Nintendo’s ‘Miitomo’ Launches In North America On March 31st!
Briefly: It’s about time.
Matt detailed Nintendo’s rough launch plans for Miitomo back in February, and today the big N finally revealed that anticipating gamers in Canada and North America will be able to join Miitomo as of March 31st!
Nintendo notes that the app had an incredibly successful launch in Japan, boasting that the title was downloaded over “1 million times in its first three days of availability, while achieving the #1 most downloaded free app status in both the App Store and Google Play storefronts.”
Now it’s our turn. The company states that you can actually pre-register for Miitomo right now, right here, and that doing so, you’ll “receive an email when the app is ready to download. People that create their Nintendo Account and preregister before March 31 will also receive Platinum Points for the new My Nintendo rewards program, which will simultaneously launch with Miitomo. Aiming to be much more than a standard rewards program, My Nintendo is a comprehensive service that rewards users for interacting with Nintendo products and services in a variety of ways. Miitomo users who link the app to their Nintendo Account will be able to take advantage of My Nintendo to enhance their experience. Platinum Points can be earned by interacting with Nintendo apps and services, including Miitomo. Gold Points are earned when purchasing digital versions of games from Nintendo.com or Nintendo eShop on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. Both Platinum and Gold Points can be redeemed for rewards like games, download content, in-app items and eShop discount coupons.”
It sounds pretty danged easy to get starting with Miitomo: “After downloading the application for free on the App Store for iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, along with Android devices, users create a Mii character and customize facial features like eyes and hair, as well as voice and personality. Users can also use the camera on their smart devices to snap a photo of themselves, which can be used to create a Mii, or they can simply import their Mii from theirWii U or Nintendo 3DS systems using a QR Code.
Once their Mii is ready, users can add friends who already have the app in person, or by linking the app with their existing Facebook or Twitter accounts. After that step is complete, it’s time to answer some questions! Miitomo creates conversations and turns discussions into a form of play by prompting users to answer all kinds of fun questions. How would you define your fashion style? What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten? If you were given 10 grand to spend in one day, what would you do? The answers get shared among friends, sparking interesting conversations – part of the fun is discovering unexpected facts about your friends. When users hear how their friends responded to questions, they can give answers a “heart” or a written or picture comment.”
The application looks weird as hell, but as a gamer who doesn’t spend a lot of time at home, I’m beyond excited to try out this unique experience on my iPhone. What are you excited to do in Miitomo? Be sure to sound out in the comments below!
