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Honest thoughts on Shuntaro Furukawa as Nintendo president?

Woopah

Member
Complacent to a fault, Same with Jim Ryan. Its like now that nintendo and sony are doing really well, they are barely trying if that makes sense. But still, its better than running your mouth for almost a decade and not having much to show for it (phil spencer)
Both Nintendo and Sony are doing great things now to get content for their platforms and and investing for the future to keep getting content. I'm not sure how we can say either of them are "barely trying"
I like him. I think that following the Nintendo tradition has been very conservative and basically the company followed the same strategy they had before. I think the main moves made during his era that aren't heritage from the other ones have been their partnership with Illumination for the movies and the growth of the internal teams. Things that in both cases made sense and were needed.

I don't care if he appears publicly or not: as a CEO his job is not to be a PR star or a salesman.


They released many games in the 4 years or so:
Pokémon: Magikarp Jump (2017)
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp (2017)
Pokémon Quest (2018)
Dragalia Lost (2018)
Pokémon Rumble Rush (2019)
Dr. Mario World (2019)
Pokémon Masters/Pokémon Masters EX (2019)
Mario Kart Tour (2019)
Pokémon Smile (2020)
Pokémon Unite (2021)
Pikmin Bloom (2021)
Pokémon Sleep (TBA / canned or delayed?)
I think its fair to say that the Pokémon Company will continue their mobile efforts, but Nintendo themselves have taken a step back from the push for mobile games after the Switch proved quite successful.

That's not to say that they'll never release a mobile games ever again, but they'll focus less on it than they did before. I do see them doing some more mobile applications that link with people's Nintendo Account, rather than standalone titles.
 

Dick Jones

Gold Member
That is just a buzzword Steam used because, when on its handheld mode, its probably the most powerful hardware it claims to be. But it also has a dock that can be played as a home console, which Steam also claims.Hell, its also a PC if you install a windows there.

Thus, that makes it a hybrid.
I definitely would take your word over the maker of the Steam Deck.
 

Nautilus

Banned
I would argue Switch is much more of a true hybrid than Steam Deck.

Switch comes with everything you need to do both TV and handheld play. You need a controller for TV? Pull off the joy cons, attach them together (or not) and play. Need two controllers for multi? Turn joy cons to the side and play (I've done with this with my kids a lot in a pinch). The games also know when they are docked or not and they adjust instantly if you pull the Switch off the dock.

To be honest, I'm shocked this is still argued. From the hardware, the software and how it's all packaged together it's a hybrid platform.

Like I said before the next step Nintendo could take and it's a step that would end this argument permanently is to add additional performance hardware to the dock.
Doesn't the Deck come with the Dock? Can't quite remember.But yeah, I agree.

Don't let the exceptions fool you: Most people out there know the Switch is a hybrid. The users in here trying to argue otherwise don't care about facts, they just care about console warring.Because honestly that's the only reason I see that they still keep at it, that they can't accept that Nintendo made something different, that appeals to the general public, and that outperformed MS and Sony home consoles.

Even if Nintendo put additional performance in the dock, these users won't drop it, because that wouldn't be the point for them, as said before.

Regardless, graphics has reached a wall, so that additional performance won't even be necessary for games to look *almost* as good as in the other platforms.
 
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Interfectum

Member
Doesn't the Deck come with the Dock? Can't quite remember.But yeah, I agree.

Don't let the exceptions fool you: Most people out there know the Switch is a hybrid. The users in here trying to argue otherwise don't care about facts, they just care about console warring.Because honestly that's the only reason I see that they still keep at it, that they can't accept that Nintendo made something different, that appeals to the general public, and that outperformed MS and Sony home consoles.
It does not come with a dock.

And yeah I agree most know but I do think a lot of people only look at system power as if that is the only true barometer that matters. Anyone who owns a Switch and a Switch Lite immediately can see how much better and more versatile the Switch is vs a standard handheld, especially if you have kids.
 
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Nautilus

Banned
It does not come with a dock.

