Nintendo on iOS could generate $400m

Would you play Mario on your iPhone?

It’s not long until Nintendo will launch its first officially licensed iOS app in Japan. This move has naturally led to questions as to whether the developer will fully embrace the platform in the future. VG247 spoke to Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter, who explains that if Nintendo was to launch its extensive back catalogue on iOS, it could potentially rake in around $300-400m annually.

That’s a lot of golden coins.

Nintendo’s first app to hit the App Store will be Pokédex, priced at 170 Yen. This might well be an experiment that, if successful, could lead to many more Nintendo titles appearing on iOS.

Pachter said, “I think it’s a great first step, and a natural property to try it with. I don’t know that we can necessarily conclude that Nintendo will go all out and start publishing mobile games, but if they were to do so, I agree with [VG247’s assertion] that it would likely be quite lucrative.”

Nintendo games on smart phone devices seems like a natural match, allowing casual gamers to play Mario on the bus without needing to pay out for a Nintendo handheld console. Pachter thinks this might be part of the reason Nintendo has been reluctant to try iOS until now, “They fear cannibalizing their other profit streams, as they understand that mobile has been taking share away from dedicated handheld consoles, and likely are reluctant to accelerate that share shift.”

Still, he believes the move could be worth it, “It’s impossible to quantify the financial impact, but I believe it is likely that Nintendo could generate at least as much revenue ($300 – 400 million a year) as Electronic Arts or Gameloft if it were to publish mobile games using all of its many characters, and likely quite a bit more.”

It appears that it will still be a long time before you’re hunting Triforce pieces on your way to work, but with this latest move the possibility is, at the very least, on the table.

Staff article by David Owen (November 16, 2012) David Owen is a freelance writer who also contributes to VG247, Eurogamer, IGN, and others. He likes Gitaroo Man more than is healthy.