Nintendo announced this year that it would partner with DeNA, a popular mobile gaming company in Japan, to release smartphone titles using Nintendo brands. The first of those titles will be coming to mobile devices on March 2016 – it was previously reported that the first game would come in 2015. Entitled Miitomo, the free-to-play title will allow users to interact with others even while not actively engaging with the app.
There will be five Nintendo mobile titles released by March 2017, with Miitomo being the first one to launch everything. The reason for the delay into 2016 is primarily because of the need to promote and explain how the app works, according to Nintendo CEO, Tatsumi Kimishima. Players will create Miis that interact with other Miis around the world, allowing players who are primarily hesitant on socializing to be pushed towards a more interactive experience with other players. There will be room within the app for paid add-ons, as well.
According to Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto, the smartphone titles will be operated by DeNA while Nintendo will focus on delivering consumers to their hardware through the apps. The intention is that smartphones will allow for Nintendo to guide players to their hardware and software, which would mean an increase in IP value. On top of this, the smartphone games being made are apparently never going to be ports of existing titles. They will be hand-crafted for smart devices.
Source: Wall Street Journal
[…] has announced their plan to launch their mobile app titled Miitomo this March. Originally revealed in October, Miitomo is a free-to-play title predicated on interactivity between users. The app will […]