Nintendo to introduce its first smartphone game tomorrow
Back in March, Nintendo announced that it was working with mobile developer DeNA to produce its first mobile video game. Two months later, the company said that it would be introducing the game before the end of the year. By next March, the company expects to have five smartphone titles available. Nintendo said that it would not merely move its console and hand-held games to a smartphone platform, but that it would tap into the company's portfolio of famous video game characters and franchises. Tomorrow, the company will announce its first smartphone game.
One Wall Street analyst believes that Nintendo could end up using the games to promote its console line. That doesn't mean that the company is giving up on producing some decent sales figures with the new titles. The company's focus is on "casual gamers" who like to play games on their mobile devices. But CEO Satoru Iwata did say earlier this year that he expects to see those playing Ninteno's smartphone games "explore more premium experiences on our dedicated game systems."
The mobile gaming market is full of free and freemium titles. The latter games can be downloaded for free, but require players to make in-app purchases of special tools, or powers, necessary for the user to have any chance of success in the game. While Nintendo faces tough competition in this market, its CEO expects each of its smartphone games to be a hit.
source: WSJ
"One strategy might be to use smartphone games not primarily to earn profits, but to boost awareness of game characters, which could drive sales of console games in the future."-Hiroyasu Eguchi, analyst, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
The mobile gaming market is full of free and freemium titles. The latter games can be downloaded for free, but require players to make in-app purchases of special tools, or powers, necessary for the user to have any chance of success in the game. While Nintendo faces tough competition in this market, its CEO expects each of its smartphone games to be a hit.
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