If you were holding out for Nintendo to announce one of its more famous titles from the Mario, Metroid or Zelda franchise, you"ll be bitterly disappointed because the company has announced that its upcoming smartphone game will be called "Miitomo". This will be a free-to-play game which will allow players to create and customize their "Mii" avatars and then communicate with other players.
While the exact details of the new title are unknown, it is being speculated that it will rely heavily on social interaction between players around the globe. Although the game will be free-to-play, users will be able to buy add-ons separately as in-app purchases. The game was previously planned for a release later this year but owing to the busy holiday season, Nintendo apparently didn"t find enough time to promote the game properly. Subsequently, Miitomo"s now slated for a release in March 2016.
Nintendo also shared other plans for the next year, stating that it will release four more titles before March 2017, which won"t follow the free-to-play gaming model. Furthermore, the company also reiterated its plans "to develop a new core system compatible with a variety of devices including PCs, smartphones and tablets".
Nintendo"s entry into the smartphone gaming space was aided by a partnership with DeNA - an online Japanese mobile gaming company - in March. Outside of this partnership, Nintendo also announced augmented reality game Pokemon Go for smartphones earlier this year, in collaboration with the Pokemon company and Niantic Labs.
Source: The Verge