This week at 148Apps.com, Kevin Stout examined the question more than a few of us are asking: Why won’t Nintendo release any games for iOS? Stout writes, “Nintendo recently reported its first annual loss, showing that perhaps 3DS isn’t enough of a success. Nintendo hasn’t even released its legacy games on mobile platforms where others like Sega have (Sonic the Hedgehog). While current CEO of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, is in charge, it’s unlikely that Nintendo will acknowledge its mistake. When asked about releasing Nintendo games for smartphones, Iwata replied, “This is absolutely not under consideration. If we did this, Nintendo would cease to be Nintendo….”’

Read Stout’s full commentary and analysis at 148Apps.

$2.99

Sonic The Hedgehog

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2009-05-21 :: Category: Games

Meanwhile, Amy Solomon at GiggleApps took a look at a new Marvel Avengers app for kids: Avengers Origins: Assemble! is a very enjoyable universal interactive storybook that tells the tale of how The Avengers became a cohesive group after meeting Captain America. I really enjoy how these characters are introduced, making this a great primer for children new to Marvel comics. Interactive moments are included throughout that children will also enjoy such as dragging the tools used by each Avenger to their rightful owner.”

Read Amy’s full review at GiggleApps.

$2.99

Avengers Origins: Assemble!

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-04-12 :: Category: Books

Last, but certainly not least, 148Apps.biz writer Carter Dotson reported on results from a recent MocoSpace study: “MocoSpace has announced the results of their new “Y U Play?” study that tries to answer the question of just why people play mobile games, anyway? The answer for the majority of people appears to be just pure entertainment. 34% of people like to play mobile games because “the games are fun,” and 32% do it because they are bored, or want to kill time.”

Read more about the fascinating study at 148Apps.biz.

That’s the week that was. Keep up with all of the latest news, reviews, trends and contests by following us on Twitter or liking us on Facebook. Have a great weekend – and we’ll see you in seven days!

Nintendo recently reported its first annual loss, showing that perhaps 3DS isn’t enough of a success. Nintendo hasn’t even released its legacy games on mobile platforms where others like Sega have (Sonic the Hedgehog). While current CEO of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, is in charge, it’s unlikely that Nintendo will acknowledge its mistake. When asked about releasing Nintendo games for smartphones, Iwata replied, “This is absolutely not under consideration. If we did this, Nintendo would cease to be Nintendo….”

But what about rereleasing classics on iOS? That doesn’t seem to conflict with Iwata’s unflinching desire to keep Nintendo from making easy money. Let’s take a look at some numbers to estimate those releases.

The following data about Nintendo platforms and games are from VGChartz.

• The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) sold 500.01 million units globally.
• Super Mario Bros. sold 40.24 million units.
• The original Game Boy sold 501.11 million units.
• Pokemon (including the Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow versions) sold 46.01 million units.

Now let’s look at some iOS comparisons.

• Apple has recently updated the lifetime sales number for iOS devices at 365 million units, 67 million of which are iPads.
• Recent success Draw Something was downloaded over 50 million times in the first 50 days of being released.

Downloads of some popular iOS games, like Angry Birds, Draw Something, and more, have overtaken lifetime sales of the most popular NES and Gameboy games despite less of the originating devices existing. iOS users are willing to pay for the games that they want.

8% of NES users owned Super Mario Bros. (40.24 million copies of the game out of 500.01 million users). If only 4% of iOS users purchases a Super Mario Bros. port to iOS, half of the NES sales units for the game, Nintendo could potentially make $14M in profits. That assumes the game is sold at $0.99. But who honestly wouldn’t pay up to $5 to play Super Mario Bros. (or Zelda titles) on the iPhone or iPad?

What about Game Boy games? Just a few months ago, Pokemon Yellow appeared on the App Store for a weekend. The app was not Pokemon Yellow. The game didn’t work. And despite over 1000 one-star reviews, people continued to download it. The game reached #3 in the Top Paid Apps on the App Store in an incredibly short time. The original Pokemon titles sold even more than Super Mario Bros.. It also may be more profitable considering it would be a great candidate for an in-app purchase scheme (in-game currency, collectable digital items and Pokemon, etc).

