Nintendo game demos on your phone? Not so fast, company says

It's been a weird few weeks of news out of Nintendo. After a third straight fiscal year loss driven primarily by sluggish Wii U sales, company president Satoru Iwata said the company is "studying how smart devices can be used to grow the game-player business." That statement has led to lots of speculation about how Nintendo would (or should) integrate the smartphone market with its existing business.

That's important background for a recent Nikkei report (partially translated here) suggesting that Nintendo is planning to introduce free "mini game" demos of existing console games on smartphones, intended to attract players to a full purchase on Nintendo hardware. The marketing-focused app for Android and iOS would also include video previews of Nintendo games, according to the Nikkei report.

It's an intriguing rumor that fits into a broad narrative surrounding Nintendo at the moment, but the company is doing its best to nip it in the bud. In a statement provided to Engadget, Nintendo directly denied the idea of releasing minigames to smartphones:

Nikkei's article contains information previously stated by Mr Iwata during past press conferences, including statements which relate to Nintendo's willingness to make use of smart devices to promote our products. However during such past announcements Mr Iwata has also stated that Nintendo's intention is not to make Nintendo software available on smart devices and as such, we can confirm that there are no plans to offer minigames on smartphone devices.

Nintendo rarely comments on rumors like this so directly, suggesting that it's serious about keeping its gaming focused strictly on its own hardware (while still using smartphone apps for broader promotional purposes). Then again, Nintendo has something of a history of pushing back against speculative reports that turn out to be true. In any case, "no plans" can turn into "plans" at any moment if Nintendo decides that offering its titles to the smartphone generation is important.

In any case, Nintendo's take on the mobile space is likely to be a focus of the company's post-earnings Q&A with investors, scheduled for Thursday. We're still holding out hope for a Nintendo-made gaming smartphone with two thumbsticks, lots of buttons, and a 3D graphics processor to rival the PlayStation 3. Oh, and it should launch with a new Earthbound sequel, too.

It could happen!