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Devices like the 3DS may not be released in emerging markets as Nintendo adjusts its strategy. Jae C. Hong/AP/Press Association Images
new approach
Nintendo plans to develop new consoles for emerging markets
The company’s President Satoru Iwata said that there are no plans for it to release any of its flagship games on smartphones
AFTER ENDURING A disappointing year, Nintendo is planning on developing new devices for emerging markets.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said the company would develop completely new game machines for emerging markets rather than sell cheaper versions of existing consoles like the Wii U.
Nintendo reported a net loss of €164 million over the 12 months through March and sold 2.72 million Wii U consoles, missing its estimated target of 9 million.
Despite the poor earnings, there are no plans for the company to release any games on smartphones with Iwata saying “The smartphone market is probably more competitive than the console business… we have had a console business for 30 years, and I don’t think we can just transfer that over onto a smartphone model.”
Instead, it’s experimenting with new functionality which requires smart devices. Its next flagship title, Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U, will be released at the end of the month and will have a smartphone service called Mario Kart TV, allowing users to watch official and user-generated videos as well as following rankings from the game.
It’s also launching another similar service called the Nintendo Figurine Platform, allowing you to create figurines and link with different video games through Near Field Communication (NFC) technology in the Wii U Gamepad.
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