Today has brought the latest Nintendo financial results, so attention now turns to the upcoming President's Presentation from Tatsumi Kimishima, which will be his first in the role. It's taking place at 10am Tokyo time on 29th October, which is 1am UK / 2am CET, and 6pm Pacific / 9pm Eastern on 28th October. Though it won't be streamed live online there will be investors and business journalists tweeting from the presentation, with the manuscript likely to be published online shortly after.
One area that will definitely be covered, as expected, will be the first smart device game produced from the DeNA partnership. With investor confidence in the company having increased a great deal this year courtesy of that upcoming move onto iOS and Android, it was always likely to feature.
Yasuaki Kogure, chief investment officer at SBI Asset Management Co., was clear that Nintendo needs to provide significant detail on the title due before the end of the year.
The smartphone game will have to come out pretty soon, so this would be a good time to announce it. Investors are expecting specifics, so only saying something general may be taken as a negative.
There's an ongoing belief that this could be a hugely lucrative market for Nintendo, with Bloomberg's Intelligence analyst Jitendra Waral saying the following:
It's a sizable market and Nintendo can become a top player with DeNA depending on which characters they decide to port. Meaningful impact on revenues may take time as they build new franchises, but focusing on fewer titles seems a good strategy.
We recently outlined five areas that could come up in Kimishima-san's presentation, and this was certainly included. It'll be hugely interesting to see what form this game takes.
[source bloomberg.com]
Comments 65
New franchises starting on mobile? Huh.
I'm not holding my breath. I don't want to be disappointed.
Maybe we'll see
I'm almost certainly wrong in every guess, but that's the best I can come up with.
I think Tomodachi Life would be a great suit for mobile, I would probably play it often if they went with that
Don't get your hopes up people, at least not if you're expecting a 20-hour RPG or an extensive platformer.
I would love to hear the mobile information fairly live you could say... but I have to sleep unfortunately ;^^.
Either way, I am looking forward to hear about what Nintendo's first mobile game will be .
I don't even know why I care. It's not like I'm going to invest a lot of time no matter what the game. I just hope for some success as they can use that money to develope real games. My guess is they will make a free to play game will a decent pay wall.
I find the current mobile gaming market right now a joke and uninspiring, can Nintendo change that? dunno, but all I care for right now is what the new Club Nintendo has to offer, a possible renovation at the NID system to be tied to an account and not to a device, Region Free and further 3DS/NX news..
There's no way they're just gonna take an existing phenomenon and stick Mario / Kirby / Link in. It's gotta be something different, new. I've no interest myself, absolutely zero, in playing games on anything other than a dedicated machine, currently my Wii U and 3DS... but I hope they do something great, and that it's a massive hit, and we as gamers all benefit in the long run.
If it's not free to play I'm not going to bother with it
@Tsurii Calm down, this is at least just a day before - a notice for investors who wish to attend.
It's no different for Nintendo Directs, or indeed, other Nintendo investor relations events. Businessmen have to be informed in advance, after all, even if it's just twenty-four hours before...
Scratch that, they'd probably piss off a lot of investors if they announced this just an hour before.
@Spoony_Tech Hard not to care after Nintendo spent all those years saying they would never put a game on mobile and now they are. But of course the bigger question is what kind of game it will be based on what IP.
Can you imagine how fun it will be around here if it's a new F Zero? Considering that gyro based game in Nintendo Land I'd say it has a chance. Or a FPS Metroid game? I know a lot of people on this site think all app games are match 3 and endless runners but there are games closer to what we think of as games on there. Or anything with Mario. Dr. Mario would be perfect.
How can you not care? No matter the gsme, heads will explode. Even if it's something completely unknown, boring and generic, then the investor heads will explode. Something will explode I'm sure.
I think an Animal Crossing game would be an excellent fit on smartphones and tablets.
@rjejr I never even considerd an explosion! I'm gonna be hugely disappointed now if there's no explosion of any sort... and it's on you man...
@rjejr You got the exploding part right that's for sure!
I simply don't care because I've never invested much time in a mobile game. I would say the most time I've ever spent was with the PvsZ series. Of Nintendo does something like that I couldn't ignore it!
I also need to add that exploding part to my signature. That was priceless!
I wonder if this new phone game will also be on the 3ds?
@JJtheTexan Internet rumors say it will be Nintendogs
@Captain_Gonru: I feel your pain. I love my Windows Phone, but the lack of an app market is starting to sting.
Regardless, I'm still cautiously optimistic about the mobile game announcement. Like it or not, smart device gaming is a big market, and an official Nintendo game is bound to catch a lot of attention.
