Ian Livingstone: Nintendo must bring its games to other platforms - Report

Nintendo needs to bring its software to non-Nintendo platforms if it wants to be seen by gamers, Eidos life president Ian Livingstone said during a Bristol Games Hub presentation, according to a report on PocketGamer.

"Nintendo should have their IP on every platform," said Livingstone. He believes that the Japanese developer must consider publishing its games on non-Nintendo devices, such as mobile phones, even if doing so comes at the cost of its ability to sell its own hardware.

Livingstone suggested that failure to make the transition to other platforms will result in missed opportunities to get key Nintendo franchises in front of gamers who don't own the company's handhelds and home consoles.

"Otherwise, a whole generation of young people will miss out on their games," he said.

In 2011, the Pokemon Company announced that it would be bringing its official Pokemon application to Android and Apple phones. But while many hoped that it was the first of many of Nintendo's key mascots to make the jump to mobile devices, those hopes were dashed when Nintendo confirmed that the company would remain focused on building for its own platforms, saying that Nintendo's strategy "hasn't changed and won't change."

In a previous interview with Japanese publication Nikkei, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said making a move to support rival devices would drastically change the fundamentals of the way the business operates.

"If we did this, Nintendo would cease to be Nintendo. Having a hardware development team in-house is a major strength. It's the duty of management to make use of those strengths," Iwata said.