Nintendo's 'Fire Emblem' & 'Animal Crossing' franchises coming to phones, tablets

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in iPhone
Two of Nintendo's most popular game series, Fire Emblem and Animal Crossing, will join the ranks of its first apps for smartphones and tablets, the console maker said on Wednesday.

Fire Emblem characters.
Fire Emblem characters.


Nintendo announced the additions on Twitter, as well as via a press release. The company also made several other announcements, including revealing that its next dedicated gaming system -- currently codenamed the NX -- will ship in March 2017. Rumors have hinted that that product might bridge console and handheld gaming.

The Fire Emblem app will follow in the steps of its predecessors, offering a mix of role-playing and strategy. The Animal Crossing app will be connected with the handheld and console titles in the series.

Unlike Miitomo, the new apps are described as "pure game applications" with "more prominent game elements." Miitomo is simply a social app, which disappointed some fans hoping for more from Nintendo's first smartphone efforts.

Animal Crossing Plaza for the Wii U.
Animal Crossing Plaza for the Wii U.


Fire Emblem and Animal Crossing should arrive sometime this fall. The company is planning to release two other phone/tablet titles by March 2017, developed in tandem with DeNA, but hasn't shared any details.

In recent years Nintendo has struggled to adapt to the modern gaming world. Its Wii U console has seen weak sales next to more powerful units from Microsoft and Sony, and its handhelds have lost traction given the convenience of playing on a smartphone or tablet, even if a system like the 3DS offers built-in control buttons and an analog stick.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 14
    saareksaarek Posts: 1,520member
    Great, now where is the back catalogue of Mario games?

    Come on Nintendo!
    mike1mwhite1983
  • Reply 2 of 14
    saarek said:
    Great, now where is the back catalogue of Mario games?

    Come on Nintendo!
    Those would play horribly on mobile. Nintendo is about quality experiences, so they will release software built for mobile from the ground up. 


  • Reply 3 of 14
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,273member
    saarek said:
    Great, now where is the back catalogue of Mario games?

    Come on Nintendo!
    Those would play horribly on mobile. Nintendo is about quality experiences, so they will release software built for mobile from the ground up. 


    Not true. They've already announced plans to port their classic games to mobile devices. Just very slow in doing so. There's no reason a game like Mario Bros. or Donkey Kong could not work well on an iOS device.
    mwhite
  • Reply 4 of 14
    mike1 said:
    Those would play horribly on mobile. Nintendo is about quality experiences, so they will release software built for mobile from the ground up. 


    Not true. They've already announced plans to port their classic games to mobile devices. Just very slow in doing so. There's no reason a game like Mario Bros. or Donkey Kong could not work well on an iOS device.
    They have announced no such thing. They said franchises, not games. 
    calisupadav03
  • Reply 5 of 14
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    Wish Apple would acquire the Disney of the gaming world.
  • Reply 6 of 14
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    I wish Nintendo would make their ACTUAL games for OS X and iOS instead of knockoffs and “entrances” into the franchise. They have to know by now that they’d make more here than on their own hardware.

    Those would play horribly on mobile. Nintendo is about quality experiences, so they will release software built for mobile from the ground up. 
    How? The first-gen iPad can run N64 games flawlessly, and that’s in an emulator. Imagine what the newer devices could do with native s
    edited April 2016 mwhite
  • Reply 7 of 14
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    I wish Nintendo would make their ACTUAL games for OS X and iOS instead of knockoffs and “entrances” into the franchise. They have to know by now that they’d make more here than on their own hardware.

    Those would play horribly on mobile. Nintendo is about quality experiences, so they will release software built for mobile from the ground up. 
    How? The first-gen iPad can run N64 games flawlessly, and that’s in an emulator. Imagine what the newer devices could do with native s
    They're not knockoffs they're the real thing, just light versions I guess, can't say until they're released.

    I think he meant button/analog control. Mario 64 was designed from the ground up to use the revolutionary analog stick.
  • Reply 8 of 14
    saareksaarek Posts: 1,520member
    saarek said:
    Great, now where is the back catalogue of Mario games?

    Come on Nintendo!
    Those would play horribly on mobile. Nintendo is about quality experiences, so they will release software built for mobile from the ground up. 


    I think that if they released an iOS gamepad in the Retro NES style along with the Mario/other franchises they would make an absolute killing and likely really kick off the market for iOS gamepads.

    Mario on the iPhone with a NES or similar controller beamed to the ATV = a perfect match!
  • Reply 9 of 14
    supadav03supadav03 Posts: 503member
    mike1 said:
    Those would play horribly on mobile. Nintendo is about quality experiences, so they will release software built for mobile from the ground up. 


    Not true. They've already announced plans to port their classic games to mobile devices. Just very slow in doing so. There's no reason a game like Mario Bros. or Donkey Kong could not work well on an iOS device.
    Can people stop with this? Nintendo has been very clear they are not porting any games from older consoles or current consoles to mobile platforms. They will use classic franchises, but like today's release showed, they will be using them in new games built specifically for mobile. Their mobile apps will be "lite" version of games, i.e. Fire Emblem or companion apps, i.e. Animal Crossing. I will look forward to these games and agree with the poster that said games like Mario would play horrible on touchscreen-only devices. They require to much precision to play with a virtual d-pad and buttons.
  • Reply 10 of 14
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member
    Animal crossing seems like a natural fit.. got addicted to that stupid game back in the day. However, would be amazing if Nintendo actually made some of their AAA franchises available for iOS, and released some kind of official bluetooth controller. I'm sure the 6/6S can spit out Wii quality graphics, at the very least, if not Wii U.
    supadav03
  • Reply 11 of 14
    I wish Nintendo would make their ACTUAL games for OS X and iOS instead of knockoffs and “entrances” into the franchise. They have to know by now that they’d make more here than on their own hardware.

    Those would play horribly on mobile. Nintendo is about quality experiences, so they will release software built for mobile from the ground up. 
    How? The first-gen iPad can run N64 games flawlessly, and that’s in an emulator. Imagine what the newer devices could do with native s
    You need the N64's unique analog stick. A touchscreen won't cut the mustard. 
    supadav03
  • Reply 12 of 14
    palegolaspalegolas Posts: 1,361member
    This is great news! I think we can assume that a lot of software with the next generation console will be Phone compatible to some extent.

    back catalog you say. How about Mario Kart :)
    supadav03
  • Reply 13 of 14
    19831983 Posts: 1,225member
    saarek said:
    Great, now where is the back catalogue of Mario games?

    Come on Nintendo!
    Exactly! That would be hot property for Nintendo...once adapted properly for smartphone and tablet usage of course.
    edited April 2016
  • Reply 14 of 14
    nikon133nikon133 Posts: 2,600member
    mike1 said:
    Those would play horribly on mobile. Nintendo is about quality experiences, so they will release software built for mobile from the ground up. 


    Not true. They've already announced plans to port their classic games to mobile devices. Just very slow in doing so. There's no reason a game like Mario Bros. or Donkey Kong could not work well on an iOS device.
    Depends on controls. Old horizontal 2D Mario games had left, right and jump... that should be OK for touch screen. But new 3D Mario games have much more complex controls. Camera rotation, moving in all directions and what not. That really requires physical, accurate controls.
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