iPad games may be a vast slice of the new wave of iPad apps hitting the iTunes App Store but Nintendo says it’s not worried. Nintendo America’s head honcho, Reggie Fils-Aime, claims Apple is not having an impact on the Mario maker’s business.
Talking to Joystiq, Fils-Aime said that while the iPad and iPhone have got acres of coverage, most people don’t play with the apps for very long. He says:“I’ve seen data that suggests that while customers are constantly downloading apps, they play with them a few times and then move on to the next thing.”
Despite the vast number of game developers creating iPhone and iPad games, Fils-Aime says he believes the iTunes App Store isn’t “a viable platform for game development because so many of the games are free versus paid downloads.”
He thinks gamers will keep plumping for the Nintendo DS and snap up the forthcoming Nintendo 3DS. He says: “If our games represent a range between snacks of entertainment and full meals depending on the type of game. [iPhone and iPad games] aren’t even a mouthful in terms of the gaming experience you get.”
With complex games like Metal Gear Solid and Sam & Max arriving on the iPad, it’s hard not to feel that Fils-Aime is sticking his head in the sand slightly.
Gamers: do you think Fils-Aime is right? Are iPad games destined to be casual time wasters or does the rise of the iPad mean the Nintendo DS is doomed?
