Three days ago in Japan, Nintendo launched its first mobile app, the first of supposedly many in a new era for the company. The app, Miitomo, is meant to act as a social in-between, and is designed to be easily accessible for all smartphone users, even non-Nintendo fans.
Miitomo quickly made its way to #2 on the iOS charts in Japan, and as of today the application has reached a total of 1 million users. The app was greeted with an almost surprisingly immense amount of support from smartphone users, and it even went on to surpass the success of Line, a messaging application that’s extremely popular in Japan.
Obviously, the success of Miitomo should be taken as a good sign for Nintendo, as this is not only the first mobile application launch by the company, but also the first product of the Nintendo/DeNA partnership. If the app is proving so popular then the partnership is seemingly being well received, as well. However, we’re sure the launch of Miitomo is being carefully monitored by Nintendo, as the future of their mobile success and endeavors could rely heavily on its continued success.
Unfortunately, many believe Nintendo needs to be careful in how they handle their monetization from here on out. According to some users, including Dr. Serkan Toto, Miitomo’s monetization is somewhat aggressive, and considering the app is more in line with that of a messenger than it is a game, it’s still unpredictable as to where Nintendo and DeNA may go with a more developed, full-fledged title.
Still, it’s exciting to see Nintendo succeed so quickly in a new endeavor, especially one that many fans were so unsure about when it was first announced. As Miitomo is meant to launch sometime this month worldwide, we’re sure more news and numbers are coming our way. Stay tuned for more!
Written by George Comatas
As a wannabe social media personality and professional in the world of sarcasm, George does his best to always adapt to the changing world around him. He considers himself a maverick: a true-to-heart gamer with the mind of a pop star. Whether this makes him revolutionary or a setback, he's yet to find out. But one thing’s for sure; he's one-of-a-kind.
