Nintendo of America: Don't Even Think About Pokemon for iPhone

There will be a Pokémon app released for iPhone and Android phones this summer. Titled Pokemon Say Tap? BW, it's not a full-fledged Pokémon video game, rather a promotional spin-off, a card-based rhythm game focused around Pokémon Black and White.

After the news broke, speculation ran wild Nintendo was dipping its toes into the water outside its own platforms. Its stock even went up.

Nintendo of Japan strongly denied such chatter, citing that it doesn't outright own The Pokemon Company or the Pokemon franchise. Thus, The Pokemon Company was within its right to experiment like this.

I asked Nintendo of America whether the app would appear in North America, and while the company didn't address its English prospects, they provided a stern rebuttal of any speculation of this signaling a potential future for Nintendo franchises in a post-handheld world.

"On July 1, the Pokémon Company announced that it was launching a free Android and iOS application in Japan called "Pokémon IeTap? BW" (phonetic)," said the company in a statement. "The Pokémon Company routinely launches applications for cell phones and PCs as a way to promote its non-video game products, such as a music CD and Pokémon TCG [Trading Card Game] cards in this instance. Since they are intended purely as promotional tools, not as unique video games, Nintendo is not involved in any way."

The Pokemon Company is the marketing branch of the Pokemon brand. Game Freak actually develops the Pokemon video games. Nintendo has a joint stake in The Pokemon Company.

It seems pretty clear Pokemon Say Tap? BW is intended as a promotional one-off, and as Nintendo's reiterating here, it's specifically designed to celebrate the Pokemon Trading Card game.

"The relationship between the two companies is unaffected," the company continued. "All Pokémon video game content will continue to appear exclusively on Nintendo platforms. As stated previously, Nintendo has no intention or plans of publishing its IP on non-Nintendo platforms. This is an example of a promotion by a key Nintendo partner and has no bearing on Nintendo's overall strategy."

That's about as strong of a denial as they come--as if it's any surprise. 3DS isn't selling at the same pace as the wildly successful DS, but Nintendo is a company that would have to be on wounded knee before releasing its games on a platform it didn't control. That's not to say it won't ever happen, but Nintendo's hardly in the gutter at the moment, and it'll be a long time before the company changes strategy. A man can dream, though.

All that said, I sure as hell would love an augmented reality version of Pokémon Snap on iPhone or 3DS.

A full pokemon game for iphone would be amazing... then we'd all realise how bad the batteries really are in modern phones.

TOO EFFIN' BAD BECAUSE I'M THINKIN' IT RIGHT NOW.

Is it actually called "The Pokemon Company"? I thought it was Gamefreak or something.

3DSes will start selling once the Pokemon gen is released. Kinda bad luck for B&W's release being 6-8 months before the 3DS (in Japan), and now the stupid Crystal/Platnium revision will come out, then a rumored GBA remake is coming afterwords (dunno if DS or 3DS on that one).

Y'know, I really don't understand why they take such a long time about getting new Pokémon games out. I understand that in order to have lots of trading going on, that it's best to release it on an older console, but if they had launched Black and White on the 3DS as a launch title, it would really have made the console look more appealing.

I mean, that game even went out of it's way to show off "Look at our town's in 3D!" as a selling point. Hopefully they will release the 3rd version as a 3DS game (Grey?), but I doubt they will...

Street pass seems like it was made with Pokémon in mind!

What assholes. Do you know how many copies they'd sell? It's their loss.

I bet in 5-10 years when the hand held market has transferred to phones Pokemon will be forced to cave in.

Of course not, Nintendo is still desperately trying to convince the public that mobile/hand-held games are worth $40+.

They seem completely unable (or unwilling?) to read the writing on the wall in regards to the mobile market.

Good. I'm glad Pokemon has some kind of standard and isn't whored out everywhere. Because it would be very successful if it did.

Another attempt of Japan clearly holding the idea of porting one good Pokeman game to the iPhone & going the other direction. Agreed on not flooding the market with tons of the games but I think that one or two of the good Pokeman games would be good for that format.

@Zaph said:

Of course not, Nintendo is still desperately trying to convince the public that mobile/hand-held games are worth $40+.

They seem completely unable (or unwilling?) to read the writing on the wall in regards to the mobile market.

Nintendo has released a number of budget-priced titles through the Wii, DSi, and eShops. But of course they aren't going to prefer releasing games on services that they don't own.

Try seeing the common sense before jumping on them for ignoring the iPhone.

I feel like whiskey media lives in an apple reality distortion field sometimes. This post handheld notion is more media sensation than reality. Yeah everyone (and by everyone I mean like half of cellphone users) has a super phone, and people download games for them. Its unlikely anyone spends real time playing those games though, especially to the exclusion of other platforms. Just because the ds/psp/3ds/vita dont fit into anyone of the games media's lifestyles doesn't mean theres no market. For every journalist out there with their iphone theres tons of kids still playing their ds at school (who I'm sure want a 3ds and we'll see sales pick up for the holidays.)

