For the first time in nine years, Nintendo is enacting a major reorganization of its corporate structure.
The hardware manufacturer will combine its home console and handheld divisions into one unit, according to Japanese newspaper Nikkei. Nintendo is investing over $340 million in a Kyoto-based office that will house this newly unified team.
The Mario developer plans to use this new structuring to promote the sharing of technology between the console and handheld groups, which have operated very independently of one another in the past.
Nintendo’s latest hardware releases, the Wii U and 3DS, have found some success, but they face a tougher landscape than ever before. Competition includes classic rivals like Sony and Microsoft, but Apple, Valve, and a slew of Android-based home consoles could eat up a major chunk of the market.
A major criticism of Nintendo in the last few years is its lack of a unified vision for its online components. You can purchase Super Mario Bros. on the 3DS, but that download doesn’t transfer to the Wii or Wii U. Hopefully, that’s the kind of thing this move will resolve.