Kimishima – young staff are key, wants devs to be known, My Nintendo importance
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Mobile, News | 17 Comments
Cheesemeister3k has translated one more excerpt from the Q&A portion of Nintendo’s latest financial results briefing. When asked about his strategy as president, Tatsumi Kimishima said:
Kimishima: Yes, when I became President, I said that it was my role to continue the strategy established under the prior management. From this point, we need young people to come in as a new generation and give lots of new ideas. It’s important to create an organization in which they can thrive. To do so, we’ve established a system in which many people with potential can play active roles. It may be hard to see from outside the company, but our organization has changed greatly. We also want more game developers to become known, so we’ll be sending more out to be public-facing. As for strategy, our hardware/software game business is central, but we’re integrating smart device activities into our actual business, and will derive synergies between them. My Nintendo is an important part of that. We want to create connections with customers by having them become My Nintendo members. Also, although QOL wasn’t asked about we’re not at the stage for the sleep and fatigue [sensor] to become a product, so it won’t be released (as a product) by March. We do, however, think that we can do something in the area of QOL, so we will continue to consider expanding into this field.
More: My Nintendo, quality of life, Tatsumi Kimishima, top
Kimishima on Nintendo’s mobile plans, no NX news yet
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Mobile, News, Switch | 19 Comments
A few hours ago, Nintendo published a transcript of the Q&A from its financial results briefing earlier today. It’s not up in English yet, but Cheesemeister3k translated some of the comments.
Below are a couple of questions and answers pertaining to mobile and NX:
Q1. More than a game, Miitomo could be called a communication-themed app. Please tell me about the remaining 4 titles due by March 2017.
Kimishima: Again, there are no limits on usage of IP for smart device titles. We must consider how to make and time console and smart device titles in order to achieve synergy. We are also thinking about developing things not linked to existing consoles. I think it’s extremely important because we’re Nintendo to connect smart device apps and console games in some form. The next title we’re making uses Nintendo’s character IP, so please look forward to it. We’ll announce it at the right time in the future.
Q2. Will games and apps from the 2nd title onward share release timing and business synergy on smart devices and NX, or when might that be?
Kimishima: First, we have no plans to talk about the NX today. I believe your question fundamentally has to do with NX. Our consoles include 3DS and Wii U in addition to NX, so future titles have to do with these platforms. However, we are planning new ways of on smart devices. We cannot announce any new information on the NX at this point, so you get this kind of answer. Please understand.
More: Tatsumi Kimishima, top
Nintendo of America outlines launch plans for first mobile app Miitomo and My Nintendo
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Mobile, News | 17 Comments
Following the news coming out of Nintendo’s financial results briefing yesterday, Nintendo of America has issued a press release confirming launch details for Miitomo (and a tiny bit on My Nintendo). Find the information below.
Spark One-of-a-Kind Conversations with Friends; App Launches in March Alongside My Nintendo Rewards Program
REDMOND, Wash., Feb. 3, 2016 – Nintendo’s first app made exclusively for smart devices, Miitomo, will launch in North America in March for both iOS and Android phones and tablets. Today, Nintendo outlined the steps that fans can take to be among the first to get in on the social fun.
Starting Feb. 17, people will be able to pre-register for Miitomo by signing up for the new Nintendo Account service using their existing email, social media accounts or current Nintendo Network IDs. People who pre-register will be among the first to be notified about the availability of Miitomo when it launches in March. Nintendo will offer a special Miitomo bonus to anyone who signs up for a Nintendo Account between Feb. 17 and launch. Miitomo is a social experience that uses Nintendo’s Mii characters, which first debuted on the Wii console, to engage friends in a lighthearted and welcoming environment. Users can spark fun conversations and learn more about each other by answering questions such as “What song has been stuck in your head lately?”, “Do you believe in aliens?”, or even “If you saw a nose hair sticking out of your friend’s nose, what would you do?” Users can also easily take and share photos featuring their Mii with the Miifoto feature. Nintendo’s new My Nintendo rewards program will launch alongside Miitomo in March, and will be able to connect with the app.
