Why simply porting Mario is not the answer.

Nintendo announced earlier this month that they would be partnering with DeNA to create, develop, and publish brand new smartphone applications featuring Nintendo IP. The move came as a surprise to many due to Nintendo’s ardent opposition against putting their characters on mobile devices, at least up until fairly recently. That is not to say that they never saw any opportunities in the mobile space, but they stated time and time again that they did not feel as if creating mobile games was the right move for them.

So, why the change of heart now? For one, Nintendo had been talking about mobile support for some time. In early 2014, Iwata stated that “[g]iven the expansion of smart devices, we are naturally studying how smart devices can be used to grow the game-player business.” He clarified, though, that Nintendo would not simply be “enabling Mario to move on a smartphone”, and for good reason too. In 2013, Angry Birds developer Rovio made a mere $37 million in profit, compared to Nintendo’s $71 million, which was highly considered to be one of the company’s worst years on record. Of course, Nintendo and Rovio are two very different companies, but when you look at the numbers, it is clear that in a market like the App Store, simply creating hit app after app is not enough to grow, or even sustain, a long-term business model.

So, what is Nintendo going to do on mobile devices, if not to make “Mario Jump” on it? Well, they have already answered that question. In an interview with TIME magazine, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata stated that the company was looking to create software such that “the great number of people around the world who own smart devices [can] be interested in Nintendo IP and eventually [become] fans of our dedicated game systems.” So, Nintendo is looking to leverage smart devices to promote their IP in hopes of converting smartphone users to Nintendo fans.

So no, it does not look like you will be playing Mario on your smartphone. Rather, Nintendo’s strategy calls for much more.

There are many, simple things Nintendo can do to take advantage of the mobile space. Both PlayStation and Xbox have apps on the App Store that connect to their respective consoles and (attempt to) enhance the experience of their users. Nintendo could easily do the same thing with an app of their own, promoting new games and trailers, as well as connectivity with Nintendo Network, Miiverse, and the new Club Nintendo.

But Nintendo could also benefit by creating companion apps for their games and franchises. Mario Kart TV, which already has a web app of its own, can easily be repurposed as its own smartphone app. Considering how popular Pokedex’s are on the App Store already, people would totally download an official version made by Nintendo (edit: apparently one already exists, but it sucks). The same goes for Animal Crossing, which has an insane number of things to collect—and even better, if the app kept track of your progress while you are playing it. There is potential for all sorts of cross-promotion everywhere; the possibilities are endless.

In other words, Nintendo creating smartphone applications is no different from Nintendo creating web applications. Smartphones today do much more than play games; hell, my iPhone does not have a single “game” on it (and I still manage to run out of space?—I should take less pictures). With the mobile industry booming in Japan and growing everywhere else in the world, it only makes sense for Nintendo to take advantage of that market and turn it in their favor. Even if it does not push more people to buy Wii U’s, it will certainly drive up software sales, and perhaps increase player retention if there is enough integration between the game and the app.

People who think Nintendo’s strategy on mobile only involves them making simple games on that platform are mistaken. Everyone knows that is not the right way to approach the smartphone market, including Nintendo. What they need to do is make great apps that help promote their games, and from there we can see how well things fair for them. That is not to say that creating smartphone games would not be beneficial, but there are certainly bigger opportunities to harness the mobile market outside of just games.

So what do you think Nintendo smartphone strategy is? What kind of apps would you like to see Nintendo make on mobile? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!