Nintendo Tipped In Search For New Mobile Game Partners

Nintendo is striking new partnerships to speed up its mobile game production pace, according to sources. The video game company is reportedly looking for new software developer partners that will produce smartphone games for the company, enabling it to release them at a faster rate in the future. This follows Nintendo's existing work with DeNA and its stated plan to launch five mobile games by March 2017.

March 2017 came and then passed without Nintendo and DeNA quite hitting their original goal. The most recently released Nintendo mobile game is Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, which arrived last month, bringing the total number of releases for the pair up to four. That is one shy and nearly a year beyond the goal of releasing five mobile games be the beginning of this year.

According to sources speaking with the Wall Street Journal, Nintendo is looking for other software developers with which to strike partnerships so that it can increase the speed at which it launches new mobile games. These new partnerships, should they happen, will be in addition to the DeNA partnership, the sources claim. The news comes at a time when mobile gaming is more popular than ever.

The sources say that Nintendo has been talking with GungHo Online Entertainment, a Tokyo company, about producing mobile games for the video game giant. GungHo Online Entertainment is behind the mobile game "Puzzle & Dragons," but it is unclear how extensively these talks may have progressed, as well as whether Nintendo is anywhere close to striking a deal with it.

No other companies were mentioned in the report, though the sources indicate that Nintendo is pursuing multiple new partnerships, not just one. It is unclear whether the company is engaging in talks with other companies, nor whether it has any other potential partners in mind. Nintendo itself hasn't commented on the rumor.

SOURCE: Wall Street Journal