Nintendo releases Pokemon iOS app

Nintendo's staunch reluctance to embrace the smartphone market may be coming to an end. The Nintendo-owned Pokemon Company has released a Pokedex for iOS app through the Japanese iTunes market for ¥170, or about $2. Additional creature packs are available for ¥500 ($6). The listing was first spotted by GamesIndustry International.

The app was developed by Game Freak subsidiary Creatures, Inc. That company has developed a series of Pokemon titles, including 2011's Wii game Pokepark 2: Wonders Beyond. No mention was made of a release for the app outside of Japan.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said in July that smartphones and tablets had "obviously" changed the portable gaming market. Despite this, he said the competition from these devices has not affected DS sales in any significant way.

Additionally, Nintendo spokesperson Yashuhiro Minagawa explained in July 2011 that the company's strategy to develop games only for first-party hardware "hasn't changed and won't change."