As many of you guys have heard, Nintendo will finally be entering into the mobile gaming scene and in an announcement made in October, the company announced their first ever mobile game called Miitomo. For those hearing about it for the first time, this is not your typical smartphone game where you solve puzzles or fight enemies.Instead it will be more like a social game where you could think of it as Second Life on your smartphone. Users will create avatars and Nintendo will then pair you with other players who share similar personality traits. No doubt this is a bit of an unusual choice but apparently that’s the direction Nintendo is headed.
Speaking to TIME, Nintendo America’s President Reggie Fils-Aime confirmed that Nintendo’s smartphone efforts will differ from the norm. According to Fils-Aime, “Doing things differently isn’t something we shy away from. And we’re confident we can deliver ‘surprise and delight’ within the profile of mobile devices just as well as we do with dedicated portables or home consoles.”
He also explained Nintendo’s approach to developing mobile games. “We have looked at the limitations of software design on mobile platforms, and worked within those parameters. If there’s a 3DS game that requires the full manipulation of joysticks and multiple buttons, that game clearly can’t be exactly replicated on a touch-screen mobile device.”
Will Nintendo’s approach to mobile be successful? That remains to be seen but come 2016 we should be able to find out, but in the meantime does Miitomo sound like a title you might be interested in?