Even with a Pokemon iPhone game, Nintendo still isn't cool with mobile

This whole ground-breaking, free Pokemon iPhone and Android game business? Fuhgettaboutit. Well, Nintendo shut that up real quick, didn't it? Bloomberg reports that the stubborn traditional game creator is still not interested in mobile or social games, and that it's strategy to develop games only for its platforms "hasn't changed and won't change," Yasuhiro Minagawa, a spokesman for the Kyoto-based company poised to release its Wii U system, told Bloomberg by phone.

So, how did the Pokemon mobile game, Pokemon Say Tap, get the green light? According to Kotaku, Nintendo only owns 32 percent of the Pokemon Brand, the rest of which presumably owned by developer Game Freak.

Since Nintendo doesn't hold majority rule over Pokemon, it can't dictate where the brand goes, regardless of whether Pokemon has been faithful to the company from the start. Nintendo seems to want fans (and investors) to see this as merely a rare occurrence, and none of Nintendo's in-house brands will leave its consoles.

While the company is interested in opening up its 3DS and later its Wii U console to social channels, Nintendo's relationship with social stops there. So, can this be the final word on Nintendo and mobile/social, or more appropriately free?

Soon, you might score some Angry Birds with that Starbucks macchiato

Angry Birds Starbucks
"Hey, I'll take a grande caramel cappuccino ... with an Angry Bird on top? Yeah, that works." We doubt most Starbucks baristas would do this nonsense just for you, but you might at least be playing a lot more Angry Birds in Starbucks locations soon. In fact, according to Bloomberg, you may soon take trips to Starbucks specifically to play Rovio's wildly successful game.

During an interview with Bloomberg, Rovio SVP Wibe Wagemans said that his company is in talks with the Seattle-based coffee company to set up virtual goods offers and perhaps even digital scoreboards in Starbucks locations. Keep in mind, however, that this is the same guy who made lofty claims like, "We are now the fastest-growing consumer brand in history."

But what honestly leads us to believe that this isn't merely poppycock is that the Finnish game developer has conducted similar partnerships with national companies in the past. Take Barnes and Noble bookstores, for instance, which offered Nook e-reader owners a free Mighty Eagle download earlier this year--just for visiting with their device in tow.

And don't forget that you can already find a bunch of Angry Birds-themed retail items like plush dolls and t-shirts in the book seller's stores. More importantly, who runs the in-house Barnes and Noble cafes? Yup, Starbucks. So, despite Starbucks's refusal to comment on or acknowledge whether it's talking to Rovio, all signs are pointing at least to a dash of Mighty Eagle with your mocha macchiato.

And Starbucks would be kind of dumb not at least dip one toe into the Angry Birds nest. With toys, cook books and a feature film in the works, Rovio's flagship brand is huge. Not to mention that a Facebook version of the game is in the works, according to Wagemans, which would all but blow this franchise wide open. It's a good time for Angry Birds, and they're looking to share the wealth ... anywhere, really.

[Image Credit: Food Beast]

Would you go to Starbucks just to keep your high score above your fellow coffee snobs lovers'? What do you think of Rovio's immense push into the retail world with Angry Birds? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment