Nintendo's Pokemon getting an iOS app

Nintendo has been careful not to support Apple at all with its iOS initiative -- though mobile devices are huge in Japan (and a lot of Japanese companies have found success even on the North American App Store), the general feeling out of the video gaming giant seems to be that Apple's iPhone and iPod touch is a threat to Nintendo's huge handheld gaming legacy.

But here's an exception to that plan -- the Pokemon team plans to release an official iOS app in Japan. The app will be called Pokemon Say Tap? BW, and rather than a full Pokemon game, the app will be a rhythm title, where Pokemon cards appear on the screen and you have to tap them to a certain beat.

It's hardly the port of Super Mario Bros. that we've been looking for (and it's likely we'll never see this app in the US), but as far as I know, this is the first actual release from anything Nintendo-related on the iOS side of things. The company's been less-than-complimentary on what Apple has done to their gaming market so far, but it's tough to ignore the audience that Apple's iPhone has created, and this is the result of that.

[via Joystiq]

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Source: http://www.pokemon.co.jp/info/2011/07/c110701_01.html

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Nintendo has been careful not to support Apple at all with its iOS initiative -- though mobile devices are huge in Japan (and a lot of...

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turimblar

I think Nintendo should release more titles for iOS! Period.

July 07 2011 at 6:42 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Colin Chapman

With Sony teaming up with Google, and Microsft already brining the complete package with the XBox, it only makes sense that if Nintendo was going to pick a horse in this race it would be Apple.

July 06 2011 at 10:33 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to Colin Chapman's comment

Will

Also Microsofts new Skype acquisition now teaming up with Facebook, which I bet will soon be integrated into the xbox as well. Yeah it makes sense for Nintendo to start getting closer to apple. But it may just mean that we have reached a point in which iOS (and probably android devices) are so widespread that it is essentially the equivalent of the modern PC instead of a real competitor to consoles. Nintendo always had some PC software, particularly pokemon branded which were essentially extensions of their marketing department rather then an actual extension of their gaming division. Plus you can kinda look at it like the flash games that Nintendo sometimes puts on their game sites to promote the games. That doesn't mean that Nintendo is going to start competing in the flash game market, it's just a marketing thing. I don't think we will see any true Nintendo games on iOS or Android anytime soon, not like what Sega has been doing lately.

July 07 2011 at 1:22 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

JHam

Looks like I'll be sticking with GBA4iPhone and Fire Red/Leaf Green. I can't stand those neo-Pokemon anyways. I prefer the original 150.

July 06 2011 at 10:27 PM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down Reply

dorjesyber

The first crack in Nintendo's defense against the new great enemy (read Apple). Now we wait for a low cost pre-pay iPhone to out game the Gameboy. The 3Ds is looking like an old Tiger handheld single game nock-off toy when set against iOS.

July 06 2011 at 10:23 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply