Nintendo, DeNA partnership: No ports, but all IP is open to make smartphone games

Nintendo has asserted that their existing library of games will not be ported over to smartphones as part of their recently partnership with developer DeNA.

Moreover, the publisher stressed that any of their IP can be used to make new mobile games.

“As for which Nintendo IP will be used, we do not intend to make any exceptions,” Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata said. “Potentially, any Nintendo IP could be used in our smart device software. On the other hand, as I just said, games on smart devices require ever-evolving services rather than just being a finished product. A combined effort will be necessary to operate them. People’s attention would only be dispersed if we simply increased the number of the titles we simultaneously released, and we could not expect to expand our business. Accordingly, we will narrow down the titles for development and operation to some extent.”

Iwata stressed that we won’t see ports.

“Please also note that, even if we use the same IP on our dedicated video game systems and smart devices, we will not port the titles for the former to the latter just as they are. There are significant differences in the controls, strengths and weaknesses between the controllers for dedicated game systems and the touchscreens of smart devices. We have no intention at all to port existing game titles for dedicated game platforms to smart devices because if we cannot provide our consumers with the best possible play experiences, it would just ruin the value of Nintendo’s IP,” he said.

“And, if I can talk a bit further about our game development plan, we will continue doing our best to develop dedicated game titles for our dedicated game hardware platforms just as we have been doing. 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.”

What would you like to see on smartphones as a result of the partnership?