Console giant Nintendo has formed a new alliance with mobile games titan DeNA (pronounced "DNA") to create original IPs for "smart devices and build a new multi-device membership service for consumers worldwide."
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To ensure the quality of game experience that consumers expect from this alliance of Nintendo and DeNA, only new original games optimized for smart device functionality will be created, rather than porting games created specifically for the Wii U or Nintendo 3DS.
DeNA is a prolific mobile game creator, runs the Mobage phone platform, and currently has a deal with Disney to help produce games for Marvel, Star Wars and other popular brands. They rely heavily on a F2P business model for their many, many titles, a market Nintendo is attempting to enter into with their new (and poorly received) Pokemon Shuffle for the 3DS.
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The partnership was announced at a recent Nintendo Investors Relations meeting, where president Satoru Iwata also revealed that Nintendo is working on a new hardware device called the 'NX'.
The official quote from Iwata, translated by Nintendo, is as follows:
"As proof that Nintendo maintains strong enthusiasm for the dedicated game system business, let me confirm that Nintendo is currently developing a dedicated game platform with a brand-new concept under the development codename "NX". It is too early to elaborate on the details of this project, but we hope to share more information with you next year."
With the inevitable demise of Club Nintendo later this summer, Nintendo and DeNA will be working on a new cross-platform membership service. And we do mean "cross-platform".
"Nintendo, together with DeNA, will jointly develop a new membership service which encompasses the existing Nintendo 3DS and Wii U systems, the new hardware system with a brand-new concept, NX, and smart devices and PCs, and Nintendo will be the primary party to operate this new membership service." Said Iwata.
"Unlike the Club Nintendo membership service that Nintendo has been operating, the new membership service will include multiple devices and create a connection between Nintendo and each individual consumer regardless of the device the consumer uses. This membership will form one of the core elements of the new Nintendo platform that I just mentioned."
Which is fantastic news. Club Nintendo has been great, but it is poorly laid out and it never wants to cooperate with all of the many devices Nintendo has. A device singularity is something Nintendo desperately needs. Xbox and PlayStation already have similar apps for mobile users to manage and update their online profiles. Nintendo, please join the modern age.
And at the very least, let us do away with those god awful friend codes, shall we?