Super Mario Mobile?
Nintendo has announced their recent partnership with Japanese company DeNA (Marvel War of Heroes, Star Wars Galactic Defense) in order to bring their iconic characters like Mario and Luigi to Android and iOS devices. The terms of the partnership include creating new games and launch an online membership service for mobile devices.
“This will allow us to build a bridge between smart devices and gaming consoles,” Reuters quoted Nintendo’s president Satoru Iwata at their press conference. “It doesn’t mean smart devices will eat away at gaming consoles, it will create an entirely new type of demand.” Very true. Whilst the loyal long-term gamers stick to video game systems and PCs, this new development will bring in new generation users aka kids who are using tablets and mobile devices rather than spending time playing systems.
As part of the deal, Nintendo and DeNA will buy 22 billion yen ($181 million) worth of shares in each other; Nintendo will own approximately 10% of DeNA while the mobile gaming company will own approximately 1.25% of Nintendo. Not bad indeed.
Let’s face it, it’s 2015 and the latest toys are tablets and smartphones. The popularity of the “freemium” gaming model (where games are free to download and players pay for virtual online currency or extra lives) and low-cost downloadable games have profited many heavyweights like Sony, and Microsoft. As the ownership of smarphones goes up, the demand for mobile gaming increases: it only makes sense for companies like Nintendo to capitalize on the opportunity.
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