TechCrunch is reporting that Nintendo's exclusivity with the Professor Layton series is ending and one of the first things developer Level-5 will be doing is releasing a new iOS game called Layton Brothers: Mystery Room. Unfortunately, details further than that are non-existent at this point. We'll just have to wait and see on pricing and availability, as well as how the content of Mystery Room will compare to previous installments in the Layton franchise.

What has me leaning back in my chair and contemplatively puffing my proverbial pipe with this news is the fact that the Professor Layton games are by far the DS's most successful series� Both critically and commercially. If you follow TouchArcade, you no doubt remember the various pieces we've done on Nintendo such as "Nintendo Facing Investor Pressure to Bring Games to iPhone" analyzing the puzzling future of the gaming giant.

I don't think it's much of a stretch to say that the Professor Layton series brought a bunch of players to the Nintendo DS, and while I'm sure the DS still would have been a successful platform without it, it's definitely not a good sign to see developers anxious to jump off the exclusivity ship with the big N.

These are interesting times, indeed. *puffs pipe*

Update: Here's the (non-English) trailer-