Nintendo Everything

Update: We ended up receiving first details about Miitomo shortly after this post. Information here.

Nintendo and DeNA first announced plans to collaborate on mobile titles in March. We were expecting to hear about their debut title today, but that unfortunately did not materialize.

Nintendo did touch on its mobile plans during its financial results briefing today. However, president Tatsumi Kimishima revealed that the launch of these games has been delayed to March 2016 as opposed to the end of this year. The Wall Street Journal reports that “Nintendo eyes global launch, depending on the game.”

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Update: Clarification time! “Nintendo Account” is the new name for accounts. “My Nintendo” is the membership service.

During its financial results briefing, Nintendo touched on its new membership service being created by DeNA. Today, Tatsumi Kimishima revealed the name as “Nintendo Account”.

This information comes from the Wall Street Journal:

Nintendo’s new membership service will be called “Nintendo Account” — it will connect hardware users, as well as PC and smart device users, Mr. Kimishima says.

Kimishima also revealed that the company has plans to use a cloud-based data service to transfer game data between mobile games and console titles.

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Nintendo is just about to kick off its Second Quarter Financial Results Briefing (and Corporate Management Policy Briefing). The event should begin at roughly 9 PM ET / 6 PM PT – 30 minutes from now.

We’ll be relaying information collected by the Wall Street Journal as well as any other sources that pop up. You can keep track of the updates below.

Live blog

– Beginning now (9:04 PM ET)
– Kimishima, Miyamoto, and more are there
– Kimishima beginning his presentation

– CEO Tatsumi Kimishima says there are more titles–unannounced–coming this year to promote both Wii U and 3DS during the year-end holiday season

– 70% of “Animal Crossing” fans in Japan are women
– Nintendo will be pushing more games to win more women users this Christmas
– “Super Mario Maker” hit 1 million sales in just three weeks
– Mr. Kimishima notes that like “Splatoon”, a single hit game can change the course of hardware sales

– 400,000 Yarn Yoshi amiibo sold
– amiibo shipments worldwide hit 21.1 million at end-September
– This is up from 14.7 million at end-June

– Nintendo can’t keep up with demand for “Animal Crossing” amiibo cards
– Kimishima apologizes, says will start sales of a new round of shipments today
– 8.6 million amiibo cards sold

– Nintendo’s new membership service will be called “Nintendo Account”
– This will connect hardware users, as well as PC and smart device users
– Nintendo to use a cloud-based data service to transfer game data between mobile games and console games
– Launch date of Nintendo’s smartphone games has been delayed
– Launch will be March 2016, not year-end
– Nintendo eyes global launch, depending on the game
– The new smartphone game will be “Miitomo”
– Free-to-play
– Attractive add-ons that people can pay for
– Other games will be pay-to-download
– Miitomo is the first of five smartphone apps that Nintendo plans to release by March 2017
– In the new Miitomo game, users will design their own avatars, or “Miis,” to communicate with other users
– Executive Shinya Takahashi says that Nintendo will find ways to encourage people who are hesitant to talk to share things about themselves
– Senior Managing Director Shigeru Miyamoto says DeNA will help operate the smartphone games, while Nintendo will focus on ways to guide users to its hardware
– The five smartphone apps won’t soon comprise half of sales
– Nintendo’s goal is to use smart devices to increase the value of its IP, which will help sales of both software and hardware
– On the reason for the delay of the smartphone app, Mr. Kimishima says, is the need for more lead time to fully promote and explain Miitomo
– The company is busy promoting other titles in the pipeline right now,
– It will start promoting Miitomo after the year-end holiday season
– Says this will have little impact on earnings
– Curious about how the DeNA and Nintendo partnership is going. Senior Managing Director Shigeru Miyamoto says DeNA will focus on operation of the games
– Which suggests game design is all Nintendo
– Mr. Miyamoto chimes in on NX
– “We are going to be far more aggressive in using our IP, and not just stop with licensing, as in the past. The first example is Amiibo. We want our IP to better reach more children, and smart devices is just one vehicle.”
– Coy on NX
– Mr. Kimishima: How can we make a completely different kind of game that nobody has ever thought of? It’s the same issue we have always faced.

END

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Yesterday, Atlus put out a demo for Stella Glow in North America. You can watch an hour’s worth of footage from the download below.

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes sold a little 58,600 units in its first week in Japan. How does the game’s debut stack up to other entries? Let’s take a look:

