Nintendo Denies Report of Plans to Release Demo Games on iOS

A Monday report from Japanese business newspaper Nikkei claimed Nintendo is planning unveil an iOS app to market content for its Wii U and 3DS, with the app allegedly featuring information about new games from Nintendo and the mobile initiative potentially also including playable demos of console and handheld games. In a statement provided to Engadget today, however, Nintendo has denied it is planning to offer such minigames on smartphone platforms.

nintendo-logo

"Nikkei's article contains information previously stated by Mr Iwata during past press conferences, including statements which relate to Nintendo's willingness to make use of smart devices to promote our products.

However during such past announcements Mr Iwata has also stated that Nintendo's intention is not to make Nintendo software available on smart devices and as such, we can confirm that there are no plans to offer minigames on smartphone devices."

Nintendo is at a crossroads as mobile gaming makes gains on both the console and handheld market. The Japanese game maker reported its third consecutive annual loss and adjusted its forecast to reflect a 35 billion yen ($335.76 million) operating loss, instead of the previously projected profit of 100 billion yen. The company also slashed it sales forecasts for the Wii U from 9 million to 2.8 million units and cut its estimates for the 3DS from 18 million to 13.5 million units.

Many investors and Nintendo fans have called for the legendary game company to embrace mobile platforms, but the company's executives have so far remained steadfast in focusing their valuable game franchises only on Nintendo-branded hardware.

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Use Same Rear Chassis as iPhone 16

Friday July 19, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Apple will adopt the same rear chassis manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 that it is using for the upcoming standard iPhone 16, claims a new rumor coming out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker "Fixed Focus Digital," the backplate manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 is "exactly the same" as the standard model in Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, which is expected to...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Just Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Monday July 15, 2024 4:44 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
bsod

Crowdstrike Says Global IT Outage Impacting Windows PCs, But Mac and Linux Hosts Not Affected

Friday July 19, 2024 3:12 am PDT by
A widespread system failure is currently affecting numerous Windows devices globally, causing critical boot failures across various industries, including banks, rail networks, airlines, retailers, broadcasters, healthcare, and many more sectors. The issue, manifesting as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), is preventing computers from starting up properly and forcing them into continuous recovery...
iphone 14 lineup

Cellebrite Unable to Unlock iPhones on iOS 17.4 or Later, Leak Reveals

Thursday July 18, 2024 4:18 am PDT by
Israel-based mobile forensics company Cellebrite is unable to unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the company's mobile forensics tools and highlight the ongoing security improvements in Apple's latest devices. The leaked "Cellebrite iOS Support Matrix" obtained by 404 Media...
Apple Watch Series 9

2024 Apple Watch Lineup: Key Changes We're Expecting

Tuesday July 16, 2024 7:59 am PDT by
Apple is seemingly planning a rework of the Apple Watch lineup for 2024, according to a range of reports from over the past year. Here's everything we know so far. Apple is expected to continue to offer three different Apple Watch models in five casing sizes, but the various display sizes will allegedly grow by up to 12% and the casings will get taller. Based on all of the latest rumors,...
tinypod apple watch

TinyPod Turns Your Apple Watch Into an iPod

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
If you have an old Apple Watch and you're not sure what to do with it, a new product called TinyPod might be the answer. Priced at $79, the TinyPod is a silicone case with a built-in scroll wheel that houses the Apple Watch chassis. When an Apple Watch is placed inside the TinyPod, the click wheel on the case is able to be used to scroll through the Apple Watch interface. The feature works...

Top Rated Comments

rudychidiac Avatar
137 months ago
Your pride will be your downfall
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
koban4max Avatar
137 months ago
if nintendo CEO doesn't do anything about it quick, Mario is going to end up working as a plumber.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Reason077 Avatar
137 months ago
So, in other words, Nintendo just don't get it. They're doomed.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
theydonotmove Avatar
137 months ago
this would be a good move for Nintendo, demos for the mobile sphere, and save your real games for your devices.

If Nintendo steps into the mobile gaming market they will waste a lot of energy trying to compete in a whole new area of gaming. they will be developing new software or porting old software to two new platforms (android and iOS), that are fragmented over different types of hardware, and competing with developers who have been there for many years already.

Go play Super Mario 3D world and then tell me you can replicate that on a phone. I'm sorry but you can't.

Nintendo's place is in the living room or a mobile device of their design, not your smartphone.

The next Smash Bros,. and Zelda, and Mario Kart, and other 1st party titles will be a shot in the arm for Wii U sales, the console will likely go the route of the Gamecube, which was not a success but was still profitable by the end of it's run.

Nintendo's next move should be as the recent rumors have pointed to; a console/handheld fusion device with backwards compatibility to Wii and Wii U, support from Nintendo's online market, and specs at least somewhere in the ballpark of the current offerings from Microsoft and Sony.

A seamless mobile and living room gaming experience.

Did mac clones help Apple? No.

Then why would Nintendo commit suicide just so you can play Mario on your iPhone?

Aside from top notch game making and an earned reputation for making some of the best games in the business, the most valuable thing Nintendo has is its catalog of retro games and its intellectual properties.

Putting those games and/or properties on other devices is like throwing money away for Nintendo.

When you buy a game on Nintendo's virtual console they earn 100 percent of the profit, if they were bleeding them off onto other devices they would be earning less than if they sold it themselves.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pichael Avatar
137 months ago
This is what happens when the same company develops hardware and software.

Are you kidding me? What does Apple do? I'm pretty sure they make hardware and the software that runs on it.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
polterbyte Avatar
137 months ago
Iwata's actions, if true, look like the Germanic tribe response to the Roman army in the initial scene of "Gladiator".

The dialogue between Quintus and Maximus at that moment is also very appropriate:

Quintus: People should know when they are conquered.
Maximus: Would you, Quintus? Would I?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)