Satoru Iwata, the President and CEO of Japanese entertainment products maker Nintendo Co. Ltd. (NTDOY.PK), called the rumors about a live-action series based on Nintendo's Legend of Zelda franchise by Netflix Inc. (NFLX) as inaccurate.
In early February, a Wall Street Journal report, citing a person familiar with the matter, said that Nintendo was in talks with online-video subscription service Netflix to produce a live-action Zelda franchise. As per the story, Netflix wanted to use Hyrule, Link, and Ganon to create its own Game of Thrones-style show.
In a recent interview with Time, Iwata stated that Nintendo plans to develop games for smart devices, but it may not make a Zelda show with Netflix. He said, "As of now, I have nothing new to share with you in regard to the use of our IPs for any TV shows or films, but I can at least confirm that the article in question is not based on correct information."
He told this while speaking about the company's plans to develop games for smart devices, sluggish Wii U sales, and about its New 3DS games.
Nintendo's Zelda is a huge franchise and one of the most popular videogame series of all time. The company recently re-released The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask for the 3DS, which was originally debuted on the Nintendo 64 in 2000. The Japanese game developer has made about 20 "The Legend of Zelda" games since the original, which was released in the U.S. in 1987.
As per reports, the company is considering licensing its characters to Hollywood, aiming for more revenue. Last May, Iwata reportedly told that the company was opening up to letting other companies use Mario, Zelda, and other characters.
In Tokyo, Nintendo shares were gaining around 3.4 percent today to trade at 18,550 Japanese yen.
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