Following Mario’s mobile success, Nintendo plans to release 2-3 new iPhone games each year
Fresh off announcing results for “Super Mario Run”—which for now remains an exclusive to Apple’s iPhone —Nintendo will reportedly be sticking to a schedule of just two or three mobile games per year.
The Japanese game-maker’s plans were revealed by Reuters, though no new titles were identified. The company is due to release “Fire Emblem: Heroes” for iOS and Android on Thursday, and “Animal Crossing” for iOS sometime in Nintendo’s next financial year, April being the earliest possible timing.
“Animal Crossing” was delayed this week for the sake of “Fire Emblem,” as well as the Android version of “Mario,” which should arrive in March.
The trio could potentially represent Nintendo’s mobile slate for 2017, though it might have room for one more if it doesn’t count “Mario’s” arrival on Android.
At the moment the company is focused mostly on the Switch, a new console also launching in March. The device can double as a handheld with a tablet-sized display, which should help unite Nintendo’s platforms.
The company is presumably limiting its mobile releases to avoid eating into its proprietary platform sales. Unlike other console makers, it typically turns a profit on each device sold, and relies heavily on first-party games to draw people in.
For the Switch, though, some 70 in-house and third-party developers are working on 100 games, and the catalog is likely to grow from there.
Nintendo has so far generated over $53 million from “Super Mario Run,” based off an unlock rate somewhere over 5 percent. While more than what analysts expected, CEO Tatsumi Kimishima is reportedly dissatisfied, having hoped for double-digit percentages.