Nintendo to make 'serious' 3DS titles

Nintendo hit the ground running with its E3 press conference last week, announcing a strong lineup of first-party titles for all its systems. The new 3DS handheld was no exception, with news that Kid Icarus: Uprising, Star Fox 64 3D, Paper Mario, Animal Crossing, Mario Kart, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time would all be getting the 3D treatment in the future.

While Nintendo's focus seemed to be squarely on first-party development, the publisher also stressed that the 3DS would launch with ample third-party support. The company has now reiterated its aim to better embrace external publishers, with Nintendo president Satoru Iwata telling Japanese news service Nikkei that he intends to work more closely with developers in order to "expand into elaborate games targeting serious gamers."

The wave of third-party titles announced so far for the new Nintendo handheld seem to back up Iwata's statements, with titles like Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D - The Naked Sample, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Pro Evolution Soccer, Dead or Alive 3D, Resident Evil Revelations, Ninja Gaiden, Pac-Man & Galaga, and Dragon Ball would all be coming to the 3DS, as well as a spate of unnamed titles from developers like Harmonix, Take-Two, Atlus, AQ Interactive, Disney Interactive Studios, Hudson Soft, Majesco, Marvelous Entertainment, and Sega.

In the Nikkei interview, Iwata went on to suggest that the current DS and its software only caters to those who do not play games; something that he hoped to rectify with the 3DS in terms of advances in graphics and gameplay. Recognising this shift in focus from first-party to third-party development, Iwata told Nikkei that Nintendo went to great lengths to incorporate software developers' requests when making the 3DS and called on these developers to make games for the new system.

"These partnerships are good for both Nintendo and the software developers," Iwata said.

Iwata also announced Nintendo's plans to make the successor to the Wii 3D compatible, telling Nikkei that "a full-scale entry into this field will take some time because 3D televisions will not catch on right away."