And yeah I agree most know but I do think a lot of people only look at system power as if that is the only true barometer that matters. Anyone who owns a Switch and a Switch Lite immediately can see how much better and more versatile the Switch is vs a standard handheld, especially if you have kids.
Oh, didn't know! It does make the Switch seem like a true hybrid by comparison.

Yeah, it seems that some haven't grown from the 2000s, where the specs sheet was all that defined what a console could and couldn't do, that power alone is what defines a generational leap(going from gen 8 to gen 9 for example) and that innovation and new experiences comes from more places than what raw power can provide.
 

Dick Jones

Gold Member
What does this has to do about the Steam Deck being a hybrid?

Or all you have left are insults?
Steam Deck does the same thing as a Switch and Gaben calls it a handheld.There was no insult written about you but my opinion of you have plummeted since. Stop the persecution complex
 

MayauMiao

Member
Nintendo Co., Ltd. president Shuntaro Furukwawa hasn't been in the position for long. Only taking the role five years ago from Tatsumi Kimishima, who was given the job temporarily following the tragic passing of Satoru Iwata. You'd be forgiven for forgetting who he is, Furukawa prefers to fade into the background much like Yamauchi and Kimishima, letting other execs like Nintendo EPD head Shinya Takahashi, and Nintendo Switch General Producer Yoshiaki Koizumi be the front for the company. But Furukawa has been plotting out a lot of interesting charts for Nintendo lately and I want to know what everyone's honest thoughts on his job so far.

For me, I find the fact that he's more in the background to be rather refreshing. I know everybody misses Iwata's Nintendo Direct antics and staged rivalries with Reggie. But ultimately a CEO's job is to run a business and make money, so the fact that Furukawa isn't in the song and dance business isn't a bad thing. Honestly, it's preferable to whatever buzzword filled speech Phil Spencer is spouting lately.

Furukawa is also openly taking a very hands-off approach to running Nintendo, something that's been relatively unheard of for Nintendo, with Hiroshi Yamauchi being an notorious tyrant, and Iwata being very hands-on (President of Nintendo, GM of three development divisons, CEO of NoA). Furukawa seems content to let the heads of the company's dvisions run their spaces they see fit, while giving them support and discipline when needed. It's very different from Iwata's management style, and one that feels alien to Nintendo fans. But that's honestly preferable for a company as large and complex as Nintendo.

The biggest thing though, is Furukawa's plans to grow the company. Pumping $900 million into the EPD division to increase game development, and almost as much into the company's broader multi-media and service ventures, including the formation of Nintendo Pictures and Nintendo Systems, The Super Mario Bros. Movie with Illumination, and new Nintendo stores across Japan and US. In particular, I feel the expansions to game development are the most exciting. Nintendo has done a pretty good job keeping a consistent Switch release slate yearly, but there's still room for improvement. So the fact that Furukawa is taking this seriously can only mean good things for first party games going forward.

Furukawa's lack of public presence might lead some fans to think he's a suit. But suit or not, I like what I see so far.

Certainly better than overpromised underdelivered Phil Spencer.

I would love Shuntaro Furukwawa more if he just announce the damn Switch 2.
 

nial

Gold Member
I don't know much about CEOs, but I would say I'm not a fan of his work so far.
I miss pre-2018 Nintendo, they're pretty soulless now.
 

Zannegan

Member
He's been kind of a nonentity so far. I'll have to see a major decision of his come to fruition before I can say, really. Let's see how the Switch 2 looks, how it's advertised, and when it's set to arrive.
 

Nautilus

Banned
Steam Deck does the same thing as a Switch and Gaben calls it a handheld.There was no insult written about you but my opinion of you have plummeted since. Stop the persecution complex
If the Steam Deck does all the things the Switch does, and since the Switch is a hybrid, then by logic the Steam Deck is a hybrid.

As me and the other users has been saying all along.
 

Dick Jones

Gold Member
If the Steam Deck does all the things the Switch does, and since the Switch is a hybrid, then by logic the Steam Deck is a hybrid.

As me and the other users has been saying all along.
I'm going to leave this conversation now and play my handheld 😉
 

diffusionx

Gold Member
He’s been fine, but he also hasn’t had to execute a new platform launch or anything like that. He also benefitted greatly from a global “pandemic” shutting down the world and getting everyone to buy Animal Crossing. I do think he understands why people buy and support his company in a way that a certain guy working out of California does not.
 
