Nintendo to offer third-party digital downloads

Last week, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata announced that the company was prepping to allow for digital downloads for both the Wii U and the 3DS. The first game that will be available both at retail and through digital distribution will be New Super Mario Bros. 2 for the 3DS.

The fact that the Big N is embracing digital downloads is great news, but up until now, we didn't know what the company's stance on third-party games was. In a statement to IGN, Nintendo revealed that it was planning on allowing third-party developers to also feature downloads of their games on its platforms. "We are currently preparing a program for third parties but have nothing specific to announce at this time," announced the company.

Oh, Nintendo, you're always so cryptic. In any case, while we're still uncertain as to when this initiative will take place, it's good to know that Nintendo won't be alienating outside devs. We're sure to get more info from the company soon, most likely at this year's E3 next month.

Nintendo stated last week that it hopes to expand its business as far as digital media is concerned. Considering Microsoft, Sony, and Valve all offer popular digital download services, this is definitely a smart move.

[IGN]

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