Nintendo’s Free-To-Play Experiment Pokémon Shuffle Surpasses 2.5 Million Downloads

I'm hoping their smartphone deal means that this kind of free to play leaves the 3DS. Unless they plan on bringing the Smart phone games to their normal systems as part of an future account/cross buy system.

I don't mind the other free to play attempts like steal diver, Ironfall and (baring any bad microtransactions) the upcoming Project Treasure staying on the core systems

I don't mind it, it's actually pretty fun and I hope they do more of this sort of thing both on mobile and portables. Though personally I haven't spent any money on jewels... nor have I for any mobile game... ever...

That's actually kinda low figures when you consider the amount of 3DS systems out there and the fact it's free.

Also, I personally think this game looks like it was quickly knocked up by some homebrew developer using graphics they found on the Internet or something and that is worrying if this is potentially the kind of stuff Nintendo is going to be churning out on mobile devices. I mean it's not going to make its core games suddenly worse but it's not exactly up to Nintendo's usual standards of presentation and execution imo, which isn't really going to serve the purpose of showing all those mobile players how great Nintendo's products are and in turn bring them to its core platforms. With games like this they'll just totally and utterly blend into the crowd.

There's a lot wrong with this assumption:

• Just because a FREE game was downloaded 2.5 million times, doesn't mean every player makes use of the present microtransactions.
• There are absolutely no numbers relating to the revenue made through microtransactions, so the popularity of the free-to-play scheme here is questionable, at best.
• The game is automatically downloaded to every 3DS that has automatic software downloads enabled, so the numbers ALSO don't reflect the actual amount of people interested in the game to begin with.

Just throwing that out there, since this is hardly anything to get all buzzy about.

Depending on the game I have the $$$, we've wanted something new... This is it! Mobile games and micro transactions and the new NX console.

@skywake I've only spent money on smart phone games that I have spent many hours on, and only a few dollars. They are Marvel Puzzle Quest and a few Kairosoft free titles - games I would have spent $5 to buy but soent a few dollars after hundred hours of free fun.

I have still never played a free-to-play game on a games console.

Nope, didn't spend an ounce of cash, neither in game (yet) nor in RL. Don't intent to, either.

I have to say they did pretty well with this, considering. New free DLC keeps coming and the game is fun and, most importantly, playable without cash. But I'll never get sold on the concept of F2P regardless, so it's better if it stays off consoles/handhelds in the near future imo. Smart Phones, I imagine, are the better and financially smarter option anyway, and with Ninty's new deals it should be feasible that way.

Of course it will get alot of downloads if it's free, an advertisement pops up for it on the 3DS main menu.

I haven't spent any money on the game, but I have completed almost 90 of the stages so far and have caught roughly 82 Pokemon including some legendaries. That proves to me that you don't need to pay for anything if you don't want to, and I even have a surplus of coins and jewels by a wide margin in reserve. I just usually don't need them. I like the game though!

I personally have not spent any money and am getting near the end of the game. I don't really see a reason to since I don't tend to play matching puzzle games for long periods of time and because of that I am perfectly willing to wait until my hearts replenish.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Just but Pokémon Link Battle. It's only €8, the gameplay is better than Pokémon Shuffle and you can play it unlimitedly.

Ugh. This is exactly the kind of thing we DON'T want to encourage Nintendo to do. Why are many people downloading this? Just A FEW MINUTES AGO I streetpassed someone and the last thing they'd played was Pokemon Shuffle.

I've really enjoyed Pokémon Shuffle. I think it's much better than Pokémon Link Battle. I play in small bursts and never get annoyed when my hearts run out. I haven't spend any money and I've beaten all main stages and caught all the Pokémon from those stages. I'm glad they added more stages so I'll have more things to do.

I've collected 15 gems during my playthrough and haven't spent any. I don't see any reason when I can beat all the stages without items (apart from Mega Mewtwo Y) and it doesn't take long to get hearts back.

I think they did things right. I enjoy the game and it's completely free. I think everyone should at least give it a try. It may not be for everyone but it's free so why not download it.

@Kaze_Memaryu It's not really dl'ed automatically. It does dl a picture of the game but when you click on it it prompts you to go to the eshop of which you still have to dl it or you can delete it.

With that said I've played 40 hours on a free game and never plan on spending money. I never do for this type of game on smart phones either. I have the patients to wait and play a little at a time throughout the day.

@sisibakbak Same here. My 3DS is set to auto-download, but this game did not download by itself. I had to physically go into the e-shop and download. As the person above has stated, the article already asks how much revenue has Nintendo actually earned through this game. Your statements are not valid in this discussion, and it comes off as you just being annoyed that Nintendo are tryimg different ideas.

Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but Nintendo have been trying new ideas for many many years now. It usually ends with the competition trying to copy them, and usually failing miserably. I have not laid out any cash on this game at all. I am up to level 74 I believe, and I think I have caught around 50 of the Pokemon. For a quick 10-20 minute blast, I think it is an 'ok' game.

I doubt very mucb if this is tne type of game that Nintendo is thinkimg of putting on mobile devices, althougn, it would be perfect for touch devices. If done right, mobile games could be very good fkr Nintendo. Imagine a really cut down version of MK8, with 3 characters, 3 tracks and a tournament. Once the player has completed everything, an advert pops up saying something like, 'If you liked this, you WILL LOVE the full MK8'. It would then go on to describe what the full game has, and then says, 'And you can only play it on Wii U'. It is just an idea, but I think it is one way Nintendo could approach the mobiile scene. Maybe the uptake rate wouldn't be enormous, but any increase in home console sales can only be a good thing.

I tried playing the digital version of Tank Tank Tank and it became boring fast.I don't think I'm going to try other free-to play games.

Randomname19: Tank! Tank! Tank! didn't have enough content. Shuffle has 150 main levels (don't know how many it is now as they just added more today) + 20 expert levels + event levels.

It's a bit silly to say you got bored quickly playing one free-to-play game and so every other free-to-play must also get boring quickly. It's like saying I didn't enjoy this one Wii U game so every other Wii U game must be bad too. That's the impression I'm getting from your comment although you probably didn't mean it like that.

Like most gamers, when games are announced to be free-to-play or contain free to play elements, I worry that it will ruin the entire experience. In certain cases though, I belive this model to be a benefit. Pokemon shuffle is one of those cases. I have spent many hours playing through Shuffle and its extensive amount of extra and timed content and haven't felt I've needed to pay a cent. My point is, this free-to-play model was controversial at first (who wants to be restricted to only 5 games before waiting, and often for longer then you've played), but this has kept me coming back each day, sometimes even multiple times per day. Had I been able to play as much as I wanted, whenever I wanted, I probably would have either gotten bored or finished it within the first week. Only over the last week have I started to tire of the routine, but then Nintendo decides to run that 1 week competition stage and now provide new main stages, new weekly pokemon and a new timed stage. I've been drawn in all over again! If Nintendo decides to make more games like this (which is definately likely due to their new mobile movement) I'll at least give it a shot.

@Randomname19 I happen yo like Tank Tank Tank. It's a fun multiplayer game for the whole family.

@abe_hikura IRONFALL isn't F2P, rather there is an extended demo with the option to purchase the game from within the demo.
Admittedly, IRONFALL is a trailblazer for more dynamic purchases (at least on Nintendo platforms), but I wouldn't consider it at all akin to the F2P model.

@sisibakbak Who said I'm annoyed? Sorry if it seemed that way, but my point is simply that download numbers of a free game are non-indicative of anything, especially on whether an underlying payment concept can be considered a success or not. Hell, I only allowed the download to finish so I could leave the game running for an hour and then give it a 1-star rating.

@Spoony_Tech It does, or at least it did for me and some friends. If you leave the icon alone for some time, the download will finish eventually. What I'm not sure about is when the eShop system considers a game download as counted: when the download begins, or when it's finished?

@Poketendo
I don't know about other people here, but I bought Pokemon Trozei last summer, and I've put maybe 3 hours at most into it. I've put over 18 hours into Pokemon Shuffle. I don't know about other people, but I personally prefer the lack of time limit in Shuffle, and that's the sole reason I play it more.

The game is pretty fun, though I got bored of it pretty quick as I find myself forgetting to play it after a session of MH4U. I wonder how much money Nintendo made from this since 2 million downloads mean nothing if more than half isn't paying for the micro-transactions.

Beat Mega Mewtwo Y this past weekend. Have about 13 jewels and 3,000 coins left after spending a jewel (for plus 5 moves after the fight) and about 10,000 coins on Mewtwo at the end. I haven't played the expert levels but I've caught Rotom and Kyogore who helped alot.

I was done but if @Late is correct and they added more levels I'll be back at it. 150 levels and over 700 Pokemon so I always assumed more levels would be forthcoming, didn't expect them this soon though.

2.5m is about 5% of the 50mil 2/3DS family sold so it's not a huge number for a free game. I'm guessing FaceRaiders is higher.

If we've learned anything, it's that these pick-three games are like The Game from ST: TNG.

