With the recent success of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Nintendo has really been riding high on Cloud 9. Along with that, most Nintendo fans may have missed some of the things going on with the company, and some possibly-upcoming projects.

That being said, it was just reported over the weekend (by Japanese Nintendo) that the gaming giant has applied for some trademarks (two, specifically) vis-à-vis some of their intellectual properties. Those trademarks are for previously-released Wii games. The properties in question? Super Mario Galaxy, and the somewhat controversial Metroid: Other M. There’s a twist, though… The purposes that were listed for the trademarks are “video game program”, “downloadable video game program, and “program for smartphone”.

Yep. You read that correctly: “Program for smartphone”.

Obviously, this tells us that Nintendo is probably planning to bring more of its IPs to mobile phone platforms. However, this move isn’t a 100% sure thing for the Japanese gaming company that we all know – especially since what the company is trademarking is content that was released in a previous generation’s console. Releasing games on smartphones could either be a success like Pokemon GO!, or we could have another Super Mario Run issue on our hands. Sure, a company like Nintendo pretty much has a license to print money these days, and they wouldn’t be at all strapped for cash if an idea failed, but what about the gamers who follow them so rabidly? What happens to us and our faith in the company?

I suppose we would first need to ask ourselves what Nintendo really thinks about US: their consumers/customers. Do they see us as the passionate gamers that we are, who value good content and replayability? Or do they look at us and just see dollar signs to line their pockets? Are they going to try to put something out there that we, the gamers, would actually enjoy playing? Or are they going to attempt to get further into a market like mobile gaming without regard for the actual quality of the content that they’re producing? Further, would a company like Nintendo fall into the trap of producing mobile games – like so many other companies – that rely on microtransactions and pay-to-win methodologies, or would they do the honorable thing and give gamers what we want: a fully fleshed-out game for which we don’t have to worry about ads or having our bank accounts gouged?

Frankly, I’m not sure. Now, this could just be my grizzled old-man cynicism talking, but I’m not one of those people who always believes that companies will do the right thing where their customers are concerned. In my professional life, dealing with corporations of various types and sizes, I’ve seen lots of instances where the higher-ups choose to go after the “almighty dollar” while leaving their adoring public in the lurch. Do I truly believe that a company like Nintendo would do that? Meh…maybe not. Still, with the headache that we had with Super Mario Run, I’m still not going to jump on the Nintendo mobile gaming bandwagon until I see a finished and polished product that doesn’t leave me wanting to bang my head against a brick wall.

 

Don’t get me wrong: I’m by no means a Nintendo hater. I grew up playing the hell out of my original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Super Nintendo. I loved those systems, and I don’t think that I would be the gamer that I am today without having been exposed to titles like Super Mario Bros., Contra, Castlevania, Mega Man, The Legend of Zelda, and the like. What I AM saying, is that I am not yet sold on the viability of Nintendo games on a smartphone. Between the accessibility issues that Pokemon GO! had, and the utter disaster that Super Mario Run was, I have been burned twice by Nintendo’s mobile games. So, I am definitely not going to put my hand in that fire again until I know for a fact that it’s under control and that I am wearing asbestos overalls.

Still, I want to hear your thoughts, dear readers. How do you feel about the possibility of two more mobile games from Nintendo? What do you think of them trademarking these specific games to bring to the mobile platform? Leave a comment down below, and don’t forget to follow PCU on Twitter and Facebook!