Miitomo

Miitomo was a social networking mobile app developed by Nintendo for iOS and Android devices. The app, Nintendo's first, had users make personalized Mii avatars and converse with friends by answering various pre-made questions and sharing their responses. Miis could be customized with clothing, which available through a shop using a virtual currency attainable through minigames or in-app purchases. Users could also take custom photographs of their Miis, called Miifotos, and post them online. Miitomo was first conceptualized around 2014 by Ryutaro Takahashi and Yoshio Sakamoto, both key developers on Tomodachi Life (2013), amid an internal company push to develop smartphone apps. They wanted to experiment with applying Mii characters in different contexts beyond traditional video games, and settled on an interpersonal communication service. Nintendo partnered with DeNA to build the app's backend infrastructure and determine appropriate price-points for the title's in-app purchases. Miitomo was released in March 2016 for iOS and two months later for Android, launching alongside the My Nintendo service. Its implementation of microtransactions, deemed non-intrusive, and Miifotos mechanic were praised by critics, while opinions on its presentation and social features were more mixed. Miitomo was a commercial success on launch, attaining over ten million downloads worldwide a month after release. Nintendo ultimately discontinued Miitomo on May 9, 2018, citing the app's by then dwindling userbase and a desire to focus their efforts on other smartphone endeavors.