Nintendo’s first mobile app will let Mii avatars talk to themselves

Like Miiverse, but hate having to come up with stuff to say yourself? Miitomo might be for you...

Nintendo's first mobile phone app will be focused on allowing user-created Mii avatars to communicate with each other automatically, to help shy people who may be reluctant to reach out themselves. That's according to a Wall Street Journal liveblog report translating a Nintendo earnings presentation which took place early Thursday morning in Kyoto.

The app, called Miitomo, won't hit mobile phones until March of 2016, despite earlier promises that Nintendo's partnership with DeNA would result in mobile phone titles this year. The delay is partly to allow Nintendo more time to promote the app after holiday titles for the 3DS and Wii U have been released, according to CEO Tatsumi Kimishima.

Miitomo will be free to download, but people will be able to play for "attractive add-ons," according to the report. The app will be the first of five mobile titles Nintendo plans to release before March of 2017, and subsequent smartphone releases will be traditional pay-to-play games, the company said.

Read 4 remaining paragraphs | Comments