Nintendo to develop games for mobile devices, announces its NX game system

In a press conference in Japan, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata made important announcements about the future of the company.

In a new partnership, “Nintendo and DeNA will jointly develop and operate gaming applications for smart devices in global markets,” said Mr. Iwata. DeNA develops the Mobage platform for mobile games in Japan, and offers various other services (e-commerce, mobile portal, advertising).

This alliance will open the door to the world of mobile devices to Nintendo. It will bring a faster distribution of Nintendo’s intellectual properties to a global market. Also, all Nintendo IPs can be used to develop software, but will not be ported over to Nintendo devices, in order to create new experiences. “For smart devices, even in the case where we utilize the same IP, we will create completely new game software that will perfectly match the play styles of smart devices.”

Nintendo is also working on “a dedicated game platform with a brand-new concept” called NX, according to Iwata.

“As proof that Nintendo maintains strong enthusiasm for the dedicated game system business, let me confirm that Nintendo is currently developing a dedicated game platform with a brand-new concept under the development codename “NX.” It is too early to elaborate on the details of this project, but we hope to share more information with you next year,” said Mr. Iwata (with this English translation provided on the company’s corporate news section).

Both companies, Nintendo and DeNA, are also working on an online membership service (like Club Nintendo) that will arrive in the fall and be accessible to multiple devices including smart devices and the NX (whenever it gets released).

More info about the NX game system will be revealed next year.

[Source]: Nintendo: Nintendo Co., Ltd. & DeNA Co., Ltd. – Business and Capital Alliance Announcement.