Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata has always been adamant that Mario won't ever be ported on to non-Nintendo consoles, but it seems that this is what some investors want to see happen.
With the Nintendo 3DS suffering from poor sales and the Nintendo Wii U still some time off, things aren't exactly looking great for the games company.
Because of this, a number of investors have been looking at ways the company can boost its income and one of these could be unleashing Mario on other mobile platforms like the iPhone and even on to social networking sites like Facebook.
This business model has seen massive success for gaming companies such as PopCap, Zynga, Rovio and even EA.
New battlefield
Fund Manager Masamitsu Ohki, speaking to Bloomberg, believes that getting Mario on to phones may be one way to bring the money in.
"Smartphones are the new battlefield for the gaming industry," explained Ohki. "Nintendo should try to either buy its way into this platform or develop something totally new."
Mario's one-time nemesis Sonic made the successful transition to iOS devices earlier this year, with the blue hedgehog going back to its old-school roots in an episodic gaming format.
Mario will be heading to the Nintendo 3DS on 13 November, with Super Mario 3D Land.
Via Bloomberg
