More Thoughts From Me #17: Nintendo Shouldn’t be in the Cellphone Gaming Market

I usually like to write positive things about Nintendo. I love the company and a lot of the games that they create. But there has been one thing really bugging me lately. I extremely dislike “mobile gaming” aka cellphone games. I’m not a cellphone person at all and I find most of the games for them are cheap and a waste of time. And now Nintendo is starting to make them. This is a huge mistake for the company. Let me tell you why.

No, this isn’t a “Nintendo is doomed” article. In fact, let me be clear straight away: Mobile gaming could bring in a lot of money for Nintendo. Nintendo isn’t going anywhere. But what if Nintendo finds that they like mobile gaming better than regular gaming?

I knew that there was a risk from day 1 that Nintendo doing some cellphone games could be a success for them. It was one of my worries for the company. What if cheaper experiences were more popular for Nintendo? I doubt that it would mean the company moves away from consoles, though that is a possibility if the NX doesn’t do good. I think it could mean that Nintendo might not do another handheld though. If they think that handheld gaming is moving toward mobile, like some people do, then they might go with that. I think this would be a huge mistake for the company.

Nintendo has always made wonderful games for its consoles and its handhelds (in fact, the 3DS is making more money than their current console). Cellphone games are only going to cheapen the Nintendo experience. It might make them a lot of money in the short term, but in the long term, it could very well change the face of the company. Nintendo does too well and they might change how they do things. If they don’t do well, people will be back to saying they are doomed. Mobile gaming is a no win scenario for Nintendo.

It could be that I’m panicking. Perhaps Nintendo will just stick to mobile gaming as another “pillar” of their gaming (as they’ve said) and also create console/handheld software and hardware. But it worries me that Nintendo is jumping on the mobile wagon in order to make money. I don’t like this new trend of Nintendo worrying about money. Its not like they need the extra money. They have a ton of money in the bank and can do whatever they want to do. Yes, I do realize they are a company and they are in it to make money, but they never seemed too worried about that before. Nintendo always took chances and did things differently from everyone else. But lately, they have been trying to be like everyone else (mobile gaming, toys to life, etc). I really hate to see this because I love that Nintendo does things differently. Someone in the gaming market has to be thinking about the future of the hobby. Nintendo doing cellphone games isn’t a great sign for their future or the future of gaming…

For better or worse, Nintendo is in the mobile market now. I’m just over here shaking my head about it. It is, perhaps, much too late to be writing an article like this. I’ve just been wanting to talk about this for awhile now. I’ve kept mostly silent about Nintendo and mobile gaming before this. And now you know how I feel…

So, what do you think about Nintendo entering the mobile gaming market? Do you think it’ll change Nintendo too much? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Next week: Some early E3 2016 thoughts. What do I hope to see from Nintendo at E3? Yes, I do believe there will be more than just Zelda at E3 from Nintendo (nothing else playable but…). So what do I think will be there? Also, do I have any thoughts on Sony or Microsoft? You’ll find out next week!

As always, the above column is my opinion and my opinion only. The opinions expressed in More Thoughts From Me don’t represent anyone elses at Games Reviews.