Could Nintendo make phone games that would work to its advantage?

This maybe a poorly thought through idea, so pull it to pieces if you must, but I am thinking that Nintendo shouldn't ignore the smartphone gaming market. This thought applies to both the Wii U and 3DS. What if they took a part of their major releases and put a specially designed portion of the game, an exaggerated demo if you will, and sold it at a reasonable price on the smartphone market? Selling the game isn't the point though, although it will generate cash flow, no, the real point is to sell the game on the Wii U and 3DS. It would be like a income generating advertisement, as it would constantly remind the player that full and complete experience (with buttons) is waiting for them on the Wii U or 3DS.

With such a massive number of people on their phones waiting to be tapped into, they will potentially expose themselves, or more importantly, their games to a very significant number of people. It would certainly appear logically that it could generate much needed exposure, without downgrading the brand. For a few dollars a game, it would pay for its cost of development in no time, and in more ways than one.

So, what do you fine fellows think, any merit to the thought?

I definitely think Miiverse and some sort of Nintendo Channel (like what was on Wii) should be on smartphones as apps. That's a no-brainer for so many reasons in my opinion, and you've touched on some of them already. I also think some of Nintendo's IP would translate fairly well to mobile devices, such as Advance Wars, Puzzle League and Brain Training.

That doesn't mean that I think A Link Between Worlds and the rest should be available for mobile phones, mind. You just don't get games at their best on a mobile phone - having to play something like New Super Mario Bros 2 entirely on a touchscreen would put it in a bad light. In so many instances I can think of, playing on a mobile has and likely would continue to put me off playing more of a game. Never mind 'brand integrity' and all that mince. It just wouldn't be very good.

I have no desire to see most of the Wii U and 3DS library on a mobile phone, just as I don't want to see Killzone Shadow Fall, Ryse, Dead Rising 3, Forza 5, Knack, etc etc. For the most part, they'd be pish.

I think Nintendo could do well to make more Apps that interact with their games. I'd be well up for the option to pay 69p and have a constant window on my animal crossing village or a Pokedex, or a way to harvest potions and that on Monster Hunter.
But like the Kid says, most of their actual games wouldn't translate all that well. You need real tactile buttons to get that Nintendo feel from a game.

Buskalilly wrote:

I think Nintendo could do well to make more Apps that interact with their games. I'd be well up for the option to pay 69p and have a constant window on my animal crossing village or a Pokedex, or a way to harvest potions and that on Monster Hunter.
But like the Kid says, most of their actual games wouldn't translate all that well. You need real tactile buttons to get that Nintendo feel from a game.

I can't agree that they wouldn't translate as well to a Smartphone, but that is the point in fact. The idea is to advertise them as being even better on the 3DS and Wii U, with the fact that compared to what is out there, the Nintendo games would shine like a beacon. A level of Mario would expose it to a massive audience, as would any of their games; Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Animal Crossing, WarioWare, Mario Kart et cetera. Look at them as "Light" versions (the way they do a lot of games on the phones now), that if you want to real deal, go get our systems and games . I just can't accept that Nintendo isn't capable of translating the controls after all their experience with touch screens.

Keep in mind, we are not the audience for this, we already play their systems. This is about exposure to people who would otherwise be oblivious to the experiences available to them. We already know they play better with buttons. Think about this outside of ourselves, as a marketing tool.

So, what I'm gathering from this - and please correct me if I'm wrong - is that we're suggesting Nintendo charge for segments of their games on non-Nintendo hardware that are intentionally inferior to what's on their console counterparts? Not only does this not seem like Nintendo's style (quality assurance is the name of the game with Nintendo), but it makes them out to be a shower of robbing bastards as well. It'll just make a wholly negative impression if Nintendo went ahead with this.

The Rayman games are great on phones. They're short and are catered to a mobile device, and they look lovely. The peacefully exist with their console counterparts. Sony also have a few mobile games with their console characters (Drake, Cole, Kat, Sackboy and Knack), so other companies are experiencing.

After trying it with Black Flag, I think the companion app idea is a wonderful one. It allows you to interact with the game while you're out - in the case of Black Flag, you can send your fleet on missions. This means that you can ignore this section while playing and just watch the money roll in. Things like that could be good.

The Cappuccino Kid wrote:

So, what I'm gathering from this - and please correct me if I'm wrong - is that we're suggesting Nintendo charge for segments of their games on non-Nintendo hardware that are intentionally inferior to what's on their console counterparts? Not only does this not seem like Nintendo's style (quality assurance is the name of the game with Nintendo), but it makes them out to be a shower of robbing bastards as well. It'll just make a wholly negative impression if Nintendo went ahead with this.

Well, it is all in the wording. Yes, they charge for their games on non-Nintendo hardware, which is not necessarily inferior, but certainly not as good an experience as would be on the Nintendo console. It does not mean that Nintendo make a bad product, as I am completely sure that they could translate any of their games to a very high quality standard on Android/iOS. They wouldn't robbing bastards as no-one has to buy anything they don't want, that being, only those who would be interested would buy. Those people are also NOT the existing Nintendo market, so they are buying something new. They are also buying something that will be high quality and fun, at a low price, that is intended primarily to encourage them to add a Nintendo console to their lives, to continue the experience, which, whilst still very good, is even better on the said Nintendo system. It is a marketing exercise and the only ones who see this a a truly bad thing (as in evil - remember, we already have Nintendo product, so we aren't the target market), would be Nintendo haters.

