Nintendo: Don't expect Facebook games from us

For a while now, Facebook has wanted to to offer more types of games, including first-person shooters and sports titles, mimicking the wide range found on consoles. Nintendo, the current leader in the console market, won't be a partner anytime soon.

In a recent interview with AllThingsD, Nintendo's North America President Reggie Fils-Aime answered various questions about his company's future endeavors. When asked if Nintendo will experiment with free-to-play, Fils-Aime answered as follows:

I have two comments on that. First, we make games for Nintendo devices, and that is a competitive advantage for us. You can only play Mario on a Nintendo device, so from that standpoint, I wouldn't expect to see our franchises on other platforms, and I would argue Facebook is a platform. My second point, on whether we will experiment with other forms of monetization? Certainly. How that comes about, or which ones we do first, that's all experimentation that's going on right now in our various studios.

Remember that Mario Kart Facebook scam? Well, it seems that's the best you're going to get on Facebook: people trying to trick you into thinking Nintendo games have finally arrived on the platform.

Nintendo's stance applies to all platforms. Many believe the company is making a big mistake by avoiding iOS and Android. Nintendo is definitely missing a big opportunity to broaden its horizons and build new revenue streams, but it is doing so in order to avoid devaluing its various popular franchises. I'm sure Nintendo could offer Facebook games and figure out how to monetize them, but the company has concluded it doesn't make sense for it in the long-run.

See also:

• Activision CEO: Facebook games are no threat to Call of Duty
• Facebook wants to mimic consoles, feature wider range of games
• Google+ Games: Google just started a price war with Facebook
• Facebook adds new gaming features to counter Google+
• Facebook to make $1 billion from social gaming this year