Super Mario On Android/iPhones?

If you've been hoping and praying that Nintendo enters the mobile market and you can play Mario on your iPhone, well, the time is coming. But be careful what you wish for. Because Nintendo going mobile won't happen out of business acumen, but out of sheer desperation. During a conference Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said the company is going to have to consider some new strategies to staunch the bleeding caused by (presumably) the failure of the Wii U. Bloomberg reports that Nintendo lost $240 million in 2013.

We are thinking about a new business structure," Iwata said. "Given the expansion of smart devices, we are naturally studying how smart devices can be used to grow the game-player business. It's not as simple as enabling Mario to move on a smartphone."

Actually, it may be just that simple if the scores of jailbreakers out there putting ROMs on iPhones is any indication. Nintendo is already sitting on a goldmine of classic titles, most of which require less memory than your standard weather app. A quick and easy fix for Nintendo could be as simple as a "Best Of" app for iOS and Android that features a handful of Super Mario titles, the original Legend of Zelda and Donkey Kong for something like $14.99. Nintendo could go franchise specific and launch all the Mario games in one app, all the Zelda games in another and all the Pokemon titles in a third. If it's looking for quick cash, I think that's it.

There's also the long road, which would have Nintendo developing completely new IPs featuring its classic characters. This, I think, is far riskier. Nintendo needs to make money, not spend money. And if it decides to invest serious capital in developing an exclusive Super Mario mobile title, it cuts into the profit margin. Not to mention it would take resources away from developing titles for the 3DS, a.k.a. the only thing keeping Nintendo afloat right now.

The success of the 3DS seems like the reason Nintendo has avoided the mobile gaming market. It would be creating its own competition, really. If they launch a super cool Mario game for mobile platforms than what's the incentive to buy the next super cool Mario game for 3DS? Or even buy a 3DS at all? Because if Nintendo is going to start making high-quality, original IPs for mobile then that's the question fans will be asking.

Nintendo needs to swallow its pride and put out some quick, cheap games that bundle the NEWS/SNES classics together. Start re-releasing the games for $2 each. Old school fans and newer, younger devotees will both embrace the opportunity to play some serious classics on mobile devices. Stop the bleeding, Nintendo, and stay afloat long enough for the fence sitters to finally buy a Wii U once that epic new Zelda comes out.