More: My Nintendo, top
Kimishima on mobile app payments, wanting 100 million My Nintendo members
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Mobile, News | 5 Comments
This information comes from Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima…
As we have previously discussed, we are aiming to further advance our “gaming population expansion” strategy and aim to “grow the population who have access to Nintendo IP (intellectual properties).” To achieve this goal, our increasing the number of My Nintendo members will be one of the most important missions.
Accordingly, after the release of Miitomo in March, we will steadily release game apps for smart devices.
Because we want as many people as possible to enjoy Miitomo, we have designed it so that creating a Nintendo Account and becoming a My Nintendo member is not required. But when we release smart device apps with our popular IP in the future, we will design them in a way that will encourage consumers to become My Nintendo members.
For each app, we will review and select the most appropriate payment system by taking into consideration the nature of each IP. But we are thinking of mainly deploying free-to-start type apps as we hope as many people as possible among hundreds of millions of people all around the world who own smart devices will experience our apps.
We are intending to significantly increase My Nintendo membership by all these measures.
We would like to set “100 million My Nintendo members globally” as our initial milestone. Since this number should be considered as a check point, we will make efforts in order to achieve this number at the earliest possible timing.
We believe that the bigger the size of My Nintendo, the greater the enjoyment and value we will be able to provide to our customers.
More: My Nintendo, top
Nintendo talks Miitomo – breakdown of the app, “Miifoto” feature, launch plans
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Mobile, News | 1 Comment
This information comes from Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima…
Launching alongside My Nintendo, we will release Miitomo as our first smart device application.
Miitomo is an entertainment application which turns communication among friends into a form of “play.” After the release, we hope many will wonder why this sort of app had never existed before.
In Miitomo, your “Mii” look-alike character appears as your “alternate self” within your smart device.
All of you must have had the enjoyable experience of being prompted by a friend to talk about something that you might not normally bring up in the course of your conversation. Mii characters facilitate this kind of social play structure with Miitomo.
Unlike most communication apps, with which you are supposed to proactively dispatch your message, in Miitomo, talkative Mii characters will automatically spark unique conversations and help friends connect on random, fun and light-hearted topics.
I believe you will experience a fresh new feeling with Miitomo.
More than 200 million Mii characters have been created around the world and have been appreciated by many people, regardless of age, gender, country or region.
Miis are unique characters who act in very “Nintendo-like” ways with rich facial expressions.
Also, Miitomo comes with a feature called “Miifoto” with which you can create and share various pictures with Mii characters.
The pictures created with Miifoto can be stored on your smart device and can be shared with various social media networks, so these pictures can be used beyond gaming.
Quite a few consumers have used their Mii in their profile picture of various social networks. We hope more people will enjoy Miitomo to use Mii in such fashions as well.
Miitomo is an application that is highly reliant on language, as it introduces a fun new style of communication. We think there will be a variety of different ways that people in different countries speaking different languages will enjoy this app.
As such, we will start by releasing Miitomo in these 16 countries, and as we receive feedback from our consumers about their experiences and establish customer support structures, we will gradually increase the number of available countries for Miitomo.
Before Miitomo is released in March, Nintendo will start accepting the pre-registration of the app from February 17.
You will need your Nintendo Account to pre-register.
Anyone who pre-registers for Miitomo will receive Platinum Points via My Nintendo, and will be notified on Miitomo’s launch day so that they can download immediately.
We will start this pre-registration for Miitomo not just in Japan but in all 16 countries where the app will initially be released.
(Note: Outside Japan, Nintendo Account registration starts simultaneously on February 17, with the start of pre-registration of Miitomo, in all the countries where My Nintendo services will be formally started in March.)
Miitomo will be released on iOS and Android.
We will release Miitomo in Japan in mid-March and in the other 15 countries by the end of March.
The services of My Nintendo that I mentioned earlier today will also be formally started simultaneously along with the release of Miitomo.
