After Nintendo announced they would be partnering with mobile games creator DeNA back in March of this year, we wondered what the result would be, and it turns out it’s Miitomo.
The game had originally been intended to be released at the end of this year but according to Nintendo CEO Tatsumi Kimishima that is no longer the plan and instead we’ll see Miitomo released in March 2016. Speaking at an investor meeting that was live-blogged by the Wall Street Journal, Kimishima stated that more time is needed to promote Miitomo before its release. This is understandable, it might take some convincing to get users on board with Miitomo, or at the very least understand the intentions behind it. Miitomo is a game that the Wall Street Journal recorded Nintendo saying was ideal for those who are reluctant to talk to others. Players create their own Mii which they use to communicate with the Mii of other players. It basically seems like a social networking game. Miitomo will be free to download, but with additional content that will be available via in-app purchases.
This isn’t quite the exciting announcement with appeal based on their existing hit franchises that I had in mind, although Nintendo did make it clear that we should not expect their console and handheld device offerings to appear on mobile. There is more to come, though, with the confirmation from Kimishima that another five titles are scheduled to launch in 2016. With Miitomo and Pokemon Go, it looks like Nintendo are using the mobile platform to expand into more of a social networking gaming space. We’re interested to see if Nintendo’s other coming titles will follow the same path.
Main Image via Nintendo Japan