Japanese video game maker Nintendo has announced that it will bring new Fire Emblem and Animal Crossing titles to its smartphone game line-up.
Many gamers may have thought that Nintendo will bring more popular game titles such as Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong and more but the company has a different plan. Tatsumi Kimishima, the CEO of Nintendo, also explained why the company opted for Fire Emblem and Animal Crossing over other popular titles.
During a Q & A session with investors, Kimishima said that Animal Crossing appeals to a wider market including children, male and female, and there is a chance that more people will enjoy playing the game on smartphones.
"We chose Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem as titles to follow Miitomo from the viewpoint of increasing the diverse types of consumers interested in Nintendo, and widening opportunities for gameplay," says Kimishima.
Nintendo's CEO also said that even though Fire Emblem is not as mainstream as Animal Crossing, opting for this game will help the company connect with the title's fans.
Fire Emblem and Animal Crossing belong to two different categories and they will enable Nintendo to reach more consumers.
Details regarding the gameplay of the smartphone version of Fire Emblem and Animal Crossing remain thin, but Kimishima says that upcoming Nintendo games for smartphones will include some characters that gamers are already familiar with.
The company released its first smartphone game, Miitomo, in March this year and it has more than 10 million users. Kimishima also hinted that the game is equally popular amongst men and women; however, initially the number of female gamers was slightly higher. Kimishima did not reveal the daily active users of the game.
Fire Emblem and Animal Crossing titles for smartphones are expected to be released later this year. Nintendo is happy at the way Miitomo has appealed to gamers and the company would want a similar or better reception for its next smartphone games.
Miitomo is available for iOS and Android devices. The app can be downloaded for free from the Apple Play Store and Google Play Store.
The iOS version of the game is compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch running on iOS 7.0 or later. The game supports a number of languages including English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese and more.
Android device owners need Android 4.1 or above to run Miitomo.
