AppleInsider Staff
After announcing intent to produce mobile titles for smartphone like iPhone earlier this year, Nintendo on Wednesday announced "Miitomo," a freemium app scheduled to see release in the first property will see release in March 2016.
The Japanese gaming giant announced Miitomo during an investors conference in Tokyo, and while most expected a gaming release, The Wall Street Journal describes the upcoming title as more of a communications app.
In Miitomo, users can design their own "Mii" avatars, a feature introduced with the Wii console years ago, and talk to other app users. According to executive Shinya Takahashi, the app's mechanics will encourage people to open up about themselves. Exact "gameplay" was not discussed, though Nintendo plans to market in-app purchases that will somehow figure into the equation.
Miitomo is the first of five mobile apps Nintendo is developing for release by March 2017. Initial estimates pegged a first launch before the end of 2015, but CEO Tatsumi Kimishima said the company needs more time for proper promotion.
Nintendo also announced a new membership service called My Nintendo for storing character and game data in the cloud. Users will be able to migrate files and other online assets between mobile operating systems and consoles, while a built in communications module will enable online chats.
Nintendo's plan to bring gaming titles, including classic franchise properties, to mobile operating systems like iOS was revealed in March when the company announced a partnership with mobile app developer DeNA. As part of the deal, the two firms bought into each other for $181 million.
William Gallagher
Charles Martin
Christine McKee
21 Comments
Um no- please bite me this freemium junk. Super Mario Brothers Pocket @ $4.99 a pop- boom millions sold and sold to people who will never ever buy Nintendo gaming hardware. Thank you Nintendo Stockholders.
[quote name="AppleInsider" url="/t/189812/nintendo-to-debut-first-smartphone-app-miitomo-in-spring-2016#post_2797919"]After announcing intent to produce mobile titles for smartphone like iPhone earlier this year...[/quote] So "smartphone" is a plural form now?
Um no- please bite me this freemium junk. Super Mario Brothers Pocket @ $4.99 a pop- boom millions sold and sold to people who will never ever buy Nintendo gaming hardware. Thank you Nintendo Stockholders.
As far as I'm concerned those people don't deserve Mario.
Nintendo's right to be careful with their IP's, it's very easy to dilute things. This first title is basically going to be a test of DeNA's infrastructure and give another chance for Nintendo to make sure they can get the app code done right. They're likely to be value add games like Fallout Shelter that extend the content of their main titles on the console .
Sure, just like it’s ‘iPhone’ and not ‘the iPhone’ since there’s apparently only one in existence in the entire...
... Apple’s new philosophy is just the HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Mark 2. APPLE HAS REALLY ONLY MADE ONE IPHONE AND ONE IPAD, EVER; THEY’VE JUST SOLD QUANTUMLY DIFFERENTIATED COPIES OF A SINGLE PRODUCT HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF TIMES!
????
Nintendo's right to be careful with their IP's, it's very easy to dilute things.
I’d love for the currently rumored vision of the NX to be true (physical compatibility with every game and controller they’ve ever made, as well as a virtual library of the same), but at the same time, I know that Nintendo is just whizzing currency down the toilet by not just emulating NES, SNES, GB, and GBA games on iOS.
Give people that simple stuff–the things whose controls can be emulated on-screen–and rack up tens of millions to then put toward funding either new IP for iOS or the NX itself.
Sure, just like it’s ‘iPhone’ and not ‘the iPhone’ since there’s apparently only one in existence in the entire...
... Apple’s new philosophy is just the HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Mark 2. APPLE HAS REALLY ONLY MADE ONE IPHONE AND ONE IPAD, EVER; THEY’VE JUST SOLD QUANTUMLY DIFFERENTIATED COPIES OF A SINGLE PRODUCT HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF TIMES!
????
I’d love for the currently rumored vision of the NX to be true (physical compatibility with every game and controller they’ve ever made, as well as a virtual library of the same), but at the same time, I know that Nintendo is just whizzing currency down the toilet by not just emulating NES, SNES, GB, and GBA games on iOS.
Give people that simple stuff–the things whose controls can be emulated on-screen–and rack up tens of millions to then put toward funding either new IP for iOS or the NX itself.
I don't know, I'd argue the reasons against it are the same reasons Apple doesn't put iTunes on Android; it might bring a lot of short term cash but it's not worth it in the long run. I expect this mobile content will be original, unique experiences.