Nintendo planning more consistent 3DS release schedule, eyeing developing countries

Unlike Nintendo DS and Wii before it, the forthcoming 3DS will be getting a more regular release schedule of games, says Nintendo. Company head Satoru Iwata told Nikkei News as much in an interview yesterday (via Andriasang), specifically stating, "It's important that you be able to supply software with no pause ... With the DS and Wii, following the titles that were released at launch, the momentum dropped when there was a gap in software releases." Iwata further added, "We're making plans so that this type of thing won't happen."

Unfortunately, it's not clear whether Mr. Iwata is speaking to first-party or third-party game releases. An impressive list of 3DS titles in development was revealed at last year's E3, though only a handful of titles -- and just one from Nintendo themselves, Nintendogs + Cats -- appeared on the recently announced Japanese launch list.

And the company's going to need plenty of copies of those games, as Nintendo intends on bringing the new handheld console to developing countries in addition to its current territories (North America, Europe, and Japan) at some point in the future. No specific timeframe is given, but Nintendo's CEO sees the rapidly rising economies of developing countries as very important to the future of the game industry. Here's looking at you, Singapore!