Investors pressure Nintendo to jump on iPhone bandwagon

At least one investor is calling on Nintendo to begin developing titles for Apple’s iOS platform, a move away from the company’s standard practice of developing for its own portable gaming consoles. “Smartphones are the new battlefield for the gaming industry,” Stats Investment Management Co. fund manager Masamitsu Ohki said. “Nintendo should try to either buy its way into this platform or develop something totally new.” Despite Ohki’s push and recent rumors that Nintendo would create a Pokémon title for Android and iOS, Nintendo’s president Satoru Iwata has said his company will not develop games for mobile platforms. Nintendo’s latest portable gaming system, the 3DS, was met with lukewarm reviews when it launched in the United States and the company has attributed a lack of attractive games to its relatively poor sales performance. The Japanese gaming company recently dropped the price to $169.99, nearly $100 cheaper than its debut price point, to attract new consumers. It also announced a new 3DS “Ambassador Program” that will provide 20 free games to anyone who purchases a device and signs into the Nintendo eStore by the end of the day on August 11th.

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