Nintendo is planning to release five mobile games by 2017

Nintendo will launch its first mobile game by the end of the year, the company’s president, Satoru Iwata has announced.

Mr Iwata discussed Nintendo’s plans for smartphone and tablet gaming during a recent investment call, and confirmed that the company’s partnership with mobile partner DeNA would bear its first fruit before year’s end. He also stated that a further four mobile games should be expected by March 2017.

Speaking to investors, Mr Iwata said:

“Regarding the number of the titles, you may want to know that we will release approximately five titles by the end of the next fiscal year, which is the end of March 2017.”

“You may think it is a small number, but when we aim to make each title a hit, and because we want to thoroughly operate every one of them for a significant amount of time after their releases, this is not a small number at all and should demonstrate our serious commitment to the smart device business.”

As the company laid out back in March, when they announced their partnership with DeNA, the main objective is to offer users a solid gaming experience which draws them closer to Nintendo’s characters, other intellectual property and, in turn, the company’s dedicated gaming systems.

A new membership service, which is being formed in collaboration with DeNA, will be aimed at facilitating cross-platform continuity for gamers looking to move off their smartphones, tablets and handhelds, and on to their game consoles.

The company’s mysterious NX console also got a mention during the call, though no meaty details were forthcoming. Rumours suggest the device could be with us as soon as early 2016, with a view to working in unison with the aforementioned cross-platform system.

Mr Iawata also confirmed during his address that all of Nintendo’s considerable IP would be on the table for potential mobile titles, but reiterated his belief that games couldn’t simply be ported, lest they provide a disappointing gaming experience.

Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re just off to try and come to terms with the sad reality that there will be no official Zelda: A Link to the Past for our mobiles and Pokémon Snap will never be pushed to its full potential – or will it?