I've seen a handful of reputable analysts warn us that it likely won't be anything with a major IP. My personal guess is that it'll be that Mii app that was mentioned last year but heavily upgraded. Or maybe it'll be Nintendogs? Hopefully we'll know soon.
I'm glad they are demanding specifics. This period of time is 'make or break' for Nintendo as a company. Not in the sense that they will go bankrupt or out of business, but rather in getting back to relevancy in the industry.
Professor Layton, Final Fantasy Tactics, Phoenix Wright and XCOM all had their console and 3DS/PS versions ported to mobile. They played pretty much exactly the same- any touch-heavy game does. Fire Emblem mobile could be amazing, and maybe even a Paper Mario. But an endless or flappy game, ehhh...
@Discipledoctor it would have to be a main IP in the first two games, if not the first one. "We announce our 200,000,000 deal, 11 months in the making, and it is- Box Mover 2000".
@Trinexx When i used a windows phone, i was amused at the sheer number of "totally pokemon red" or "fire emblem why not" games that were clearly the GBA or DS title, sometimes with the word Nintendo scratched out, sometimes not.
The game itself was always a crappy match 3 puzzle game or an endless runner. For having what feels like a few dozen titles, the windows store sure sells a lot of identity theft crap...
1am UK time on 28 Oct?
which has been past already right??
it should be 1am uk time on 29 Oct
I'm not expecting anything revolutionary. Nintendo wants to get in on the market while promoting its IPs at the same time. They don't have to revolutionise mobile gaming to do that.
I remeber I went on holiday once to a seaside resort and in one of the old arcades there was a Mario pinball machine. As a very small child fascinated in Mario and all things Nintendo, I insterted the change my parents gave me. Not being tall enough to see how much currency the game required, I insterted the limited coins I had on me only for Mario's pre-Martinet Italian voice demand me 'More-a money, please'. He did it again and again until I didn't have anything left.
If we get free to play Nintendo games on mobile platforms, I really want to hear that same voice saying 'more-a money please' whenever there's a requirement to make a microtransaction.
wouldint it be funny if it was just a gameplay trailer for pokemon GO?
If they make an endless-runner game, let's hope that they won't have banned servers.
I use F-Droid instead of Google Play Store, so whatever they decide to put out won't affect me. Nonetheless, it's definitely a sign of the times... Nintendo being demanded to divulge details on their next... Smartphone game... It used to be, people around here would scream bloody murder at even the suggestion of Nintendo making such things. Oh, how feeble we are, how the mighty have fallen.
I think it will be a Mario kart. A very popular IP, that is known and loved by Nintendo fans, and general gamers alike.
@gcunit if they make a mobile game that doesn't, it'll change EVERYTHING.
@PlywoodStick or how strong. I'd pity a company that jammed its fingers in their collective ears and refused to adopt. "HA, a WEBSITE for our company? All our correspondence shall be by morse code and newspaper, my good man!"
I don't care about mobile games and only play them occasionally as a time waste, but will have to see if Nintendo changes my mind. Mobile gaming is important for Nintendo to get right, so I hope it goes well for them.
I hope whatever mobile games they put out, they'll eventually get rounded up in compilation volumes on their main platforms. I don't want to play games on my phone at all, but at the same time am highly curious and want this venture to go well for obvious reasons.
@Spoony_Tech @MJKOP Oh great, now I have to hope it's F Zero.
You know, I always assumed an Ice Climber endless climber where you use your 2 thumbs to tap the screen and make the ice climbers, er climb. But looking at DeNAs website:
http://www.denagames.com/
they actually kind of make real games, not cheap clones. OK, 1 cheap Angry Birds clone. But it's possible we'll all be surprised and a real game comes out of this deal. And by real I mean anything that isn't match 3, endless runner-jumper-flyer, or Angry Birds. Could be anythijng.
The death of the console comes closer. So glad to still have my nes carts, through Wiiu + the handhelds and games. Time for old farts like me to put an end date on my physical console and game collection and look around in about 10 years to see what is going on.
Please not fire emblem. Please not FE Please not FE, please not FE, please not FE, please not FE PLEASE NOT FE!!!!!!!!!!!
@Captain_Gonru: I'm like you where I access a lot of things through the browser (Facebook, Youtube, Google Maps, etc.). The few games I do have are only timewasters, such as 2048. The availability of apps didn't used to trouble me, but I began to be bothered when a lot of my coworkers started playing Ingress. With the announcement of Pokemon GO, it's even more noticeable.
