Nintendo On Cross-Platform Games: Short-Term Benefits Not Worth It

Any die-hard gamer knows that Nintendo doesn't release its games on other platforms, and the company has said multiple times that they'll never release their games on rival gaming platforms, but they've never given a clear reason as to why. Of course, an obvious answer is that they don't want to give rivals their games, but it goes much deeper than that.

The reason why a lot of companies release their services on rival platforms is for the increased user base and profits, and Nintendo has considered going that route for such reasons, but according to Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, the benefits of releasing Nintendo games on rival platforms would be short-term.

When leading his company, Iwata thinks about the long-term future of Nintendo, which means that releasing its games on platforms such as iOS, Android, and even other gaming consoles just isn't worth it in the long term. Sure, the company would make more money and gain a larger fan base if they spread out their games, but it would only last so long before it reached a plateau.

Iwata proclaims: "If I was to take responsibility for the company for just the next one or two years, and if I was not concerned about the long-term future of Nintendo at all, it might make sense for us to provide our important franchises for other platforms, and then we might be able to gain some short-term profit."

This means that if you really want to play a Mario game, you'll have to pony up for a Nintendo console. Sure, exclusivity is a big part of Nintendo's strategy, but it doesn't quite work for every company, and that's not the main reason why Nintendo is turning away its games from rival platforms.

So essentially, Iwata believes that if Nintendo is to stick around for a long time into the future, then they need to keep their own games on their own platform, or else the company could go downhill.

SOURCE: CVG