No Mario on smartphones, says Nintendo

Mario and his friends aren't coming to iOS and Android just yet. In an attempt to stave off rumors that Nintendo will move into the more-casual mobile landscape as a result of the company's lowered financial forecast, president Satoru Iwata addressed speculation of Big-N making such a move during a news conference on Friday.

“The key is to figure out a way to use smartphones to make people aware of Nintendo’s games, and encourage them to try out the console version of the games,” Iwata offered. "It doesn’t mean that we should put Mario on smartphones.”

Many believe Nintendo should be strictly a software developer, given its strong IPs and exclusive franchises. The thought of Mario on iOS and Android devices certainly sounds appealing, but the once-powerful platformholder is smart to approach mobile cautiously. Bringing their most beloved franchises to mobile devices could kill the Nintendo 3DS, which is actually one of the few Nintendo bright spots. Rather than kill another of its systems, Nintendo is right in first looking at a way for mobile to complement games on 3DS and Wii U, in a similar fashion as Sony and Microsoft have done.

[WSJ]