Nintendo has had success in the handheld console space, but has thus far avoided wading into the world of mobile games. A new report suggested that Nintendo would change that later this week, but the gaming company has since denied it.
According to Nikkei, Nintendo this week will announce plans to launch new mobile videos and mini-games. But rather than developing mobile versions of Super Mario World or The Legend of Zelda, the gaming giant will use smartphones and tablets to market its hardware—the only place to play full versions of its games.
Nintendo did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment. But in a statement provided to Engadget, the company said that "there are no plans to offer mini-games on smartphone devices."
"Nikkei's article contains information previously stated by Mr. Iwata during past press conferences, including statements which relate to Nintendo's willingness to make use of smart devices to promote our products," Nintendo told the blog. "However during such past announcements Mr. Iwata has also stated that Nintendo's intention is not to make Nintendo software available on smart devices."
Back in 2011, Nintendo said that it would "absolutely not" develop games for iOS devices. "If we did this, Nintendo would cease to be Nintendo," company president Iwata said at the time. "The moment we started to release games on smartphones we'd make profits. However, I believe my responsibility is not to short term profits, but to Nintendo's mid- and long-term competitive strength."
Following Nintendo's recent Wii U failure, the company could certainly use a boost. Competition in the gaming field is fierce, with the release of Sony's PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One from Microsoft. But despite is Wii U woes, Nintendo did manage to sell more than 16 million combined packaged and digital Nintendo 3DS games last year—an increase of more than 45 percent over 2012.
For more, check out PCMag Live in the video below, which discusses Nintendo's struggles.