Having already released its first iPhone game Miitomo, a bespoke social networking game, Nintendo is now teasing the next round of games headed to the iPhone and iOS devices. Notably, unlike Miitomo, these are going to be versions of existing successful Nintendo franchises: Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem.
Although Animal Crossing is not quite on the same podium as Super Mario, it is still major first-party intellectual property for Nintendo to release on non-Nintendo consoles for the first time. The new smartphone and tablet titles are expected to be released later this year, around October.
Details about the new titles are scarce, with little more than a teaser tweet from the company to go on. Nintendo has announced it will release 5 iOS titles by the end of its fiscal year in March 2017. Its first release, Miitomo, received good reviews but hardcore fans are anxious to see traditional games appearing on iOS with recognizable characters.
On Wii and DS, Animal Crossing is a life simulation game where players control a village populated by humanoid animals, furnishing houses and helping out with various tasks in the town. Fire Emblem is a more traditional fighter RPG for ‘serious gamers’, so it will be interesting to see how that is translated to the mobile space.
Some fans are worried Nintendo will ruin series like Animal Crossing on mobile with In-App Purchases or other free-to-play models. The company is yet to confirm how it plans to monetize its titles. It is also unclear whether Nintendo will ever let its flagship top-tier IP games, like Mario or Zelda, appear outside its own consoles.
The announcement regarding its smart devices plans follows disappointing Nintendo company earnings, where profit for the year dropped 60 percent due to light hardware sales. Nintendo’s next-generation console, codenamed the Nintendo NX, is due to be released early in 2017.
More #Nintendo apps are coming to smart devices, including Fire Emblem and Animal Crossing! pic.twitter.com/VIWLm8ehvH
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) April 27, 2016
