Nintendo announces its first mobile game coming in 2016

We knew that Nintendo was heading for the mobile gaming sphere, but we didn’t quite know when or how it would do this. Finally, at a company press conference, Nintendo’s president Tatsumi Kimishima announced his company’s first mobile game, Miitomo.

If that sounds familiar, it’s largely because the concept is used extensively in new Nintendo consoles.

Essentially, the game allows users to make personalised digital profiles of themselves, called Miis, who can then interact in the virtual Miitomo world. We’re not sure if it’ll be an extension of the Miiverse — the social portal behind the Nintendo consoles — but it does seem that the company’s billing it as the ultimate social experience.

Read more: Nintendo announces smartphone gaming push, upcoming ‘NX’ console

On that note, the company also announced a new overarching cloud service dubbed Nintendo Account, which will meld users’ console accounts with mobile gaming accounts seamlessly. But Kimishima remained coy on the actual integration of the service with existing software.

Furthermore, Nintendo has also announced that it’s preserving its important IP, like Link and Mario, for a later date.

Overall, launching a game with the Mii feature is undoubtedly safe ground Nintendo’s treading, and with good reason. The mobile gaming space is undoubtedly a growing phenomenon, but it’s a company rooted in consoles.

What this announcement ultimately means for the Nintendo NX, the company’s new console, is anyone’s guess, but at least Tatsumi Kimishima is taking Nintendo into a very different direction.