This Is What Pokemon Would Look Like as a Mobile Game

More than once has a shareholder or analyst wondered why Nintendo hasn't put its properties on mobile devices. Super Mario Bros. or The Legend of Zelda would make mad bank on iOS and Android devices — or so such people believe. Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata continues to stress that pushing its IP onto mobile would devalue the brands, while the pro-mobile crowd points to the company's current financials as reason why Nintendo ought to attempt this particular money-making avenue.

GoNintendo has just posted a humorous what-if scenario: what if Pokemon Red & Blue were re-released on iOS as free-to-play titles? How would the games be altered to maximize money-making opportunities? Though the posted gallery contains only four images, it manages to touch upon every single drawback of the freemium model, from arbitrary time limits to the locking of previously accessible features behind pay walls.

If Nintendo ever did make the move to mobile, obviously it'll attempt to avoid such issues. Still, it's fun (and a little heartbreaking) to imagine the worst case scenario.