Kimishima on My Nintendo – features detailed, launch plans

This information comes from Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima…

And now, I would like to dicuss Nintendo’s new membership service and our new business on smart devices.

We will globally start the new membership service called “My Nintendo” this March.

My Nintendo is Nintendo’s comprehensive service that all consumers with a Nintendo Account can access.

My Nintendo will offer services which make Nintendo’s game experiences even more fun and more convenient, and that provide enhanced value for members.

We are planning to provide similar services for the new entertainment experiences that Nintendo will offer beyond gaming in the future.

In Japan, we were running “Club Nintendo” membership services until September 30 of last year. Club Nintendo was the traditional loyalty program which provided consumers with rewards as they purchased our products.

The service is to be reborn as My Nintendo. While this also includes a rewards element, it is a new and much more comprehensive service.

Before the start of My Nintendo services, Nintendo Co., Ltd. started accepting Nintendo Account registrations last December, which is the prerequisite to become a member of My Nintendo. As a result, we have already started to provide registrants in Japan with some My Nintendo services before its global start in March.

We have been providing the Japanese Nintendo Account registrants with messages which are crafted for each of them based on their profile, purchase records and play records.

As an example, we are providing information relating to add-on content for the titles that registrants already own, as well as some special offers and gifts from Nintendo Co., Ltd.

One offer is what is called “Just For You Offer” discounts. Since we started offering Nintendo Accounts in Japan, we have been offering special discounts to all of the registrants tailored to their individual profiles.

For example, we started offering all the Nintendo Account registrants a “Birthday Special Discount.” Furthermore, for the registrants who have played certain games, we are offering them personalized recommendations for their next game that we believe they will like, together with a “Just For You Offer” discount.” This is one way in which we are aiming to increase the satisfaction of consumers that have a Nintendo Account.

*We are also sending “Recommended for You” information and some “Just For You Offer” discount messages to consumers who have connected a Nintendo Network ID to their Wii U or Nintendo 3DS system.

Also, Nintendo Co., Ltd has already integrated the system with our Japanese website so that as soon as our registrants have expressed interest in software introduced on the website, they can purchase the software on the spot, and the game will be downloaded onto their game system automatically.

(Note: To purchase online and download the software onto your Wii U or Nintendo 3DS system, your Nintendo Account must be linked with a Nintendo Network ID.)

We will formally kick off My Nintendo services globally in March this year. Everyone who has created a Nintendo Account by that time will become a My Nintendo member when My Nintendo services formally start.

My Nintendo at the formal launch will start as a points-based rewards program, which can be used both on dedicated game systems and smart devices.

My Nintendo will be a brand new and unique service from Nintendo, which has been deploying its business on dedicated game systems and will now expand its business to include apps for smart devices. My Nintendo will serve as a bridge between Nintendo experiences on both dedicated systems and smart devices.

For the new rewards program, we are preparing two types of points.

We will offer Platinum Points when consumers play smart device apps, when they log onto Nintendo eShop or when they meet certain conditions. We will offer Gold Points for digital purchases of Wii U and Nintendo 3DS games.

In the case of the previous Club Nintendo, we offered points, or “coins,” as a result of our members’ purchasing and registering our products. For My Nintendo, the points are gained by members not only as the result of their digital purchases but also as the result of their activities, such as playing games and apps, and interacting with information from Nintendo.

You can exchange your Platinum Points for a range of digital content which will be considered valuable by consumers.

As for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, you will not receive points as a result of playing the digital games, but you can earn them by logging onto Nintendo eShop.

Gold Points can be exchanged for discount coupons to purchase digital software for Wii U or Nintendo 3DS.

By offering the two different types of points, Platinum and Gold, we will provide our consumers with two forms of value, “fun” and “good deals.”

(Note:To receive these services on your Wii U or Nintendo 3DS, your Nintendo Account must be linked with a Nintendo Network ID.)

My Nintendo will officially begin with the points reward program, and we will expand services in the future, further enriching the overall entertainment experiences Nintendo will offer its fans.

At the outset, we are planning to deploy My Nintendo in the 39 countries that you can see on this slide. We are planning to gradually expand the number of countries.

By now, I have explained to you about My Nintendo. For the future of the Nintendo business, and in order for us to increase our contact with our consumers and expand the opportunities where they will consider the purchase of our products and services, it is important for us that as many people as possible create Nintendo Accounts and in turn, become My Nintendo members.