A brand synonymous with gaming culture, Japanese-based Nintendo has announced the plan to develop a cross platform operating system integrating the next generation of Nintendo mobile and console gaming systems.

According to Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, 2013 saw a shift in Nintendo policy in regard to mobile and console platform development. Where before systems had separate development teams for each platform, Research and Development has been restructured within the company and will now operate within a single division. This is due largely to the fact that previous cross-platform integration saw “completely different architecture” and divergent methods for development arose. This caused a mess when attempting to release games across different platforms.

Take for instance the Wii-U platform. If Nintendo wanted to recreate a title originally found on Wii-U, they would have had to build the same game from the ground up for DS systems. Thanks to recent technological advancements in development, it is now possible for the legendary gaming company to create homogenous development methods that will be able to integrate console games to mobile versions and vice versa with much greater ease.

Continually referencing iOS and Android platforms, Iwata stresses that the next generation of Nintendo systems will feature a similar software platform that can be run across several devices, be it in console, mobile or tablet form. However, Iwata maintains that only demand from players will give Nintendo the direction it needs to meet the future of console and mobile gaming.