Nintendo is presently placing immense focus on its smartphone strategy. The Japanese gaming giant has already tasted success with the two titles, Super Mario Run and Fire Emblem: Heroes, it has debuted and is now planning to break all records with its upcoming smartphone game — The Legend of Zelda.
Yes, Nintendo fans! Your eyes are not tricking you, you’ve read that right. Citing several people aware of the development, Wall Street Journal reports that the company is currently developing the smartphone version of the Zelda game. It is expected to drop sometime later this year, after the release of the upcoming Animal Crossing game. This further build hype on the already existing success of the game title on the company’s recently launched console — Nintendo Switch.
This means ‘The Legend of Zelda’ smartphone game could release in the second half of the year or early 2018 because the game title it follows doesn’t come until then. There has recently also been speculation that the games can face a delay in launch, so nothing can be said about the exact launch dates. But, one thing’s for sure, Nintendo intends to release around two or three smartphone games by the end of the fiscal year 2018.
The information about the Zelda mobile game is currently scarce, except for the fact that Nintendo has partnered with mobile gaming counterpart DeNA to develop this title. It is presently unclear on how the Japanese giant plans to distribute this game title, a one-time fee model like Super Mario Run (offering a couple playable levels for free) or free-to-play approach with in-app game purchases — as it did in Fire Emblem: Heroes.
After conquering the console market with the Wii U, 3DS and now the Switch, Nintendo is finally looking at smartphone games as an important section for its success. And Legend of Zelda being one its most popular game franchises, it’s expected to bring in hoards of enthusiasts and revenues for the Japanese gaming giant in the coming months.
The WSJ report adds a final spice to the mix by saying that The Pokemon Company is also working on a new card-based game, which is due to arrive very soon. It cites anonymous sources aware of the development to state that this title will follow pursuit to its existing popular and nostalgic titles — Pokemon Go and another card-based game. Pokemon Go was possibly the biggest AR mobile game that managed to sweep the generation off the couch to explore the neighbourhood. Its popularity has simmered since launch due to lack of some necessary features.
