When Nintendo first announced that they would be exploring the idea of launching games and apps on mobile platforms, the gaming world was understandably intrigued. While big names like Sony and Microsoft have had games and apps available on Android and iOS for some time now, Nintendo has been infamously stubborn, up until now that is. Miitomo, the Android app that channels the popular Mii avatars that first debuted with the Wii back in 2006, has helped to put Nintendo on the mobile map and has even gone towards boosting their bottom line a little bit. This is just the first of a handful of apps and games planned for mobile platforms, and it already looks like a successful launch.
It was first launched in Japan – as with pretty much everything else from Nintendo – but it’s been available in the US and elsewhere for almost a week now. Despite this short time frame, it’s reckoned that Miitomo has already surpassed 1.6 Million downloads, according to tracking firm Sensor Tower. The Google Play Store lists Miitomo in the 1 Million to 5 Million downloads category, which is fairly vague to say the least. Regardless of which metric is more accurate or useful, the new Miitomo app is off to a great start from Nintendo, and should it continue to prove popular it could help Nintendo wake up to the opportunity that mobile platforms like Android have to offer their users.
Another of Nintendo’s upcoming games is Pokemon Go and there’s word from Nintendo themselves that select franchises and characters will make the move over to mobile in due course. Sony has seemingly taken a similar step recently as well, but there’s little known about what Nintendo’s staunch rival has in the works for the mobile world, especially after the failure that was PlayStation Mobile. Big name publishers have already been pushing franchises on mobile for some time now, such as EA’s FIFA franchise and Square-Enix’s Final Fantasy games from yesteryear. Now, Nintendo is fashionably late to the party, but the Japanese brand has an almost Disney-class set of characters and brand on offer, so we’re sure Miitomo will surpass that 5 Million download barrier in no time.