Nintendo and DeNA announce Miitomo as first mobile game

Nintendo took a giant step on Thursday (October 29) and announced Miitomo as its first mobile game. The company has partnered with Japanese mobile game platform DeNA to develop the game that will be publicly released sometime in March 2016.

Miitomo appears to be more like a chat app than a mobile game as it allows gamers to communicate with each other using personalised digital avatars called 'Miis'. Gamers can design the avatars on their own using built-in features. In addition, there is a chat client to let them connect and communicate with other gamers. The chat client is aimed "to encourage people who are hesitant to talk to share things about themselves".

The Japanese company has not offered any Super Mario-like gameplay on the new game, though it could help gaining some focus from mobile users. Nevertheless, it confirms that the mobile game will be available free-to-download along with some in-app purchases for optional add-ons.

Miitomo was expected to be released by the end of this year, but has been delayed as Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima decided to start its promotion following the year-end holiday season. Moreover, the company is in plans to go in for a global launch despite the delay. This would, however, have some impact on earnings.

Apart from announcing Miitomo, Nintendo has revealed a new membership service as "Nintendo Account" that connects users on game consoles as well as PCs and mobile devices. The company is set to launch as many as five mobile apps, either video games or chat apps similar to Miitomo, by March 2017, reports The Wall Street Journal. DeNA will help develop all upcoming mobile game titles.

The company is also expected to bring Mario to mobile devices through a new game sometime in the next couple of years. However, there are no official plans for releasing any title similar to Super Mario.