I honestly can only see upsides and no downsides.

Cube wrote:

The Rayman games are great on phones. They're short and are catered to a mobile device, and they look lovely. The peacefully exist with their console counterparts. Sony also have a few mobile games with their console characters (Drake, Cole, Kat, Sackboy and Knack), so other companies are experiencing.

After trying it with Black Flag, I think the companion app idea is a wonderful one. It allows you to interact with the game while you're out - in the case of Black Flag, you can send your fleet on missions. This means that you can ignore this section while playing and just watch the money roll in. Things like that could be good.

Being able to interact with mobile apps is a great idea indeed, even if not for me (no intentions of owning a smartphone). As you point out with Rayman, it can work and is a great marketing tool for exposure to a wider audience, without affecting the console market, where proper games, with real depth are. I think Nintendo will fall behind if they don't find ways to incorporate newer technologies into their future, whilst still maintaining a full and exclusive offering on their own devices.

Another one on the companion app. train. Haven't Nintendo already started doing something like that? With Pokémon Crystal, and something else that came out more recently, also Pokémon-related? Neither of which left Japan, mind you.

As for porting their games to 'phones, it would work well with some (the Phoenix Wright Trilogy were fine on my iPhone, bugs aside), but not others. I don't know whether it would be financially beneficial to Nintendo or not, because their handhelds are pretty thriving; I wouldn't want to see the transfer anyway, because I'm a fanboy and I love my Nintendo handhelds.

Balladeer wrote:

Another one on the companion app. train.  Haven't Nintendo already started doing something like that?  With Pokémon Crystal, and something else that came out more recently, also Pokémon-related?  Neither of which left Japan, mind you.

As for porting their games to 'phones, it would work well with some (the Phoenix Wright Trilogy were fine on my iPhone, bugs aside), but not others.  I don't know whether it would be financially beneficial to Nintendo or not, because their handhelds are pretty thriving; I wouldn't want to see the transfer anyway, because I'm a fanboy and I love my Nintendo handhelds.

It isn't just the handheld, and you can never sell too many consoles, so more is better. It certainly can't be to a financial loss. It has got profit, without cannibalisation written all over it, with nothing but incremental sales. I am a huge Nintendo fanboy as well, but it would only improve the positions of the consoles and company we all love.

oldschool wrote:

With such a massive number of people on their phones waiting to be tapped into, they will potentially expose themselves

There are plenty of apps for doing that with as it is- isn't that why they shut down Letter Box?

beemoh wrote:

oldschool wrote:

With such a massive number of people on their phones waiting to be tapped into, they will potentially expose themselves

There are plenty of apps for doing that with as it is- isn't that why they shut down Letter Box?

I don't know anything about that one.

On seeing the post title I thought "No"; there's no reason to put business the way of other firms. Then the companion app idea was floated, and I am behind that one. For most of my time with Animal Crossing I used an app that told me what I could catch and when; it also helped me keep track of the fossils and art that I'd collected. Nintendo should have made that. As it was, some guys got loads of money off the back of New Leaf - money that could have gone into Nintendo's coffers.

oldschool wrote:

beemoh wrote:

oldschool wrote:

With such a massive number of people on their phones waiting to be tapped into, they will potentially expose themselves

There are plenty of apps for doing that with as it is- isn't that why they shut down Letter Box?

I don't know anything about that one.

Does someone else want to explain this one, or should I?

Basically, it's all Cappuccino Kid's fault.  

Companion apps*, possibly. Games, no.

The best thing Nintendo has going for it is exclusivity. The minute a Mario appears on iOS, that's gone. Plus, I'd hate to see the equivalent of a Nintendo version of Sony's laughably bad "Coke Zero Presents PlayStation All-Stars Island."

That dull endless runner didn't make me want to buy a console to play Uncharted and just made me think that Sony couldn't care less about devaluing their IP.

(* By companion apps i mean: Miiverse app, Pokedex app, Nintendo Direct countdown app, Animal Crossing cross off your furniture collection guide, possibly even strategy guides.)

I want to agree and not.

My pro is that Nintendo releases companion apps such as a pokedex and it's back-catalog of games from the NES through to Game Boy Advance as not to deter from people buying 3DS &/or Wii U . I could be anyone with a smartphone I think Super MARIO World 2 Yoshi Island, I loved that game let's down load it for £5.50 on my phone, I play it and think to myself I'll check out the new Nintendo stuff, there could even be a free version after every level an add pops up going buy the new Super Mario 3D World on Wii U.

My Con is if the released likes of link between world's on a smartphone, there's no point of having Nintendo hardware if there going to release there new games on third parties, what would be the point of having a 3DS none. You might as well release Super Smash Bros on the PS4 if you want to go this root.

Nintendo needs its exclusivity - if I could pick up Super Smash Bros. or the new Mario on a mobile device, what's to inspire me to pick up a Wii U or 3DS?

Companion apps are a great idea though, with Cube's reference of Assassin's Creed IV's companion app being a solid example.

So the overall idea is to attract smartphone users into buying Nintendo consoles? I think that particular market is way too fickle for that to work, for all the 'casuals' the wii picked up that hasn't really transferred well to wii U, has it?

Like everyone else said though companions apps sound like the way to go.