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Bragr

Banned
?

They haven't release a single mobile game in what, 4 years? And they have said themselves that they stopped making mobile games.

I don't understand your point.
There is no point, Nintendo is super conservative and even dipping its toes into mobile is great. They already said they made way less money than they thought on mobile, but they have a semblance of understanding of the mobile market now.
 

Moses85

Member
Who Is That Jeremy Renner GIF by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
 
Definitely an introvert lol. He just fades away into the background and not a larger than life person like Yamauchi or engagement focused like Iwata. Hell for that matter, where is Bowser? I miss the Reggie and Iwata years.
 

Griffon

Member
I respect that he's just doing his job in the background and not being a showman like Iwata was. So far his tenure has been solid, but the Switch 2 will be the true test.
 
Iwata was very unusual in that he was front and center, particularly once he started the Nintendo Direct initiative in 2011, but he was very public before that, as well. He spoke at GDCs, he was center stage at E3 press conferences, and also the press conference in Japan publicly unveiling the Wii Remote. So Furukawa is really just doing what most Presidents do, particularly at Nintendo, which is not be the public face. Yamauchi and Kimishima were not very public figures, either. They viewed their role as running things behind the scenes, and Furukawa is just continuing that tradition. Iwata was very unique in that he had the software development background, and the gift of being very charismatic.

As far as Furukawa's job rating goes, Nintendo is the most profitable they have ever been the past few years. There have been zero blunders, at least that are public knowledge, and demand remains high, and software sales remain at historic levels.

The big test for him and the rest of Nintendo leadership will be how they transition the business to the next hardware cycle, and if they can keep profits and revenue high as the Switch begins it's end-of-life decline, before the new hardware comes to market, and what kind of proposition the next hardware will be. I think it's got to stay at $399 or less, and that's going to make it difficult for them to do a massive spec leap, and still make money on the hardware.
 
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yurinka

Member
But Pokemon is another story as spin offs doesn't need Nintendo's express permission to be made. And outside of the Pikmin one, the last mobile game Nintendo made was Tour, which is 3 years old, and Nintendo (seemingly) has no plans to make a new one.
I think its fair to say that the Pokémon Company will continue their mobile efforts, but Nintendo themselves have taken a step back from the push for mobile games after the Switch proved quite successful.

That's not to say that they'll never release a mobile games ever again, but they'll focus less on it than they did before. I do see them doing some more mobile applications that link with people's Nintendo Account, rather than standalone titles.
C'mon, Pokémon Company is a joint venture company of Nintendo and their affiliate partners Creatures and Game Freaks to manage the brand, and Nintendo copublishes the Pokémon games and markets them in their Directs and so on. Don't act as if Nintendo isn't related to Pokémon or something like that.
 
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Woopah

Member
C'mon, Pokémon Company is a joint venture company of Nintendo and their affiliate partners Creatures and Game Freaks to manage the brand, and Nintendo copublishes the Pokémon games and markets them in their Directs and so on. Don't act as if Nintendo isn't related to Pokémon or something like that.
Pokémon absolutely is related to Nintendo, but when Nintendo announced its big mobile push in 2015 it was a separate initiative to what the Pokémon Company was doing. It was that initiative (to make mobile versions of Nintendo franchises) which Nintendo has mostly stepped away from.

Going forward, Nintendo will focus on lifestyle, Augmented Reality apps that use Nintendo characters. The Pokémon Company on the other hand will continue making all sorts of titles for mobile, as they have in recent years.
 
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Jubenhimer

Member
I don’t know or care about CEOs, they are here to make money for their company and investors. There is really nothing wrong with that, thats their job and they take care of business side of video game industry, but I really find it weird that some of you guys idolize them and even treating them like celebrities……why?
I think it's fine to discuss the pros and cons of each of the big three's chief execs, or those for any company in terms of actions, accomplishments, vision, etc. I do agree though that the constant need to turn these corporate suits into cartoon memes is kinda ridiculous.
 

yurinka

Member
Pokémon absolutely is related to Nintendo, but when Nintendo announced its big mobile push in 2015 it was a separate initiative to what the Pokémon Company was doing. It was that initiative (to make mobile versions of Nintendo franchises) which Nintendo has mostly stepped away from.

