Nintendo is not making any "Mario" mini-games for smartphones despite the quotes from a Nikkei report spreading like wildfire.
According Engadget, the company has released a statement clearing up some confusion around Nikkei's widely reported interview with Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. Check out the full statement below:
"Nikkei's article contains information previously stated by Mr. Iwata during past press conferences, including statements which relate to Nintendo's willingness to make use of smart devices to promote our products. However, during such past announcements Mr. Iwata has also stated that Nintendo's intention is not to make Nintendo software available on smart devices and as such, we can confirm that there are no plans to offer mini-games on smartphone devices. "
The following is the reported quote about the "Mario" mini-games from Iwata's interview with Nikkei, according to Kotaku:
"I feel that we should make an effort to take advantage of [smart devices'] existence. For instance, we already made it possible to browse Wii U's networking service called Miiverse on smart devices. Starting with this attempt, we are discussing among us how we can expand the use of smart devices to help drive the business of dedicated gaming systems...
"Twitter timelines filled with tweets about Monster Hunter and Pokémon can certainly help create awareness for the products, and we also know that many watch Nintendo Direct on their smart devices. Rather than simply viewing smart devices as competitors, we should consider ways in which we can use them for our business."
Nintendo is most likely trying to make their gaming console work after seeing lack luster sales from the Wii U, even with the fairly priced bundle packs released aroun the holiday season. According to Engadget, Iwata will hold a briefing explaining the company's plan to better their sales in 2014.
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