You bring up an interesting point; I always figured the install base hurt the platform's chances, but didn't really consider Microsoft itself would be a factor in not getting a Nintendo-sanctioned mobile game on the platform.
Let's all agree that it will sucks.
So is this gona be a Nintendo direct?
@LuckyTJ
No it's going to be part of the investor's briefing that starts around ~9pm EST/10am JST tonight.
Nintendo's only doing this to appease investors, who have been causing them quite a bit of trouble over ignoring mobile.
Well it looks like the 29th is the end of the world everyone panic.
I wish Nintendo could buy all their own stock so they wouldn't have to answer to ignorant investors.
I want mario is missing mobile, loved that game on PC!
I am rather curious about the announcement but it's broadcasting at 3am where I live. Not that curious though. Will catch it later.
I'm usually not a fan of phone games, but I'd be surprised if their phone game turns out to be a good one.
If there's a Zelda CCG, I'm in
I wouldnt mind a time based game like Simpsons tap, or Fallout Vault with all the IP worlds combined in it. the Mario vs Donkey Kong series would be a great app game.
Not a fan of phone games, but this being Nintendo, I might give it a shot, depending on the type of game/franchise it is...
@Barbiegurl777 They won't go entirely mobile. Everyone seems to forget that the NX was announced the same time the DeNA partnership was specifically to show people Nintendo was still focused on consoles.
@Artwark Fire Emblem would be a great match to mobile, but not a good launch title for the idea. I'm really at a loss on this one, but I know I'll be playing it.
@rjejr It's funny to see the best matches get the most "please no"s. You are surely right that something will explode.
@Yorumi No one can say what will happen in, say, five or ten years from now, but knee-jerk cynical "ugh Nintendo might go mobile-only!" comments every time DeNA is mentioned get old really fast.
@Yorumi Switching focus on Wii U //to another home console// doesn't say much about abandoning consoles entirely imo.
@aaronsullivan It bothers me that I can't predict what it will be. Even though I may usually be wrong - I blame that on Nintendo for being irrational and I'm a rational person - I should have some idea, but nothing feels right. Not even sure if it will be a well known IP or a long forgotten one. I do think DeNAs involvement makes it a better game than a collection of Game and Watch ports or a flappy bird clone. Nintendo did Pokemon World and Shuffle on their own, they wouldn't need DENA to port those. And it wouldn't take this long. No buttons means limited in some way, but it could still be something full blown like GTA3 or Minecraft. There are real games on mobile. And this is taking a long time to come out. So...Illuminati confirmed.
Let's face it the NX is going to be a smartphone/3DS like system or a smartphone with buttons and hooks up to a TV like Chromecast.They are droping from the home market soon
@aaronsullivan Its how they implement it that I'm worried about. microtransactions for characters.....its a fan's nightmare. Every character that dies, you can't get them back unless you pay for it. Isn't that scary enough?
Smash Bros. Calling it now. The initial roster will be Mario, link, pikachu, Kirby, and a brand new character. One or two stages. Additional characters 2.99 ea. Nothing huge, one button for standard one for special nothing close the spectacle of smash Wii u.
I'm very interested in finding out what their first mobile release is. I just have a feeling it will end up disappointing me, but I'll reserve any pessimism until it's actually formerly announced.
@JJtheTexan I would love too see the card game. Hearthstone is great because the interface works incredibly well.
Anyone with a ds remember the mini games on Mario 64? That bomb shooting game or even an outright port of games like those in a package deal. I hope it's not a Zelda rpg or Mario runner.
What about a Clash of Clans-type Fire Emblem game? And Zelda can be a puzzle game. And let's not forget about Smash; it could have a touchscreen control and be more of a traditional fighter. Like Injustice: gods among us.
@rjejr Exploding heads you say? Now I have the urge to watch Kingsmen The Secret Service again.
There are many Nintendo games that could be great on Mobile. Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is such a game, Mario VS DK as quoted by someone else, Layton series... Pretty much all the DS library that focuses on touch. Let's not forget that if it wasn't for DS, there wouldn't be smartphone games using touch, Nintendo showed how to do it. Now, they'll show how to do meaningful gaming experiences on smartphones, at least I trust them to do it.
Metroid Prime 4 confirmed for mobile.
@Captain_Gonru "Asynchronous Advance Wars"
Boy, is that ever looking like a good idea today. Better than "Halitosis Toe Fungus" whatever it's called.
@shigulicious "Exploding heads you say?"
Apologies, that was a translation error. "Exploding heads" was supposed to be "heads bursting" with laughter. Miitomo, I just can't stop laughing.
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