Going forward, Nintendo will focus on lifestyle, Augmented Reality apps that use Nintendo characters. The Pokémon Company on the other hand will continue making all sorts of titles for mobile, as they have in recent years.
The Pokémon mobile gaming initiative is part of the Nintendo mobile gaming initiative, since the Pokémon Company is co-owned by Nintendo, with shares split in equal parts between this 3 partners of the joint venture. Adding the part of work for Pokémon they do at Nintendo outside Pokémon Company, Nintendo is the part of the 3 partners who controls more the brand.
 
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Woopah

Member
The Pokémon mobile gaming initiative is part of the Nintendo mobile gaming initiative, since the Pokémon Company is co-owned by Nintendo, with shares split in equal parts between this 3 partners of the joint venture. Adding the part of work for Pokémon they do at Nintendo outside Pokémon Company, Nintendo is the part of the 3 partners who controls more the brand.
Nintendo does have a say in Pokémon mobile games, but when they announced their big partnership with DENA to bring their IP to mobile, Pokémon was not part of it.

Super Mario Run, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, Mario Kart Tour, Dr Mario World and Fire Emblem Heroes were all part of that initiative. None of the Pokémon games were. They were all managed separately by the Pokémon Company.
 

yurinka

Member
Nintendo does have a say in Pokémon mobile games, but when they announced their big partnership with DENA to bring their IP to mobile, Pokémon was not part of it.

Super Mario Run, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, Mario Kart Tour, Dr Mario World and Fire Emblem Heroes were all part of that initiative. None of the Pokémon games were. They were all managed separately by the Pokémon Company.
Like many other publishers, Nintendo uses different teams, divisions or companies, being some of them internal and other ones external partners, to develop or publish their games and IPs, in this specific case mobile games.

This doesn't mean that some of these titles aren't related to or not managed by them, it only means that they work with different teams and partners to be able to develop, handle and release more products at the same time than they would if only using stricly internal teams.

To work with external partners allows them to increase their output and also do it more successfully because typically these partners have more expertise on these areas, like DeNa on mobile games or Illumination and Universal with the Mario movie.

Several other big console publishers also use multiple mobile gaming development or publishing external partners for their mobile games, and sometimes are combined with their own internally developed or published mobile games. Being all of them different parts of their mobile gaming strategy.

As of now I remember cases like Capcom or Sony, who developed or published internally only part of their mobile games in the past.
 
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Woopah

Member
Like many other publishers, Nintendo uses different teams, divisions or companies, being some of them internal and other ones external partners, to develop or publish their games and IPs, in this specific case mobile games.

This doesn't mean that some of these titles aren't related to or not managed by them, it only means that they work with different teams and partners to be able to develop, handle and release more products at the same time than they would if only using stricly internal teams.

To work with external partners allows them to increase their output and also do it more successfully because typically these partners have more expertise on these areas, like DeNa on mobile games or Illumination and Universal with the Mario movie.

Several other big console publishers also use multiple mobile gaming development or publishing external partners for their mobile games, and sometimes are combined with their own internally developed or published mobile games. Being all of them different parts of their mobile gaming strategy.

As of now I remember cases like Capcom or Sony, who developed or published internally only part of the mobile games they did in the past.
I don't disagree that publishers can use multiple partners. But Nintendo had a very specific "make mobile versions of our games" initiative with DENA that covered Mario, Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem. It did not include Pokémon.

The Pokémon Company did a different thing as they were not involved in Nintendo's DENA partnership.
 

yurinka

Member
I don't disagree that publishers can use multiple partners. But Nintendo had a very specific "make mobile versions of our games" initiative with DENA that covered Mario, Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem. It did not include Pokémon.

The Pokémon Company did a different thing as they were not involved in Nintendo's DENA partnership.
In the same way that the Nintendo strategy for Switch games is handled via different devs and publishers and using different types of partnerships, they do the same for the Nintendo strategy for mobile games.