[N64] The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo) {1998.11.21} – 386.234 / 1.147.068
[NDS] The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (Nintendo) {2009.12.23} – 320.940 / 740.109
[N64] The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (Nintendo) {2000.04.27} – 314.044 / 601.539
[NDS] The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo) {2007.06.23} – 288.282 / 902.386
[GCN] The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Nintendo) {2002.12.13} – 287.346 / 742.609
[3DS] The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D (Nintendo) {2015.02.14} – 236,536 / 451,990
[3DS] The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (Nintendo) {2013.12.26} – 225,418 / 446,451
[WII] The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Nintendo) {2011.11.23} – 194.894 / 337.452
[NGB] The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (Nintendo) {2001.02.27} – 191.802 / 373.361
[NGB] The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (Nintendo) {2001.02.27} – 190.029 / 372.693
[3DS] The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (Nintendo) {2011.06.16} – 182.998 / 600.839
[WII] The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo) {2006.12.02} – 145.068 / 554.109
[GBA] The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap (Nintendo) {2004.11.04} – 92.882 / 235.400
[GBA] The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past + Four Swords (Nintendo) {2003.03.14} – 84.107 / 293.989
[3DS] The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes (Nintendo) {2015.10.22} – 58.594 / NEW
[GCN] The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords (Nintendo) {2004.03.18} – 54.782 / 127.399
[NGB] The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX (Nintendo) {1998.12.12} – 49.513 / 314.224
[GBA] Famicom Mini: The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo) {2004.02.14} – 36.861 / 217.901
[GBA] Famicom Mini: Zelda II – The Adventure of Link (Nintendo) {2004.08.10} – 35.335 / 141.826
[WIU] The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD (Nintendo) {2013.09.26} – 31.154 / 48,400

Unfortunately, there are some unknowns. We don’t have first week data for the first Zelda or its sequel, A Link to the Past, or Link’s Awakening. That being said, here are lifetime sales for all four:

[NFC] The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo) {1986.02.21} – ? / 1.690.000
[NFC] Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (Nintendo) {1987.01.14} – ? / 1.610.000
[SFC] The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Nintendo) {1991.11.21} – ? / 1.160.000
[NGB] The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (Nintendo) {1993.06.06} – ? / 540.000

And a comparison with the Four Swords series:

[GBA] The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past + Four Swords (Nintendo) {2003.03.14} – 84.107 / 293.989
[3DS] The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes (Nintendo) {2015.10.22} – 58.594 / NEW
[GCN] The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords (Adventures) (Nintendo) {2004.03.18} – 54.782 / 127.399

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Nintendo recently sent out demo codes for The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes via email. This same demo will now be widely available on the North American 3DS eShop tomorrow.

Players will be able to give the game a via through local play and online co-op. For the latter mode, it’ll be open at the following times:

10/30: 3 PM – 5 PM PT
10/31: 3 PM – 5 PM PT
11/1: 3 PM – 5 PM PT

The Zelda: Tri Force Heroes demo features three costumes: Hero’s Tunic, Kokiri Clothes, and Legendary Dress.

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Retro Studios has worked on three Metroid games and two Donkey Kong Country titles. Could their next project be something entirely original? That’s what the latest speculation is pointing to.

Liam Robertson, who is known for digging up information about cancelled games as well as ones still in production, recently appeared on Gamnesia’s Nintendo podcast with some insight. According to him, Retro Studios tends to have three chances to pitch a project to Nintendo. If the concept isn’t greenlit after this, they’ll be assigned a project that NCL deems more likely to sell well.

Robertson went on to state in the podcast that Retro’s new game is something that they did indeed pitch. Pitches were submitted to Nintendo throughout 2014, one of which was eventually accepted by Nintendo.

Robertson ended with the following about Retro possibly working on an original IP:

“… And you were saying, ‘could it be an original property?’ I think, actually, the time is now for Retro to do an original property. They’ve done two established Nintendo franchises, they’ve done Metroid and Donkey Kong, and I think now is the time to let them take hold of the reins a bit more for themselves and do that. And I think if it is something that they pitched themselves, then that does make it more likely that they pitched something original.”

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Nintendo is just a few hours away from its latest investor briefing. If you’ve been on the site before, you should probably know what to expect.

Over the past couple of years, these meetings haven’t really been the place for major game announcements. However, we’ll be seeing (or at least hearing about) Nintendo’s mobile title for the first time. The new membership service is also something that could be touched upon. And could we finally hear about Quality of Life again?

In any case, we’ll be covering the event as it happens later today. It should be held at roughly 9 PM ET / 6 PM PT, with the event lasting 90 minutes. I may create a live blog depending on how much coverage it’s getting from those who are attending, but we’ll definitely post any important news regardless.

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Along with today’s screenshots, Square Enix shared more details about Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3 (a mix of new and old). You’ll find a summary of the latest information below.

– The protagonist and player character is a young, cool-looking boy
– One day, after obtaining a mysterious device known as a “Reactor,” his everyday life is completely transformed
– And he would soon realize someone had rewritten his past
– In order to return back to his original self, he sets off an adventure
– Reactor: device the protagonist wears on his head and acts as a all-purpose tool that will support him in various situations
– The tool has a number of uses, such as analyzing unknown monsters
– Nochora: a slightly unusual creature
– After a strange encounter, he tags along with the protagonist to help him on his journey
– Game has various enhanced elements over previous games
– Can now ride monsters on the field
– Move faster than normal by riding monsters
– Use them to reach locations you’d normally not be able to reach
– You can ride monsters on the ground, underwater, and in the sky
– More than 500 monsters
– Befriend them using the protagonist’s special “Scout Attack” ability
– This game will feature new monsters one after the other
– Using the 3DS’ local communication or Wi-Fi functionalities, you can battle other players locally or nationally
– Game has a surprise competition feature not seen in the series before

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Nintendo UK is showing off some of the indie-made courses in Super Mario Maker in a new video series. Get a look at the third video below, which focuses on Sarepta Studio.