After Nintendo previously said that the company would not be making games for iOS, it seems like the popular game developer has changed its mind as it confirms that the Pokemon Trading Card Game Online will be made available to Apple's tablet, Venture Beat reports.

Although it originally focused all of its efforts in game production exclusively on its hardware, Nintendo has previously released apps for the iOS, such as the Pokedex. However, because of financial woes despite the big possibilities in the market, Nintendo finally decided to venture out and expand its horizons to save itself from more losses. A spokesman for a fully owned subsidiary of Nintendo, The Pokemon Company, confirmed that the app will be coming out later this year.

The Pokemon Trading Card Game was first released in 1996 in Japan together with the popular television show as well as the video game. The actual card game also contributed a lot to the success of the franchise in the 1990s when the phenomenon reached its peak. After a couple of decades, the popularity of the Pokemon franchise still continues up until today. An online version of the Trading Card Game has been released previously on Mac and Windows computers, and extending its reach to the iPad seems like the next logical step with millions of owners on the Apple tablet.

Nintendo would be covering a wider reach over its already established massive fan base and would be opening itself up to a new market, especially younger fans who weren't part of the original hype. Following the actual format, in-game purchases could be done for booster backs, which could be a major revenue-maker. Investors have urged the game developer to explore the highly profitable portable devices market including smartphones and tablets. Just last year, about $16 billion was spent by consumers on mobile games alone with Japan being the biggest market.