About a year ago, we anticipated it: in an effort to improve its position and respond to user demands, Nintendo announced the development of games for smartphones and tablets, a significant change of direction for the company. Now the first official app, Miitomo, has arrived, and with one million users in Japan alone, the Japanese giant's move into mobile has been a success.
Nintendo's decision to explore the mobile market is more complex than it seems. It's a territory the company knows little about, and despite having powerful franchises, it needs to tread carefully. That's why it's no surprise that its first official mobile app debuted exclusively in Japan. After all, Nintendo is playing on home turf there and understands its customers' expectations better than anyone. The app is called Miitomo, and it's available for iOS and Android. It launched in Japan on March 17, and everything suggests its international release will happen before the end of the month.
In essence, Miitomo is a messaging platform, something like a hybrid between Twitter and WhatsApp, with customizable Mii avatars and a strong social component. Avatar creation starts with a selfie, and through various additional tools you can alter its appearance and clothing. The rest revolves around asking questions or making comments that your contacts respond to with their own expressions. Another feature inside Miitomo is Miifoto, which lets you capture avatars in different poses, insert them into photos, and share the results on other social networks.
Miitomo has been in the Japanese market for less than a week and already has one million users there, which is truly impressive given that there's no Mario, Zelda, or Metroid in it. In fact, the reception was so good that Nintendo's shares jumped 8 percent. The next big step is figuring out how to monetize Miitomo's content, but we imagine they'll take their time.
