Why Nintendo Doesn't Remaster More Of Its Games

In a recent company earnings call, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa spoke about remasters and remakes. Though Nintendo has no concrete plans right now, Furukawa stated that the company is open to the idea if a developer is passionate about the project.

Furukawa was asked whether Nintendo has intentions to release more remakes, following the success of games like The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening and Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu & Eevee. He said Nintendo has no "defined policy to continuously release more remakes in future" and expressed that nostalgia should not be the main reason for pursuing older titles.

"[T]he titles we've developed over our past 30 years in the dedicated video game system business have been played by and fondly remembered by many people, and these are an important asset to Nintendo as well. Nostalgia can be very appealing, but it's more important to be able to create new game experiences and fun, etc., even within remakes of classic titles.

"And I think that the most important factor is whether the developers are passionate about wanting to remake a game," Furukawa said. "A good recent example of this is The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, as you mentioned. Consumers all over the world responded positively to both its nostalgic elements and new features."

Earlier this month, Wall Street Journal tech reporter Takashi Mochizuki said Furukawa is looking into "mak[ing] more 3DS franchises available on Switch." It's unclear what titles he is talking about specifically, but Brain Age, a series that has been on Nintendo's handhelds since 2006, is getting a new entry this December in Japan. The game is also expected to launch on January 3, 2020 in the West.