Fancy a full-length Super Mario movie? How about an animated Zelda trilogy? That might just be one of the many possibilities as game publisher giant Nintendo plans to take some of its characters to the silver screen.
In an interview conducted by Japanese daily newspaper Asahi, Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima has confirmed that there are plans of expanding into video production within the next five years.
The move was initiated as part of Nintendo's efforts to grow the business outside of just video games. Fortune has reported that the Japanese company has suffered a loss of profit recently due to the dwindling demand for its consoles. Nintendo has also expanded into mobile devices, a similar move made by other game publishers such as Square Enix and Konami.
While the decision was expected, it does not coincide with the statement that one of Nintendo's top game developers has said in an interview with business magazine Fortune at last year's E3. "Because games and movies seem like similar mediums, people's natural expectation is we want to take our games and turn them into movies," Miyamoto said at the time. "I've always felt video games, being an interactive medium, and movies, being a passive medium, mean the two are quite different." However, Miyamoto also did not write off the idea, adding that they may be "potentially be looking at things like movies in the future."
This was not the first time Nintendo has dabbled in the movie industry. Fans are sure to remember the flop that was Super Mario Bros. in 1993. Nintendo has acknowledged this mishap, saying that future movies will be full 3D animation instead of live actors playing the role. It does not include plans of becoming a full-blown film studio, however. Asahi reports that the publisher is in talks with other film companies about a possible collaboration, which means Nintendo fans could well expect a Pixar-style Super Mario or Zelda.
