The Nintendogs franchise could soon be making its way to Android and iOS devices, based on a new patent released by Nintendo. Nintendogs has been dormant for over a decade, with the most recent entry being 2011’s Nintendogs + Cats on the Nintendo 3DS. Oddly, Nintendogs has been absent on the Nintendo Switch, even though it would be a perfect fit for the system.
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While Nintendogs could soon be returning, it may not be on a Nintendo platform. A new patent on the United States Patent and Trademark Office website, as spotted on the Gaming Leaks and Rumours Reddit page, is hinting at a new Nintendogs game for Android and iOS devices. The patent is for a game that overlays a virtual image over a real one seen through a camera, with a dog being used as an example in its illustrations.
The Nintendogs series would be a perfect fit for phones, and, surprisingly Nintendo didn’t take this approach when it first entered the mobile market years ago. Nintendogs was one of the best games on the Nintendo DS and is the system’s second best-selling game, behind New Super Mario Bros. The original Nintendogs used the Nintendo DS touchscreen and microphone in ways that can easily be adapted for a mobile device.
The problem Nintendo faced when bringing its games to phones was the control scheme, as most smart devices are controlled entirely by a touchscreen. This is why games like Super Mario Run never felt quite right to players, at least not compared to other games in the same series. Nintendo’s ambitions in the mobile space might have cooled off, but Nintendogs might be too natural a fit for the company to ignore, as it’s a slow-paced and light-hearted series, with lots of options for monetization and expansion. Fans can also keep their Nintendogs with them for years to come, rather than leaving them trapped on a DS cartridge for all eternity.