@rjejr: I can confirm it. I've already beaten 5 new stages (stages 151-155). There are also new event stages: Keldeo and Pachirisu (daily Pokémon).

I've enjoyed this little match 3 game, and haven't spent a dime on it (and never will). Thanks Nintendo!

I've had a great time with this game, even if I am absolutely God-awful at it. I've invested 14 hours into it without spending a single penny of real-word money, and I'm currently stuck on stage 120! That says a lot more about my skill, though, or lack of it. I'm really enjoying all the new content they add, too - that Keldeo is tough! If even I, who hates free-to-play games, is having a blast, then that says something!

This game was automatically downloaded on to my system. Not only did I promptly delete the software, but I also decided to turn off automatic downloading after that.

@Late - Thanks. I was just surprised it didn't get mentioned anywhere, b/c now I need to know how many levels they added. Oh wait, I can just check the # of available Pokemon slots, duh. BRB

Edit: Well the Pokemon slots go up to 199. Not sure how many new levels that is w/ the special Pokemon added in but it should be at least 40 new levels, not bad. Should keep me busy for a couple of weeks.

What's all this about automatic downloading? I've never seen this as an option anywhere before.

I have spent 0 on this and am on level 130.

Well, both me and my BF have been playing Pokémon Shuffle. It's great when you watch TV and they switch to commercials. Just turn off the sound on the TV and play Pokémon Shuffle until the commercials are over. By the next commercial break you are likely to have generated a new heart too (^_^) I hate ads and commercials.

@Todd102030 it's not quite automatic downloading. An icon pops up on your home menu and when opening it it asks you if you want to download the game.

I'm certain that's because nintendo forced it onto many 3ds systems like mine. however I'm glad they did, I actually enjoy the game.spending no $ though

Well judging by today's update of about 40 new levels after a month, and the difficulty of catching Keldeo compared to Kyoeogre, and the overall ramping up of the difficulty of the game, I dare say if Ntineod can continue to add about 40 Poekmon per month all the way up 700 that they will start to get people to starting paying for this. Maybe not you or I, but enough to make a profit.

I haven't spent any money on it. A few years ago, I wasted a horrible amount of money on f2p games on Facebook. I don't know how much exactly, but I think that's probably a good thing. So I'm not spending any money on Pokemon Shuffle. Ever lol.

I haven't felt like I'm missing out on something in game by not paying either. The 5 heart limit keeps me from binging on the game to the point I'm sick of it (Pokemon Battle Trozei, I also prefer the slower gameplay of Shuffle). And I prefer to try to beat or S-rank levels without using items, so coins and Jewels earned through normal play end up accumulating.

I've enjoyed not spending a dime on this game: half the fun of the game is gaming the system to not spend any money. I doubt more than a few percent of those 2.5 million people have paid anything for it.

Ugh

I'm stuck on stage 120 (Mega Glalie), but I'm adamant that I will not spend money for help. Winning that Lucarionite (albeit barely at 19388/20000) should help.

@Kaze_Memaryu HA! "I only downloaded it so i could give it a low rating, without having played it, not understanding how automatic downloads work, and generally just being a troll".

I have 5-6 3DSs at my house right now. I think I'll use all 5 to give it a 5 star rating, just to negate that nonsense you just spouted.

So if they put this on iOS and Android, they will get 250 downloads. And people will start to hate Pokémon as much as they hate other pocket farmers.

I bet many a core Nintendo fan and who's enjoying the game, didn't spend money on this, I didn't either, already 14hours in and no chance I'm quitting. I prefer this to battle trozei, and like the "forced" (no purchase) pacing. The problem is two-fold, I 1) want to give Nintendo money for making something I so thouroughly enjoy , but 2) I do not want to support this style of F2P.

@RoomB31: I have the same problem as you. I'd gladly give 5€ to Nintendo for making this game but I don't want to do it by buying jewels. I want to show them I pay because it's a good game, not because I want to make progress faster.

When this was announced back in January, I understood the hate it was getting, although it was a bit exagerated. Now that I've played it for about ~20 hours I can say that this is a nicely done game, not just a money grab, and it doesn't deserve all the hate from people who haven't even played it.

I've just bought 1 jewel, but I'll give Genious Sonority my support buying some more later on, they deserve it.

... Oh, and the music is awesome

Playing by earning my coins and jewels. I dont mind the 5 hearts then 2 1/2 wait and if I hord my coins and jewels and use them sparingly, some games last way longer, but by then im bored and wait to sign in the next day.

This is good news and bad news to me. It's good cause it was a great success, it bad because Nintendo might do this again and just keep making F2P games...

