When Nintendo announced partnerships to create mobile games based on their characters and IPs everyone cheered. Then they did a smaller cheer when they found out these would be brand new games rather than Mario Kart on your iPhone. The first of these new titles launching in March 2016 is Miitomo, and it probably won’t even raise a small cheer – maybe a smattering of polite applause, but that’s it.
The app lets you login, design a Mii, and then answer a number of questions about yourself. Your friends can then query the Mii and it will automatically respond to the questions. Presumably these will be questions like “What is your favourite film?” rather than “Hey babe, fancy some Netflix and chill?”
“What we would like to realize is, through such communication, you will be able to deepen friendly relationships and have more people with whom you can play games,” say Nintendo. It sounds very twee and, well, Nintendo.
The app will be linked to My Nintendo, a new service replacing Club Nintendo, that “will work as a bridge between dedicated game systems and smart devices.”
“For example, an Animal Crossing character called Isabel may send some information or a present to those who are playing with that game,” say Nintendo. “Mario Kart players may receive a notice about add-on content and we may also send a message that enables the recipient to purchase some software at an attractive price point on his or her birthday.”
Source: Nintendo via Videogamer
Gareth Chadwick
So it’s a “game”, then.
And club Nintendo is going to be promos sent to your phone now? How exciting.
TSBonyman
Socially-connected gaming? Whatever will Nintendo invent next! ;)
Kennykazey
It’s become known that My Nintendo can be likened to a combination of Xbox’s achievements and rewards program. Where you earn points for buying and playing games, which can then be used to make digital and physical purchases.
It sounds pretty cool actually, giving actual value to achievements/trophies.