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Finally, Nintendo is getting serious about making smartphone games

Nintendo's going all-in on smartphone games.

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Early Wednesday, the Japanese gaming heavy revealed that it's bringing the "Animal Crossing" and "Fire Emblem" franchises to smartphones, signaling a promising shift in Nintendo's perspective on that particular platform.

Fire Emblem 3ds
A screenshot from "Fire Emblem Fates" for Nintendo 3DS. A smartphone version of the franchise will be available this year. YouTube/Nintendo

In previous years, Nintendo was adamant about not making games for smartphones, continually re-iterating a commitment to making games on dedicated gaming systems of their own design.

Speaking to Nikkei in 2011, Satoru Iwata, former president of Nintendo, said that if Nintendo made mobile games, "Nintendo would cease to be Nintendo. [Making mobile games is] probably the correct decision in the sense that the moment we started to release games on smartphones we'd make profits. However, I believe my responsibility is not to short-term profits, but to Nintendo's mid- and long-term competitive strength."

However, Nintendo's continually dwindling sales were likely just one of the many things that signaled a shift in that thinking, as the company announced last year that it would be partnering with developer DeNA to bring several games to mobile platforms over the next several years.

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The first of those games was "Miitomo," which ended up being more of a social networking app than a full-fledged game. Nintendo announced that "Miitomo" has been downloaded over 10 million times, but in terms of the game's actual design, it leaves something to be desired.

The meat of "Miitomo" lies in customizing a character, buying cute outfits for them, and answering questions about your personality, all of which are visible to your friends. It's certainly a competently-made app, but it's a game — at least in the way that word is typically used — in only the loosest of terms.

 That's why the news that games from the "Animal Crossing" and "Fire Emblem" franchises will be the next to hit smartphones later this year is a great sign.

Both franchises are perfectly suited for mobile platforms.

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The "Animal Crossing" games put you in charge of a small town, allowing you to make changes to its design and talk with its (very cute!) villagers. This kind of chilled-out gameplay is perfect for gamers on the go, allowing someone to play for just a few minutes at a time throughout the day.

Animal Crossing
A mobile version of "Animal Crossing" will be coming to smartphones later this year. Nintendo

And while "Fire Emblem" games are a bit more demanding of attention, they are also perfectly suited for smartphones. The gameplay is turn-based, meaning that users can plan out their moves slowly and take their time making decisions, perhaps breaking up a single fight into multiple gaming sessions.

Though Nintendo previously approached smartphone gaming with trepidation, bringing "Animal Crossing" and "Fire Emblem" to mobile platforms shows that Nintendo doesn't view the subject like it used to. Rather than viewing smartphone versions of Nintendo franchises as somehow cheapening their brand, Nintendo is considering which franchises are best suited for mobile gaming and bringing them over in a thoughtful and purposeful way. 

And that's very good news — both for Nintendo and its biggest fans.

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