Nintendo Reportedly Wants To Focus More On Mobile Games

There is no denying that mobile games are becoming more and more popular, especially noted with the announcement of the Life is Strange mobile title announced just yesterday, and Nintendo themselves have dipped their toes in those particular waters. With the resounding success of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, Nintendo is looking to shift a large focus onto future smart device title development.

According to new reports from The Wall Street Journal, Nintendo is currently branching out to work with even more mobile developers to produce more future projects to the likeness of Animal Crossing’s success. Wall Street states that Nintendo’s aim is to be more efficient and that with mobile releases, they can release more titles at a much faster pace while also growing their partner bases. Makes sense, but what exactly are the goals here?

According to the Wall Street Journal:

“The global market for smartphone games rose 40% in 2016 to about $50 billion, according to Japanese data provider Famitsu, with Japan and China together accounting for more than 60% of the market and the U.S. about 20%.

The rapid growth has put pressure on Nintendo to build its presence in mobile games, even though the area is usually less lucrative than its traditional core business of selling consoles for hundreds of dollars and game software at roughly $60 a pop.

Among the companies that have held discussions about smartphone games with Nintendo is GungHo Online Entertainment Inc.,the Tokyo-based maker of the hit “Puzzle & Dragons” smartphone game, said people knowledgeable about the Nintendo-GungHo talks. A GungHo spokeswoman denied that talks with Nintendo took place.”

Though new parterships are a part of the plan, Nintendo isn’t looking to invest in anymore companies like they did with DeNA. Though the company’s primary statement turned away from mobile gaming, their success with apps like Miitopia, Fire Emblem Heroes, and Super Mario Run was just too much to ignore.