There are plenty of Zelda and Mario-like games on the App Store, but a game that truly mimics the experience and gameplay of Pokemon has yet to be accomplished. But one may be coming out soon. Stephen McVicker and Calisprojects are developing an ambitious, Pokemon-like game called ZENFORMS that’s slated to be released in June.

Even if Nintendo releases Pokemon after ZENFORMS is released, it isn’t going to cut into Nintendo’s sales. But it’s unusual that Nintendo is refusing fans old games that would cost Nintendo nearly nothing to release. There’s a demand out there for Nintendo-style classics and Nintendo is losing out.

Angry Birds developer Chillingo may cease to be an indie darling in the near future, as EA has bought the company. Reports put an the deal at $20 million cash, but the future of all the studio’s properties are still up in the air.

Chillingo was already a hot commodity after Angry Birds, but the massive success of the recently released Cut the Rope has truly turned the UK developer into a den of rock stars. While companies like Activision, Gameloft and even Intel were vying for the studio, EA was able to close the deal.

“By acquiring Chillingo, EA Mobile is increasing its market leadership on the Apple Platform as well as reaffirming its position as the world’s leading wireless entertainment publisher,” EA’s Holly Rockwood said in a statement.

It sounds like EA wants to keep Chillingo in the mobile space, but we can’t help but wonder if the studio will be asked to dabble in consoles and handhelds as well. EA has dabbled with physics games by publishing Boom Blox on the Wii, but the series has stalled and perhaps the company is looking for a new franchise to bring to non-Apple audiences. There’s also the distinct possibility EA could request a totally new IP from Chillingo, one which could be backed with a big budget and marketed across all platforms.

Where things may get tricky is in regards to ownership rights of games published under the Chillingo banner. Rovio created Angry Birds, while ZeptoLab made Cut the Rope, and, at least according to Rovio, the development studios still own those properties. A Rovio spokesperson says his company “controls the Angry Birds brand and any future products,” so at least that franchise may remain apart from this deal.

At any rate, let us be among the first to congratulate Chillingo and wish them the best of luck under the new ownership. They’ve already proven what talented, dedicated people can do when they put their minds to it so they deserve all the success and wealth they’ve earned. Well done guys, keep up the good work.

[via Mashable]

Like most App Store addicts, I browse the Top 100 lists from time to time. The top 10 spots are usually filled with games like Doodle Jump, Pocket God, Bejeweled, and whatever other big-name apps have hit recently. That makes sense. I can even understand things like The Moron Test and SpinArt being popular. The whims of the masses are ever-changing, after all.

But what the heck is up with “60 Mario and friends”?

60 Mario and friends (the poor capitalization is not mine, thank you) from Isayonline is nothing more than a soundboard app—it plays sounds from old Nintendo games. Super Mario Bros, Mario 64, Street Fighter, Zelda, and Donkey Kong game sounds are all present. Now, I consider myself a Nintendo fan, and I love these games. But there’s something wrong with a simple soundboard app claiming the #2 spot on the top paid charts. First of all, this is a blatant case of copyright infringement. We’ve seen excellent, original games like EDGE and Stoneloops of Jurassica pulled from the App Store for supposed infringement, so how did 60 Mario and friends get through? It uses images of Nintendo’s characters and sounds from Nintendo games; it doesn’t get more obvious than this.

Secondly, the app has a two-star rating, and not because people are unsatisfied with the sounds—but because they thought they could have classic Nintendo games on their iPods and iPhones for a buck. Wait. What? The app is called “60 Mario and friends,” and it’s in the Games category, but it’s obvious if you read the description that it’s just a soundboard app. I suppose that literacy is too much to expect these days. If you can’t read a few sentences, I don’t think you should have the right to complain about losing a buck. Besides, Nintendo won’t be releasing their games on the App Store anytime soon, not when the iPhone/iPod family is starting to compete with the DS/DSi.

As I said, I’m a Nintendo fan through and through, and I’m hardly alone. 60 Mario and friends simply milks our nostalgia for some great games. But Isayonline is profiting from something that they didn’t create. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to grab some classic sound clips, but let’s not reward Isayonline for packaging stolen content—or Apple for letting it through.

FREE!

60 Mario and friends : old games are back

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2010-02-06 :: Category: Entertainment