Nintendo facing pressure from investors to develop content for iPhone

Bloomberg has reported that Nintendo is facing increasing pressure from its investors to abandon its policy of developing games exclusively for its own systems.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has said that Nintendo will never develop games for other systems as long as he’s in charge. However, with the company’s stock about to hit a new six-year low, investors are starting to feel the pull of potential profit from outside development.

These worries seem to ring true, with Nintendo’s 3DS receiving its first price slash within six months of release due to poor sales and a general lack of consumer interest.

The numbers don’t lie, with a posted quarterly loss of $324 million ringing in the ears of investors.

Tokyo-based Stats Investment Management Company manager Masamitsu Ohki claims that a simple price slash is simply not enough to sate the nervous money men.

“Smartphones are the new battlefield for the gaming industry. Nintendo should try to either buy its way into this platform or develop something totally new.”

There were rumours that the Pokémon Company is making plans to develop something (Pokémon-based) for iPhone. Share prices rose, but then fell almost immediately once Iwata quashed all rumours of outside development.

It's unlikely we'll be seeing Mario on iPhone soon. But Nintendo’s investors, at least, seem anxious to see everyone’s favourite plumber saving his princess in another castle.