Nintendo recently introduced its very first smartphone game. However, the new app, called “Miitomo,” may actually be more than just a game.
Nintendo Life described Miitomo as a free-to-start communication app that lets friends share fun personal facts and interests. Users can make and use their own Mii characters to contact and engage with family and friends in a dynamic social environment. They can ask and answer questions, share information and present other details about each other for social purposes. Miitomo is designed to cater to various smart device users and introduce them to special Nintendo experiences, starting with Miitomo. More related applications are
Wall Street Journal cited that Nintendo’s decision to enter the smart device game market shows a deviation from its traditional reliance on a console-based games model. According to analysts, the new smartphone business might generate significant sales for Nintendo, which has struggled in the past few years. The Kyoto-based company and partner DeNA promised five new games by March 2017, which will be operated aggressively instead of merely just being ported onto smartphones. Other experts speculate that the smartphone games by Nintendo can quickly gain popularity if these are data-compatible with console games. Players may be able to conveniently use smartphone game data to play console games.
“A key is whether Nintendo, through its unified member service, can seamlessly connect smartphone games and console games,” said Osaum Kamada, an analyst at Tokai Tokyo Securities.
Based on another report by Nintendo Life, there are also a number of critics who questioned Nintendo’s decision to join the smartphone games market.
“This is not a game. It’s a social network concept,” said Michael Pachter, managing director of equity research at Wedbush Securities. He said that Nintendo could struggle when pitted against incredibly popular platforms that have established their presence among mobile users. Pachter said that the Miitomo may be a disaster, Fortune cited. Many users may have been attracted to the thought that Nintendo would introduce its classic games onto the mobile platform, when in fact, it may be leaning more on competing with social media giants like Facebook.
Other experts, however, remain optimistic on what Nintendo could offer when Miitomo releases. Wall Street Journal stated that the Japanese company aims to launch the new app in March 2016. According to Nintendo, the launch date was delayed because they want to fully educate potential users about the aspects and functions of Miitomo first.
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