Nintendo's Miitomo Gets Release Date for Japan

Miitomo, Nintendo's first smartphone game, is coming very soon, at least in Japan. Nintendo has announced it will arrive on Thursday, March 17 in the island nation. A release date for western markets has not yet been announced, but we have reached out to Nintendo in an attempt to get more details.

Miitomo is more of an app than a game. You can create and customize a Mii character and then sync up with others, not unlike Mii functionality on Nintendo Wii and Wii U. After you create a character and share it, other Miis will ask you questions ("What did you do last weekend?" is one example) and your answers can be shared with friends.

Users can also create "Miifotos." For these, you can put Mii characters in images from your smartphone image gallery. These images can then be shared on social media sites.

It is a free game, but Miitomo also has an in-game shop where you can buy extra clothing and items with Miitomo coins. These can be purchased for real-world money or obtained via gameplay. Another thing to note is that Miitomo requires a constant Internet connection.

Miitomo is just the first of Nintendo's smartphone games, which it is producing in partnership with DeNA. Another upcoming smartphone game "will not be a communication app" like Miitomo, but instead a title that features a well-known Nintendo character.

A total of five smartphone games from Nintendo are due to launch by 2017. These games, all of which will be free, are being produced under the guidance of longtime Mario Kart producer Hideki Konno.

Miitomo was first scheduled to launch in 2015, but was delayed to 2016.