More: Miitomo, Tatsumi Kimishima, top
Miitomo – pre-registration on Feb. 17, release in and outside Japan in mid-March
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Mobile, News | 2 Comments
One topic Nintendo addressed during its financial results briefing today is Miitomo.
The early word out of today’s event is that the app will launch in mid-March in Japan. This will be followed abroad during the same month on iOS and Android.
Miitomo pre-registration begins on February 17, with plans to launch next month in 16 countries and 8 languages. The latter includes English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Dutch, and Russian.
Pokemon GO to be showcased at GDC 2016 next month
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Mobile, News | 5 Comments
Pokemon GO will be receiving a dedicated session at the Game Developer’s Conference next month. John Hanke, CEO of Niantic, will host “Catch ‘Em All: Pokemon GO and Real World Gaming”.
Here’s a description of the event:
“Over the last three years, Niantic, Inc. has been defining the genre of Real World gaming, using smartphones and tablets to connect the digital world to the physical world. Niantic’s newest game, Pokemon GO, ups the challenge of real world gaming design, taking a beloved franchise and setting its hundreds of brightly-colored monsters loose across the globe, adding a new Bluetooth wearable device created by Nintendo to the mix. Join Niantic founder and CEO John Hanke as he discusses how the company has developed a unique vision for delivering a mobile Pokemon experience that gets would-be trainers into the outdoors.”
GDC’s website also states that those who attend the session “will get a first-hand, in-depth look at how players are interacting and exploring the world with one another through Pokemon GO, the collaborative approach to design and development for the game and the next evolution of augmented reality and real-world mobile gameplay experiences.”
A specific date for the Catch ‘Em All: Pokemon GO and Real World Gaming session has not yet been announced. GDC 2016 takes place between March 14 and March 18.
More: GDC 2016, John Hanke, Niantic, Pokemon GO, top
Kimishima: Next mobile app will feature a character “that fans are very familiar with”
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Mobile, News | 27 Comments
Update: Going to leave this here. The third mobile game may feature a top IP as well, according to Dr. Serkan Toto.
By the way, I heard the third app from Nintendo/DeNA in 2016 will also be a game featuring top IP. (These are separate from Pokemon GO.)
— Dr. Serkan Toto (@serkantoto) February 2, 2016
Thus far, we’ve only seen one mobile app from Nintendo. Miitomo, a title centered around communication, was unveiled last October with plans for release by March.
Miitomo isn’t the only mobile game Nintendo and DeNA are working on. As for what else we can expect? Nintendo president and CEO Tatsumi Kimishima teased today:
“The second game won’t be another communication app, and we plan to adopt one of our characters that fans are very familiar with.”
Kimishima – surprise fans with new ideas, mobile apps will feature famous characters, more
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Mobile, News, Switch | 55 Comments
Tatsumi Kimishima, the new president of Nintendo, outlined his plans for 2016 in the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper. Dr. Serkan Toto was kind enough to share an overview.
Here are the key points:
– Wants to surprise fans with new ideas rather than building on old ones
– Nintendo will in 2016 release “details” on the NX
– Kimishima claims the expansion to smartphones and theme parks, but also to movies and TV anime (via character licensing) is progressing
– Believes it’s vital for Nintendo to experiment with new business models
– First smartphone app reconfirmed for launch in March
– Smartphone apps with Nintendo’s famous characters promised for 2016
– He wants to bring the company’s financials to a new level
– The plan is to bring profits to 100 billion yen ($855 million) in “several years”
– This would be 4 times of last year’s profit
More: Tatsumi Kimishima, top
DeNA says Miitomo has “that distinct Nintendo feel”, emphasizing entertainment, communication important
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Mobile, News | 17 Comments
The Wall Street Journal has some new interview quotes up with DeNA president Isao Moriyasu. Much of the discussion pertained to Miitomo. Moriyasu commented on the user experience, how it’ll separate itself from other social networking/messaging services, and more.
Head past the break for a roundup of Moriyasu’s remarks. You can find a bit more of the interview here.
