Iwata: No plans to move Nintendo's current games to non-Nintendo platforms

Nintendo chief Satoru Iwata today rejected the notion that the struggling company will release its existing games for rival hardware platforms. But he said that the company will release "engaging" mobile experiences that aim to market Nintendo games.

In the wake of dismal financial results and disappointing Wii U sales, some have once again called on the company to consider releasing prime brands like Mario and Zelda on popular platforms like iOS.

Speaking at an investors meeting in Tokyo today, Iwata emphatically stated that no such plans are being considered.

"We feel that simply releasing our games just as they are on smart devices would not provide the best entertainment for smart devices, so we are not going to take any approach of this nature," Iwata said. "Having said that, however, in the current environment surrounding smart devices, we feel that we will not be able to gain the support of many consumers unless we are able to provide something truly valuable that is unique to Nintendo. Accordingly, I have not given any restrictions to the development team, even not ruling out the possibility of making games or using our game characters.

"However, if you report that we will release Mario on smart devices, it would be a completely misleading statement. It is our intention to release some application on smart devices this year that is capable of attracting consumer attention and communicating the value of our entertainment offerings, so I would encourage you to see how our approach yields results."

Iwata added that they are examining the use of other services on "smart devices" to improve gamer experience.

"This is to say that we will no longer spend an equal amount of resources toward providing the same service both on and off device, but will instead concentrate on the one that has greater purpose as well as room for improvement," he said. "The environment in which our users can download paid software is one example of where we should aim to make more off-device improvements than on-device ones."

Last year, Nintendo of America head Reggie Fils-Aime said that the company is "constantly thinking about how to leverage mobile as a marketing vehicle."