A new beginning

Following the flurry of Nintendo news from two days ago, a Q&A featuring Nintendo's CEO Satoru Iwata and DeNA's CEO Isao Moriyasu was posted on Nintendo's corporate website, largely discussing the role DeNA and Nintendo will each play when producing mobile games with one another.

While a large chunk of the interview - published entirely in Japanese - wasn't new information, both Iwata and Moriyasu gave answers that shed light on what we can expect from DeNA and Nintendo's partnership in the future.

When asked when consumers might see the first Nintendo games on smart phones, both Iwata and Moriyasu were sidetracked into discussing the role each company will play in the creation of games. Iwata stated, "that each company will have to rely on their good strengths." DeNA is experienced in mobile app production while Nintendo is one of the most well-renowned game developers in the world. In other words, both men discussed how Nintendo will make the games and DeNA will handle the back end; server development and the like. Moriyasu furthered this sentiment by stating that Nintendo will make the games and DeNA will support them. However, he also claimed the role each company plays will vary from game to game, depending on the need.

Another question inquired why Nintendo decided to partner with DeNA, and if it had anything to do with their recent troubles with the Wii U underselling. Iwata handled this question well.

"The world of business is always changing," Iwata said. "Therefore, Nintendo is always adjusting." This, it seems, is one of the reasons Nintendo decided to enter the mobile gaming market.

Moriyasu, for his company's part, is positive that the mobile game business is only getting larger and larger. Therefore, he wondered how he could make business even bigger, and he believes partnering with Nintendo will do just that.

Briefly, it was asked of Iwata if the announcement of the Nintendo NX's development had anything to do with the company's partnership with DeNA. Iwata claimed there is no relationship between DeNA and the Nintendo NX, and that he's not going to give up making games for dedicated Nintendo platforms. In fact, he stressed the latter point quite a lot throughout the five page interview.

A question much later inquired whether or not there will be any cross platform interaction between smart phones and dedicated Nintendo devices. The short answer is yes, Iwata is thinking about it. The systems will all connect somehow through Nintendo's new membership program, although exactly how this will work wasn't explained much further. However, Iwata did hint at some interactivity between dedicated Nintendo consoles and smart phones. Again, Iwata didn't elaborate too much on this.

The final question with a tidbit of juicy information queried why Nintendo chose DeNA over other mobile companies. Apparently, many mobile companies were "knocking on Nintendo's door," offering similar deals. However, Iwata claims DeNA had a "passion" to work with Nintendo that impressed the company. In fact, Iwata said "DeNA attacked Nintendo with a passion, so we were impressed by them." It appears some healthy aggression brought this partnership into fruition.

Both CEOs have considered the role their company will play in this partnership very carefully, but it remains to be seen how it will pan out. Undoubtedly, we're in for some major changes at Nintendo.

With this information, how do you think it will turn out? Let us know in the comments.

Once again, thank you Izumi for helping us translate!

[source nintendo.co.jp]