Are you waiting for Nintendo to allow or develop a Mario game for your smartphone and bring the famous franchise into the mobile market? Don't hold your breath.
Nintendo seems resistant to the idea altogether and has dished out several reasons they don't want to bring the plump plumber or other classic franchises to iOS, Android nor Windows. Speaking to Gamespot, long-time Nintendo producer Kensuke Tanabe had several interesting things to say.
"With games like Mario and Donkey Kong, the control input is such an important part of that; I think if you're trying to replicate that feeling of control that you have traditional to those games, translating those to a smart device, that's a just a really, really difficult task," Tanabe said.
He feels the touch screen is simply not a valid option for Nintendo's games, which often feature tight controls for platforming. That's fair enough, though I think there is definitely a scheme they could come up with that would work. It sounds as if they don't like the idea in general, though.
Tanabe continues, "Of course I'm not ignoring the fact that the marketplace is flooded with these devices and that there are a lot of games created specifically for them. Personally, as I mentioned earlier, I don't have a curiosity of or feeling of needing to create or wanting to create games for those devices. I want Nintendo games to be played on Nintendo hardware."
So there it really is. Excuses about controls are one thing, but it seemingly comes down to the fact that Nintendo executives don't really want it to happen. They're resistant to expanding platforms beyond the hardware they control, which is somewhat understandable.
I just think, given the struggling console sales, Nintendo could use a shot in the arm, and selling a big franchise on a platform that's sitting in everyone's pocket is an obvious route. I get the impression that they seem to think doing so would cheapen their IP, but nobody is saying they can't make a good, high quality title for smartphones.
I suppose it could be seen as a bit of a cash grab, but business is business and the profits wouldn't hurt. In addition, as I mentioned a possible game doesn't need to be a poor quality cash-in, but could be a fun game in its own right. But Nintendo recently stated they remain committed to the hardware-software business model, so I wouldn't expect major changes any time soon.
Source: IGN
