Mysterious ‘Pokémon Rumble World’ Game Shows Up On The Australian Classification Board

Video game publishers typically prefer to announce new titles on their own timeline, with a carefully crafted marketing strategy lined up. Occasionally, however, information on a game leaks from reputable sources. Sometimes it’s a retailer, or in this case, the Australian Ratings Classification Board, which recently put up a listing for an unannounced title called “Pokemon Rumble World.”

The listing found on the ARCB website contains little information on the mysterious title, except that it features mild violence and online interactivity, which is unusual for a “Pokémon Rumble” game. The listing shows that the game is a multi-platform game and that Nintendo is the publisher, with series developer Ambrella handling development duties.

In its coverage, VG24/7 notes that the classification appeared suspiciously close to Nintendo’s recent announcement of plans to develop mobile games for smartphones and tablets. Adding fuel to the fire, Gamespot reports that the very first Nintendo mobile title is scheduled to be released later this year. The “Pokémon” franchise could reportedly be adapted to a mobile game format. If so, “Pokémon Rumble World“ would represent Ambrella’s first mobile effort, as all previous entries have been either console- or handheld-based.

In a recent interview with Time, Nintendo President and CEO Satoru Iwata talked about how Nintendo and its partner DeNA would split development duties on mobile titles. He said that each party brought unique strengths to the table and that they would look to leverage those strengths.

“For smart devices, in addition to the ‘product’ aspect of a game, the aspect of an ever-evolving ‘service’ is very important—a service that encourages consumers to play every day even for a short time. DeNA has extensive know-how in developing the ‘service’ side of things and will be primarily responsible for the service-oriented operations,” said Iwata.

According to Business Insider, since announcing its intention to create games for smart devices such as smartphones and tablets, Nintendo’s shares have skyrocketed by more than 27 percent. The announcement regarding mobile plans came despite negative comments from within Nintendo about the future of smartphone games.

In July 2014, Gamasutra covered a Nintendo shareholder meeting during which acclaimed designer and game director Shigeru Miyamoto expressed fears that smartphones would become the norm for video game entertainment. Given recent developments, it would appear this is a situation Nintendo now seems to be planning for.

(Credit: YouTube/The Official Pokemon Channel)

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