Nintendo Easing Up: It's Time To Go Mobile

It may finally be time that Nintendo loosens its iron-tight grip on regions and accessibility for their many ultra-popular titles, characters, and games. The first baby step in this process is the opening up of regions for Amiibo. These tiny figurines are not region locked, as was previously suspected. Now if the ultra-popularity of Activision's similar gaming enterprise, Skylanders, is any indication, we can hope, pray, cross our fingers and toes, for mobile applications of Nintendo power next – Android, iOS, Windows Phone, the works.

Word of the region-less Amiibo comes from IGN, where it's become clear Nintendo would rather allow the figures to have worldwide applicability. You can use any Amiibo anywhere in the world, regardless of region. They just work.

Is it really such a leap for Nintendo to move from what you see above to what you see below? This is the Skylanders Trap Team Tablet Starter Pack from Activision.

Dear Nintendo – this Trap Team setup from Activision is amazing.Dear Nintendo – You should try to do something even better.

Nintendo is also partnering with Loot Crate to deliver their Amiibo to the world. They've created a subscription service to do it – 10 pre-selected Amiibo will be sent with subscription, while three "special Loot Crate shipments" will be delivered throughout the holiday season with more.

"We are honored to be working with Nintendo – a company that our team loves and respects, and that many of us grew up with," said Chris Davis, Loot Crate's CEO (NOTE: not to be confused with SlashGear's Chris Davies). "The iconic Super Smash Bros. games have brought people together for years, and we're excited to become a part of that story in a new way through our amiibo Subscription Service."

So what's this mean for mobile?

Nintendo has been adamant about keeping their characters on their platform. They'd never release a game they owned on a platform they didn't own.

What about a Nintendo Phone?

What if Nintendo were to create, for example, an Android-based smartphone that allowed the playing of games from the Google Play app store, but kept Nintendo games to itself?

Would you go for such a device?

And please, for the love of god, don't let the PlayStation Phone (aka XPERIA Play) remind you of the bad times.

Nintendo, you can do better! You can make the world understand that you've got a solid hold on your properties while you take hold of the mobile gaming world. Go for it with all speed!