No, Nintendo Will Not Start Releasing Mario On Smartphones

Despite their ongoing financial woes, Nintendo will not start developing their games for smartphones, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

“The spread of smart devices does not spell the end of game consoles. It’s not that simple,” Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said at a news conference last Friday.

“The key is to figure out a way to use smartphones to make people aware of Nintendo’s games, and encourage them to try out the console version of the games. It doesn’t mean we should put Mario on smartphones.”

Nintendo recently provided early investor data ahead of its third quarter financial results briefing, which will take place later this month. In light of lesser-than-expected sales of their Wii U and Nintendo 3DS consoles, the company lowered its earnings forecast by a considerable amount for the remainder of the financial year.

That said, while Nintendo’s Wii U console is in dire straits, the Nintendo 3DS has been doing well for itself. While Nintendo 3DS sales were lower than expected outside of Nintendo’s home market in Japan, the 3DS has already amassed an excellent library of games, and holds the potential to achieve far greater heights, provided the company plays its cards right with regard to acquiring the right kind of software support.

Nintendo will discuss its short and mid-term strategy on January 30th. We’ll have more details on what to expect from the game maker then.