Nintendo’s Smartphone App Was A Bust

Nintendo, a well respected company in the video game industry, decided to switch off the consoles and dabble in a smartphone app. This did not turn out well for them. Nintendocreated the app Miitomo, but they are going to delete it from the App store because it couldn’t get enough users to download and play it. 

Miitomo was designed to be a “game” app but it was perceived as another social media by the public. As a social media app, Miitomo could not compete with Facebook and Twitter to gain a loyal customer base. Basically you are able to create a “Mii”, which is like a virtual character, and interact with other “Miis” in the game.

Since Nintendo couldn’t retain enough users, the app will be officially shutdown on May 9th. They have 3 other smartphone apps called “Super Mario Run,” “Animal Crossing: PocketCamp,” and “Fire Emblem Heroes.” These games have done slightly better, but not really/ Stick to console video games Nintendo.

Sources:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/its-game-over-for-nintendos-first-smartphone-app-1516848304

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2 thoughts on “Nintendo’s Smartphone App Was A Bust

  1. It’s surprising to see Nintendo fail in the first place, but it’s not surprising to see them fail with a game that looks oddly familiar. I think part of the reason that Nintendo is shutting down their Miitomo app is because it has similarities to the Mii characters on the Wii. People may not be downloading it because they think it’s a thing in the past, and they already saw something like this before. It’s also interesting that people aren’t even giving it a chance to see if they like it or not. This one little hiccup won’t stop Nintendo from trying new things.

    Not all Nintendo apps are failures, however. Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and Fire Emblem Heroes appear to be major successes. Nintendo’s intellectual property related revenue has reportedly risen from $98 million in 2016 to $267 million in 2017. Animal Crossing has had an astounding 22 million downloads since its November debut. The company also plans to keep their fans playing with frequent updates. So, even though Miitomo didn’t last long, Nintendo has hope in the mobile app industry after all.

    https://www.macrumors.com/2018/01/31/nintendo-smartphone-profits/

  2. Nintendo’s failure with Miitomo is a wakeup call for the gaming industry. I myself am not a gamer, but Nintendo is a company I have grown up my whole hearing. If even Nintendo (a multibillion dollar company) is facing problems creating a popular app, how much more difficulty do other smaller, less experienced companies face.

    Personally, I think the company’s biggest struggle was in the way they marketed (or really a lack thereof) the app. From what I have read about the app, it sounds like fun and cool- almost Sim’s/ Club Penguin like mobile app. I think if they would have promoted it more, it could have really taken off. Nintendo’s lack of effort to market their app, has created it’s demise. Currently I don’t believe there are any mobile apps that allow this type of interaction with other users. They had a huge opportunity to capitalize in this market, in the mobile world, but they chose to call it quits instead.

    If Nintendo ever chooses to go back into the mobile app world, I hope they learn from this failure. No matter how large and powerful a corporation may be, strong marketing is key to product takeoff, which will lead to success.

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