Nintendo is asking its developers that make games for the iOS platform to cut back on asking players for in-app purchases fearing how app-based microtransactions could be tarnishing its brand, this according to The Wall Street Journal. The company is going as far as to ask developers not to ask the end user for so many in-app purchases.
One Nintendo official reiterated that the company uses its smartphone games to entice players into purchasing full-fledged console titles. Now, according to the unnamed official, Nintendo is concerned that it could be criticized for being greedy in the smartphone gaming market, ultimately hurting the company across divisions.
As for individual games, Nintendo’s plan is already affecting certain titles. Dragalia Lost developer CyberAgent slashed its fiscal year earnings forecast for the first time in 17 years, reportedly due in part to the game’s underperformance. Although it has a lot of players downloading and interacting with the app, “revenue from each player has fallen short of projections,” seemingly tied to Nintendo’s new strategy.
“Nintendo is not interested in making a large amount of revenue from a single smartphone game,” one CyberAgent official said. “If we managed the game alone, we would have made a lot more.”
About Post Author
Share this via:
