendo developed mobile games.

 

[Herbspiceguy]

A progressive and bold move.
I'm really curious to see what comes out of this, especially in combination with Project NX.
Fears of Nintendo churning out typical iOS shovelware and this somehow being the beginning of the end for Nintendo are irrational imo. A bit sad to see all the negative kneejerk reactions.

I think their best strategy would be to offer 'light', but high quality experiences on mobile platforms that will trigger interest/curiosity of the audience (most importantly a new, young generation) to eventually buy the premium experiences on their next dedicated handheld/console.

 

[doofy102]

I really can't see any advantages in mobile compared to consoles, you get leagues better hardware on consoles and, a playing with a controller will always give you vastly better controls.

You're missing the point in regards to the controls. Nintendo isn't going to be emulating a "touch-gamepad," or anything like that. They know it's brand-tarnishing to emulate a classic gamepad game on a mobile. They know it's a drastically flawed experience. This is why they aren't porting old games.

The issue of controls will be avoided entirely by making games built around mobiles. They'll be games that control more naturally on a mobile than they do on a gamepad.

 

[Vanillalite]

Can we get that Pokemon TCG announced for Android too now?

 

[Easy_D]

The end is nigh ;-;

Spoiler

I'm sue it'll be free apps with the main goal of raising brand awareness or something

 

[HawthorneKitty]

Honestly, i think this is a smart move for them. Should have done years ago.

They didn't have a solution years ago; don't be crazy.

 

[gofreak]

So it seems like there were two trains of though when it came to Nintendo going mobile

- Abandon dedicated hardware and go completely mobile/third party; mainline Pokemon, Fire Emblem, etc on iPhones and Android devices, etc

or

- Release mobile games using Nintendo IP on mobile platforms that tie in to the "mainline" games on dedicated Nintendo devices. So you will get games like Pokemon Shuffle but not necessarily a new Pokemon. You may get one of the older nes mario games but not necessarily Super Mario 3D Land.

Am I correct that the latter is now happening? This is somewhat hard to follow.

I don't think either, particularly. The mobile games will be relatively independent of the 3ds/wii u/nx games. There may be tie-ins but it's not a necessity. These will be new Nintendo games in their own right, but of a different ilk. They aren't purely in service to the 'real' games on other plats.

In the end, IMO, Nintendo will go where market leads now. They're opening up shop on a variety of platforms, they'll follow the money ultimately.

 

[infiniteloop]

iPad Mini & Hori iOS pad. Job done.

Would love to see Nintendo make an MFi controller.

 

[Interfectum]

iPhone 5.
Simpsons Tapped Out for 3 minutes drained me from 46 to 42%
Family Guy Quest for Stuff drained me from 49 to 46 for about 5 minutes

I used to play Doctor Who Legacy, Sonic Dash etc, but sometimes sessions dropped me by 10% to 20% and made my phone get really hot. To hell with that.



If it leaves the arcade, it will certainly be on Wii U and certainly not be on PC

Lots of iPhone 5s have horrible, shit batteries.

Check the battery replacement page to see if you are eligible to get a new battery:

https://www.apple.com/support/iphone5-battery/

 

[harmonize]

They're probably taking the same stance towards mobile gaming that The Pokemon Company has for the past few years: use spin-offs specifically designed for phones to bolster interest in their console offerings.

It's been a very long time coming, glad they're finally going to dip their toes in.

 

[Neff]

We all knew this was coming. The shock at Nintendo 're-prioritising' their market is misplaced, though. These games will be specifically designed to both utilise touch technology, and to broaden the visibility of their IPs and the general Nintendo experience to demographics they currently have difficulty reaching. The announced account system is crucial to that. Low-budget, app-style fare starring Nintendo characters will be purchasable across all account-compatible Nintendo and 3rd party platforms, while premium Wii U/3DS games will be advertised/purchasable on the same hardware, but only enabled for play on Nintendo's systems. It's a move strategically geared to draw customers to the market where they're most comfortable and profitable: their own, on hardware they control and sell. Pokémon Rumble is the kind of thing they're looking at for non-Nintendo hardware, not the Majora's Mask 2s or Metroid Prime 4s of the world. I doubt even action-intensive legacy titles will be ported, since they wouldn't show those games at their best on a touchscreen.

Overall, it's a smart business decision, and doesn't really reflect any sort of huge U-turn for the company that some are suggesting.

 

[ninjablade]

You're missing the point in regards to the controls. Nintendo isn't going to be emulating a "touch-gamepad" in the first place. They know it's brand-tarnishing to "emulate" a classic on mobile control. This is why they aren't porting old games.

The issue of controls will be avoided entirely by making games built around mobiles.

Did nintendo actually say that, they said they wont be just porting old games.

 

[duckroll]

That's interesting. Like I said I only have a very superficial understanding of how business and investment works like this. What powers does that grant Nintendo in regards to the company?

Right now it's less about power and more about financial incentive. Nintendo gets 10% of DeNA and DeNA gets 1% of Nintendo. This motivates both companies to ensure that the partnership is as successful as it can be because both sides benefit from the success of the other company.