Updated 04:10 AM EDT, Fri, Mar 29, 2024

Nintendo Will Not Port Mario, Other Franchises to Smartphones or Tablets

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Nintendo has struggled to meet the success the company experienced with the original Wii console and the Nintendo DS, but that does not mean its looking to port some of the company's most popular franchises to smartphones and tablets.

At a recent press conference, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata clarified that, although Nintendo did not account for the recent rise in smartphone gaming, the company has no plans to bring any of its beloved franchises, such as Mario, to the mobile marketplace.

"The spread of smart devices does not spell the end of game consoles. It's not that simple...It doesn't mean that we should put Mario on smartphones," Iwata said, The Wall Street Journal reported.

This move makes sense as the highlight for Nintendo for 2013 was the handheld 3DS. While the company lowered its overall sale goals for the system for the 2013 financial year ending on March 31, 2014, the mobile console has sold enough units and software to ensure the company is still profitable despite terrible Wii U sales. Iwata cites the success of the game Puzzles and Dragons on the 3DS as proof that the console holds some sway in the mobile landscape. Puzzles and Dragons is a free-to-play mobile game on smartphones and tablets, but the 3DS version of the game released later was able to sell over 1 million copies even though the free version of the game was still available.

In addition, it can be argued Nintendo's most valuable asset is its franchises. With franchises such as Mario, the Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Donkey Kong, and others, Nintendo only needs to put out several high profile games to help boost the company's profile with casual gamers. In fact, Nintendo focused on bringing games from these franchises to their consoles with rousing success as games such as Super Mario 3D World, Pokémon X and Y, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds became hit games for the company in 2013. With so many mainstream franchises on the roster, Nintendo has no need to port its franchies to other platforms.

Look out for more Nintendo news right here as the company attempts to make 2014 a better year for the Wii U and to continue the success of the 3DS.

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