In Switch they handle the Pokémons via Pokémon Company and have partnerships with other console game devs and publishers: 2nd party games developed by external studios or Nintendo IPs licensed to other devs or publishers like the Musou games, the rythm Zelda title or Mario + Rabbits.

In mobile they handle the Pokémon games via Pokémon Company and have partnerships with other mobile game devs and publishers: they had the deal with DeNa and I assume that part of the Pokémon and non-Pokémon Nintendo games published on mobile until now or in the future may also be developed partering with other companies, like other development studios or publishers, deals with mobile platform holders, outsourcing/live ops support companies, etc.

But at the end independently if they did have this or that type of partnership with this or that company, or handled it in this or that way, they are all part of the Nintendo strategy for Switch games or mobile games.
 

Kataploom

Gold Member
He has Pokemon and N64 emulator lack of quality debacle on his shoulders, something that hasn't happened to Nintendo since the Wii came out at least, IDK if he's responsible but those issues alone harm Nintendo business model of quality premium software at premium prices
 

Jubenhimer

Member
He has Pokemon and N64 emulator lack of quality debacle on his shoulders, something that hasn't happened to Nintendo since the Wii came out at least, IDK if he's responsible but those issues alone harm Nintendo business model of quality premium software at premium prices
The thing with Pokemon is that it has a ton of moving parts as a franchise. Games, Trading Cards, Anime, Merch. With every new generation, all these parts have to be in sync with each other in terms of release and planning. As was mentioned before, The Pokemon Company is generally a separate entity from Nintendo proper, so what likely happened was that TPC insisted that Scarlet and Violet get released ahead of the next anime and TCG line to properly promote it, giving Game Freak and Nintendo little time to properly QA the game until after its release, especially considering how ambitious Scarlet and Violet is as a Pokemon game. So its very complicated with Pokemon.

But the N64 app being rushed out at launch? Yeah, that's all on Nintendo. It's gotten a lot better over time, but the fact that the NSO + Expansion Pack was rushed out in that state for the price they're charging, was embarrassing. There's also the reccouring issue of quite a few good multiplayer games launching with lack of content until after release (Mario Strikers, Switch Sports, Kirby Star Allies, ARMS), but that's less on Furukawa, and more on software planning on Nintendo EPD's end, either as a misguided attempt to mimic Splatoon's success with free updates, or limited resources forcing them to prioritize core game-play over features, then adding them later as a way to cut costs/maintain a consistent release slate, an issue that hopefully gets fixed with the massive development expansions.
 
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Kataploom

Gold Member
The thing with Pokemon is that it has a ton of moving parts as a franchise. Games, Trading Cards, Anime, Merch. With every new generation, all these parts have to be in sync with each other in terms of release and planning. As was mentioned before, The Pokemon Company is generally a separate entity from Nintendo proper, so what likely happened was that TPC insisted that Scarlet and Violet get released ahead of the next anime and TCG line to properly promote it, giving Game Freak and Nintendo little time to properly QA the game until after its release, especially considering how ambitious Scarlet and Violet is as a Pokemon game. So its very complicated with Pokemon.

But the N64 app being rushed out at launch? Yeah, that's all on Nintendo. It's gotten a lot better over time, but the fact that the NSO + Expansion Pack was rushed out in that state for the price they're charging, was embarrassing. There's also the reccouring issue of quite a few good multiplayer games launching with lack of content until after release (Mario Strikers, Switch Sports, Kirby Star Allies, ARMS), but that's less on Furukawa, and more on software planning on Nintendo EPD's end, either as a misguided attempt to mimic Splatoon's success with free updates, or limited resources forcing them to prioritize core game-play over features, then adding them later as a way to cut costs/maintain a consistent release slate, an issue that hopefully gets fixed with the massive development expansions.
Forgot about mainly online games, you're right, must be on planning but he's responsible to decide if that is ok for business and Nintendo is not stranger to hold games complete forever until they make sense to be released, so if they were released in that state is because Nintendo wanted them to be released like that and Furukawa clearly has a big say on that... And yeah Pokemon is not only Nintendo but their image and switch's got swamped by that release
 

AndrewRyan

Member
It's been disappointing. The last five years instead of improving online they added a crappy tier with n64 games and Mario tracks? The Switch was barely improved and took them five years to add folders and a lackluster oled. They spend their money touring US malls with kiosks? To me they seem rudderless and just drifting around drunk on that Switch cash. Hopefully it's because they've been furiously working on their next system to the exclusion of everything else.
 
