One of the best game franchises that could make it to iPhone, Android and other mobile operating systems will finally become reality, as the company behind it is finally ready to start development of smartphone and tablet versions of its popular console games, The Wall Street Journal reports.
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Nintendo has stubbornly refused to bring some of its most famous characters to mobile devices in previous years, even though its consoles have not been able to really keep up with the competition. Meanwhile, mobile games generated $25 billion in revenue last year, market research firm Newzoo estimated, up 42% compared to the previous period.
Mobile versions of Mario, and other Nintendo games, are finally be in the making, as Nintendo has partnered up with Japanese mobile game company DeNA to make it happen. It’s not clear at this time what titles will hit iOS and Android mobile devices later this year, but the companies are apparently very serious about the partnership.
Nintendo will take a 22 billion yen ($182 million) 10% stake in DeNA, and the mobile gaming developer will purchase a 1.24% stake in Nintendo for the same amount of money.
In addition to games using Ninendo’s popular characters, the companies will also develop a new “multi-device membership service for the global market,” which will be available on PC, smartphone, tablets and Nintendo game consoles this fall.
Finally, Nintendo also announced that it’s working on a new console, called NX, though the device is yet to be fully detailed.
