Nintendo in Motion

So Nintendo has not chosen to take their world-renowned franchises and use them to crop-share on iOS, and we're calling this a failure to capitalize on an opportunity?

I don't think I could disagree more.

These franchises are a tremendous draw and guarantee a large amount of device lock-in for Nintendo, presently. They have made the games Nintendo produces a renewable resource, where oftentimes the company can re-release game content with a newly polished engine and be critically acclaimed for it.

If Nintendo gives Apple any amount of access to these franchises, then the lock-in is diluted and so, consequently, is the Nintendo brand.

Not to mention that in exchange for diluting their brand and sacrificing their lock-in, they will also be diminishing their profits by 30%.

This is effectively just handing it over to Apple even though there is no obvious marketing or distribution advantage to having their applications available on iOS.

After all they'd lose from the arrangement, it almost feels ludicrous to suggest that Nintendo pay Apple for the honor of diminishing its brand, don't you think?

The problem with this whole premise is that iOS i.e. the iPhone/iPad are assumed to be great platforms for gaming. Maybe this will change with the new gamepad options in iOS 7 but iOS devices so far have not been really good for gaming. Personally, I found several interesting games on iOS but all of the ones I enjoyed playing were strictly in the 'Casual and fun' category. There's something about the pure touchscreen interface that doesn't work for me. (maybe I'm old fashioned and the new generation of gamers are okay with just touchscreens)

This isn't to say that iDevices aren't viable gaming platforms - the hardware does have the punch. Could Nintendo make more money by releasing games on iOS ? Yes. Should they ? Well, I don't know if Mario for iOS will get the same kind of reviews it gets on their platforms. Do they want to take that kind of risk with their flagship icon/mascot ?

I know that Square Enix did pretty badly with the Final Fantasy re-releases on iOS. I couldn't take the controls.

Also, Nintendo makes money on hardware. Why forget that ?

I find the following questions interesting:

Why don't other major game publishers, who are ONLY in the business of making software, make kick ass games for iOS ? Why are we begging/criticizing Nintendo for not making games on a platform that most AAA publishers are rejecting anyway ?

I haven't played an ios game that has come anywhere near the quality or fun of a Nintendo game, and the lack of physical controls is the primary reason for that. I absolutely do not want Nintendo to develop phone games. It will take resources away from them making actual good games, and dilute and weaken their brand. This advice sounds like it's coming from a person who does not play or does not understand nintendo games.

I was recently playing with a GBA emulator on my iPhone and I quickly started searching around for some actual GB hardware, because a touchscreen d-pad is complete bullshit. I'm especially fond of the old Game & Watch collections. Simple, brilliant mobile games, but they need hardware buttons.

I'd buy the heck out of a Nintendo-designed gamepad for 4" iOS devices. They could charge a premium for the hardware and the games, and they've already got the sales channels in place. And if it doubled as a Wii U controller then I'd buy a Wii U too.

I can't understand why Gruber is still making this argument, even when Satoru Iwata has flat out said "no" to it. If Nintendo puts their games on other platforms, there goes any reason to buy Nintendo hardware. If Nintendo had absolutely no chance for another hardware generation, then sure, publish multi-platform. But otherwise, it makes no sense for them to do so.