I was hoping for more output from their studios. With only one system to support and seasoned devs who know how to handle HD, I thought that was a reasonable ask. Frankly it's just been disappointing. Even more so when you consider many of the games released on Switch were carried over from Wii U, either because of delays or ports.

Is Furukawa responsible for all that? Who knows. Maybe COVID messed things up more than assumed.
 

Jubenhimer

Member
I was hoping for more output from their studios. With only one system to support and seasoned devs who know how to handle HD, I thought that was a reasonable ask. Frankly it's just been disappointing. Even more so when you consider many of the games released on Switch were carried over from Wii U, either because of delays or ports.

Is Furukawa responsible for all that? Who knows. Maybe COVID messed things up more than assumed.
Nintendo has actually done a good job supporting the Switch with little down time, releasing one-two games a month. When people talk about consolidation of handheld and console output, that wasn't going to mean twice as many games from them on a single console. Rather, it was to ensure a more consistent release schedule rather than having 7 month droughts of no first party releases like the Wii U suffered from. Plus, Nintendo still puts out more games a year than Sony.

I do agree, that they have relied on Wii U ports to fill in the gaps, but even those Wii U ports often add plenty of new content and modes to the game. And you're right that COVID caused delays of more than a few games (something that has affected many other publishers/developers as well). I'll also admit that it isn't perfect either, with several multiplayer games being sent without a lot of content at launch. This is something that can only be improved upon with the massive development expansions Nintendo has planned.
 
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Skelterz

Member
He has done well to expand Nintendo’s audience outside of just video games. I’ll reserve judgment though, because let’s be honest - the Switch was a total success from day 1 and Nintendo can basically do no wrong with it. He has been CEO the entire time on easy mode. Let’s first see how he does with the next gen system and if we can avoid the famous Nintendo game droughts and colossal misreads of the past.

I love this, “He has been CEO on easy mode”
😂 so true, stick him in the hot seat during the Wii u era and they’ll be massive wage cuts.
 

Woopah

Member
In the same way that the Nintendo strategy for Switch games is handled via different devs and publishers and using different types of partnerships, they do the same for the Nintendo strategy for mobile games.

In Switch they handle the Pokémons via Pokémon Company and have partnerships with other console game devs and publishers: 2nd party games developed by external studios or Nintendo IPs licensed to other devs or publishers like the Musou games, the rythm Zelda title or Mario + Rabbits.

In mobile they handle the Pokémon games via Pokémon Company and have partnerships with other mobile game devs and publishers: they had the deal with DeNa and I assume that part of the Pokémon and non-Pokémon Nintendo games published on mobile until now or in the future may also be developed partering with other companies, like other development studios or publishers, deals with mobile platform holders, outsourcing/live ops support companies, etc.

But at the end independently if they did have this or that type of partnership with this or that company, or handled it in this or that way, they are all part of the Nintendo strategy for Switch games or mobile games.
The big difference with Switch is that, as you said, they have a lot of different partnerships with different developers and publishers.

On mobile there is a very clear devide between the Pokémon strategy and the "every other Nintendo IP" strategy. In 2013 Iwata was still talking about Nintendo's decision not to do mobile games, even though Pokémon mobile games already existed by then.

So I think what Nautilus and myself were trying to say is that, while the Pokémon strategy begun in 2011 will continue, the "every other Nintendo IP" strategy begun in 2015 will not.

So we shouldn't expect to see more mobile versions of Nintendo games like Mario Kart Tour or Fire Emblem Heroes. Nintendo has stepped back from that and will go for a different approach.

So yes we will see more Nintendo IP on mobile. But not like before.
 
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