Huh, I was just wondering if it passed the two million mark, they sure did. Good for them!

Great, this is going to make them start thinking it might not be a horrible idea.

@Chaoz

It's not bad if they make fun free to play games. This one is okay. It's not the best, but it's fun to play for 10 to 15 minutes each night when I'm on the can.

I have downloaded it, I keep playing it from time to time when I have a few spare minutes to pass, but I don't intend to spend any money on it. Games like that never "worked" on me, and never will.

Also the download number figure is utterly meaningless. More interesting would be a total amount of money from in-game sales, or the amount of indivitual transactions at least. Or a relative number of users who ever spent a penny on this. Download figures mean nothing for titles that are free and have no ad revenue options. But I guess Nitendo will never publish any other data on this...

@Late @RoomB31 I agree. I've logged something like 25 hours on this game beating everything (up until this new update) and never spent any money, but I'd really like to just be able to give them $5 for making a game I like, but not contribute to the F2P cash grab pay to win part. I don't need to pay to win, anyway.

Haven't even bothered to download this after I read you are not even guaranteed to catch Pokemon and the percentage lowers the more you advance. So the game does not value neither your money nor your time.

And I have most of Trozei anyway.

@sinalefa: The percentage goes up according to how many moves you had left when you defeated the Pokémon. It goes up to a certain number depending on the level and then it adds moves left on top of that. The base percentage hops more according to the Pokémon you're trying to catch than how far you're in the game. Think of it as you were playing a main series game. There are some harder to catch Pokémon when you advance but there are still some easy to catch Pokémon among them. You're not guaranteed to catch a Pokémon in them either.

It's still common to get 70% chance in some later levels even though you have no moves left after you beat the Pokémon. If you don't get a good percent there's a good chance you didn't get an S rank either so it's more about replay value in my opinion. Most Pokémon can be caught in few tries. Only ones I've had trouble catching were Marshtomp and Gengar.

http://www.p4rgaming.com/satoru-iwata-most-gamers-today-cant-tell-the-difference-between-candy-crush-saga-and-mario-galaxy/

It's the only Pokemon game I play, because it's the only one I "get." lol I like it a lot!

@russellohh Feel free to do so, doesn't make the 1-Star rating disappear (or make the game any less boring) - so "negating" isn't really the right word here.

I wonder if the game would still reach this many downloads if it DIDN'T have Pokemon slapped on...

@Kaze_Memaryu If the current rating is 4.1, and you have a 1 star rating, and it gets flooded with 5 stars, it'll hit 4.99- not exactly NEGATING the 1, but certainly making it meaningless.

But, your review is for a game you admit to not playing, so I can't imagine it gave any meaning to anyone.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to write an essay about what it's like to be Emperor of Earth.

Pokemon Shuffle is fun to play on the go, but after awhile the capture %'s get a little too low, making using a Great Ball more of a necessity (2500 coins each). I don't know how they are doing revenue-wise, but for me, if I was going to buy into some of it (and I couldn't preferably just buy the full game), I'd want more benefit for money spent (jewels at $1 each should provide many more coins/hearts for the price). At 2500 coins a Great Ball for only an improved 'chance' to catch a pokemon, the coins run out way too fast.

Anyway, Lucadian Chronicles on WiiU is a pretty good game (strategy/card), free to download, and $8 to purchase full game (sort of free-to-play-ish, but a different style)

How interesting.

At its core the gameplay is fun, but I hate the micro-transaction aspect. I'll play the game, but they won't get my money!

Well mine was downloaded automatically...

I love it, but Nintendo is probably a little pissed that 2.5 million 3DS owners have the game and only about seven of them have spent any money in it since the other 2.49 million players have either used an exploit to get lots of free gems or are patient like me.

Still say they should have released this on Android/iOS instead and now that we know they're going into that market, the decision to put it on the 3DS makes even less sense to me in hindsight. But oh well, good for them.

@Todd102030 Really? I didn't put that many hours in Link Battle either, but I shut down Shuffle after 15 mins. I mainly like Link Battle better because you can move around your Pokémon freely. In Shuffle, you either have to make a move or do nothing at all (or that's how my experience was for what I played), in Link Battle you're free to do whatever you want.

Good for them. I might be part of the minority that is willing to admit out loud that I spent money on gems to support the work they put into the game (and to catch 2 expert level Pokemon). I play a lot of similar games but so far this one does it right in the f2p field.

Love this game. There is a nice bonus everyday when you check in. Tempted to buy gems. Great game overall. Thanks Nintendo!

@russellohh Okay, who said I never played it? Keep your assumptions out of this.