Theres been an overwhelming trend lately in games/technology media lauding revolutions and futures that just aren't taking place. Phone games are not the future, they're a future.

I wasn't thinking about it, but now I am, and that sounds AWESOME.

Just make a pokemon MMO, that would make 10x what wow makes.

If they are going to a new platform, I want it to be PC and in the form of a full fledged 3D Pokemon MMO!

Is it actually called "The Pokemon Company"? I thought it was Gamefreak or something.

Well, I wasn't thinking about Pokémon for iPhone until you said it, Nintendo. God.

@TheAddict said:

A full pokemon game for iphone would be amazing... then we'd all realise how bad the batteries really are in modern phones.

Yup, but it's not so much the battery, it's the battery life, because Nintendo's portable platforms are highly optimized for games like Pokemon, it can spend most of its time in a low power "sleep" state after it's done drawing a frame, waiting for the next cycle. Games on phones tend to have to implement everything in a generic CPU intensive fashion, on top of having to deal with the phone being a phone in the background, checking email, etc.

I'm actually sitting in line for the pokemon national championship while reading this.

Don't worry, Nintendo. I don't think about Pokemon on *any* platform, because I'm not twelve years old.

@DrMcKittrick said:

What assholes. Do you know how many copies they'd sell? It's their loss.
 

Seriously, who cares. Such a non issue.

They should stop making Pokemon games for a while. Take a break and come up with somthing diffrent insed of feeding us more of the same each installment. *coughlegendofzeldacough*

I love reading articles about what Nintendo of America is not doing. They just seem like a lazy parent who won't do anything for you, but doesn't want you to do it either.
 
For all the talk of Nintendo becoming more appealing and targeting the "hard core" market again, they still seem awfully obsolete. At least, the American branch does.

This seems like a great PR stunt to gauge interest...or not. I would play a pokemon game on my iPhone.

I bet in 5-10 years when the hand held market has transferred to phones Pokemon will be forced to cave in.

man I bet an iphone android version of a pokemon game would make BANK!

man I bet an iphone android version of a pokemon game would make BANK!

I've always thought that Pokemon for iPhone would be a fantastic idea, as it is such a portable game, and, since everyone always has their iPhone on them, it'd be massively easy to do multiplayer. 
 
While I understand why Nintendo hasn't made a Pokemon game for the iPhone yet, and probably never will, I have no idea why we haven't seen a good Pokemon knock-off come to the app store yet.

RELEASE A POKEMON MMORPG FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!

Who even asked if pokemon would be on a mobile device? Isn't it a given that its going to be on a nintendo handheld to help sell it?

I do love the Pokemon games, but I my favorite is still Pokemon Snap!

There's been like 30 generations of Pokemon cards now. I'd love a new Pokemon Trading Card Game. Especially since we now have the tech to add more cards as they are released...

I R Love Pokemon games still and im 21... Even on my Droid X!

I won't think about Pokemon for the iPhone, but I am thinking about Xenoblade in America...

Not surprising, of course, but still disappointing to hear it laid-out like that. I'd love to see an iOS Pokémon game, especially something that could utilize Facebook Connect or offer asynchronous multiplayer. Pocket Monsters with Friends, basically. Pokémon's such a low-tempo game--I can't imagine a more natural fit for mobile platforms.

But I'm sure someone will make that kind of game happen sooner or later on iOS, even if it's got nothing to do with the Pokémon IP. Fingers crossed?

Unless Nintendo makes a phone i think that pokemon will stay on wii and ds

I'd love for Nintendo to just be a 3rd party developer.

Nintendo... make a phone.... While you still can.

Great news! 

Well duh.

Don't get me wrong, GB is a good site. But this site won't be my main source for Nintendo news anytime soon.

That's alright. I have a 3DS and I am looking forward to some Pokemon action on there!

I'm happy pokemon WON'T take over my life again.

If they remade Pokemon (Fire)Red for iOS(whether it would be a graphical update with some interface redesigns or re-doing the balance/battle system to add elements and various other features from Black & White and beyond), that would be insanely popular and I'd buy it in a heart beat.  
 
Oh and obviously they would have to redo things like trading and wireless and how to acquire non first gen. pokemon again I guess, but that's a given for any official release(expand/alter the Sevii Islands? At least it should have everything in FireRed/LeafGreen). 

Yup slap a pokemon on that 3DS and it'll go.

citing that it doesn't outright own The Pokemon Company or the Pokemon franchise.

Sure maybe not directly but you can't tell me that it doesn't decide exactly what happens with one of its most important franchises..