Nintendo has announced it will be launching its first smartphone game called “Miitomo” to a global audience in March.
The Japanese video game giant will release the mobile phone app together with its online customer loyalty service, “My Nintendo.”
“Miitomo” will utilize the gaming console company’s “Mii” avatars to enable users to interact with their friends in a variety of humorous and unexpected ways, Wired said.
The app asks questions like, “If you saw a nose hair sticking out of your friend’s nose, what would you do?” Users would then be able to share their answers with friends in their social circles.
Nintendo president, Tatsumi Kimishima held a briefing for investors last Feb. 10, Wednesday, where he outlined the mobile phone game’s opportunity for allowing users to share enjoyable experiences they would normally not talk about as a form of social play.
Nintendo of America’s EVP for Sales and Marketing, Scott Moffitt further explained “Miitomo” allows users to interact with their friends in a manner that transforms communication into play, a blog post on the Nintendo website noted.
“Miitomo” marks the first time Nintendo has brought one of its games to mobile devices after years of refusing to climb the smartphone app bandwagon.
Its adamant stand over not diluting its focus on gaming consoles shifted as Nintendo refocused its key strategies in seeking new ways to retain and bring in new customers for its game titles, eWeek reported.
Gamers in U.S. and the UK can also begin signing up for Nintendo’s new account service already available in Japan to receive a surprise “bonus” when “Miitomo” launches next month. The account service will enroll users in the “My Nintendo” awards program, a new system that has replaced “Club Nintendo.”
“My Nintendo” is intended as a comprehensive program that enhances user experience by rewarding them for interacting with the company’s varied products and services.
