
After a storming opening week in Japan during which it led the download charts on iTunes and Google Play, Miitomo has started to slide back a little from those giddy highs. That's no surprise, as its regular rival at launch - the new Puzzle & Dragons title - has actually fallen further back; after the initial boom apps start to slide backwards as fresh releases take their place. It would seem that, in the battle to establish a sizeable userbase while having great store placement, Miitomo has done rather well; besides, it's still top 10 on Google Play and 11th on iPhone (at the time of writing) in the free app charts.
Of course we still await the app in the West, and it's fair to say that plenty reading these pages only want it to land as it'll also bring the My Nintendo loyalty programme with it. The wait for a Club Nintendo replacement has been rather long, and time is running out for the promised March arrival. The removal of references to a March release on the official website has some wondering whether that points to a delay - that's a potential outcome, of course.
It'd be nice to know what's causing the roadblock. It's a strange one, as the app itself is already in English (for example) and the My Nintendo infrastructure is established in Japan. Presumably further localisation (and languages) are part of the equation, and perhaps there's a disconnect between the experience and clout Nintendo and DeNA have in dealing with Google and Apple in Japan and then doing the same globally. If Nintendo is being held up by a desire for a universal Western launch then that's also a very Nintendo thing to do - smartphone apps often have 'soft launches' split up globally, even between Western markets, but the desire to get My Nintendo ducks in a row adds more complications.
In any case, I check Google Play here in the UK on a daily basis in case Miitomo has randomly dropped - as mentioned above, smart device apps often land before companies even realise or announce it. In doing so I've had a glimpse of the weird world of smart device stores, and how they must terrify Nintendo.

When searching for Miitomo today, for example, the following were the top results.
- Pokémon Shuffle Mobile
- Rayman Adventures
- Random news aggregate app
- Bizarre meme-infested (and unofficial) Sonic runner
- Smash Bros. wallpaper
- N64 emulator
- DS emulator
- An app for cheating in Pokémon
- A fan Splatoon app that shows stage rotations (nice idea)
- SNES emulator
- ANOTHER DS EMULATOR
- Super Mario Bros. rip-off
- A 3DS emulator that's fake and apparently doesn't even work
- More of the same...
That's just Google Play in one country, but for Nintendo - a company renowned for being a corporate control freak - these smart device stores must be terrifying and distressing. I've no doubt it was worse in the past, too, as Nintendo has been attempting to assert its rights over its trademarked properties in various ways in recent years. Yet environments with little control or quality assessment, like iOS and Google Play, are Wild Wests that can be near-impossible to fully contain.
I have spent some amusing time looking into these apps, too, particularly the emulators. I've never downloaded an emulator in my life - well, ok, I downloaded a Spectrum ZX one in the past - because I'm an annoying holier-than-thou type on the topic, but reading the comments was enough for me. The 3DS 'emulator' had hilarious comments, mainly as it's either non-functional or completely fake, while people I assume are involved with the project or buddies with its creator give it five-star reviews. It seems to be an app that simply tries to earn ad revenue from those trying to get it to work, but seeing people complain that they can't play a current-gen system for free on their phone gives me a true feeling of schadenfreude.

That sort of self-assured entitlement fits well with a world of free apps for playing games that are still on sale, however. When it comes to emulators it's a debate with grey areas, as I do know people that use them to play games they bought 'back in the day', but there are also plenty that use them for free games they've never owned.
In any case, back to the topic, browsing Google Play is a trip to the wild side when compared to the heavily controlled and curated world of the eShop. Even the garbage eShop games that shouldn't really be there have proper product pages and we can be sure they won't hack our devices, but with smart devices you dive in at your own risk. As a heavy smartphone user but one who mainly checks emails and uses mainstream apps by major companies, it's an eye-opener.
Yet for all of the chaos, silliness and occasional ugliness to be found in stores like Google Play and iOS, it's a market that has to be embraced in the modern gaming scene. Most gaming platform holders, publishers and developers are involved in smart devices in some form, and Nintendo has merely bowed to the inevitable. While the company can focus on quality, it'll also be entering strange lands that it can't control - as much as Nintendo likes, it won't be able to stop the constant stream of knock-offs, trademark infringements and emulators that flood the app stores. It can only take the high road.
It's also worth acknowledging, in addition, that legitimate high profile apps reach general users (of which there are hundreds of millions, perhaps over a billion) through store placements and promotions. Rip-offs, fan apps and emulators do not have this exposure. A search for Miitomo after it launches will also place it right at the top, and the vast majority won't be scrolling down to see the weirdness that somehow gets into those manual search results. Companies like Nintendo probably don't lose a great deal for having all of these bizarre apps as rivals. We can imagine that, nevertheless, there are some within Nintendo's Kyoto HQ that look at the new world the company's trying to inhabit with a mix of curiosity, wonder and a little horror.
If Nintendo's next smartphone game is a Mario Bros. release, meanwhile, the battle with the clones will only be more amusing.
Comments 64
I wish my phone could do Miitomo T.T
Yeah, there's gonna be so many ripoffs that it's gonna be impossible to find -_-
@gardevoir7 Same... mine crashes straight at startup even though I have my phone unrooted (I did have it rooted once but I unrooted it and can't root it anymore anyway).
I wish Nintendo didn't implement this. I understand, cheating, but come on, there are people that use root for legit purposes.
The DraStic emulator is actually really good. Not that I'm endorsing pirating, but it runs extremely smoothly and supports pretty much every game. I myself use it to play Kirby Super Star Ultra when I'm on the go and can't use my DS.
@maaleska Mine just straight up isn't compatible. :c
I'm surprised Nintendo is going on android.
I'm glad that emulators actually exist. So I can play Mother 3 on the go. I don't know why emulators get so much hate.

Who wouldn't play Nintendo games for free instead of paying for it?
@gardevoir7 To be honest, I'm not 100% sure if my phone is compatible with it either. I think it has something to do with root though, as this is a problem with root users.
Or do you mean you can't install it at all because of your Android/iOS version? If so, yeah, that sucks
This is what I don't really understand... How come Nintendo can take down innocent YouTube videos and fan projects, but they can't do anything about the blatant plagiarism on the appstore?
Also, does anyone know if Miitomo will work on an iPhone 4S? Not sure what iOS it's running but it's not the latest. (I don't update it because it does everything I want it to already)
@maaleska Ya. My Android is WAY out of date. I got a new phone a year or two ago but it's not a smart phone so I'm unable to play this now. Unless there's someway to force your Android version to be better?
Haha brilliant article Tom as always ☺
@Sticker I see you've got an image of another rumoured NX controller
It'll be a huge shame if My Nintendo doesn't launch this week.
@gardevoir7 Hey, if you don't mind sharing it, what's your phone model? Because if it's compatible with it you can root and perhaps put a custom ROM there. It depends on the model and version though, if it's something like Android 1.0 I doubt you will be able to lol.
Even if you can't, don't worry, I was stuck in that position for like 3 years with some crappy phone. I'm sure you can survive until then
@maaleska Huawei H881c I think it's called. I think I have Android 4 but need 4.1. :c
The March release date bubble is back on the main website! I was just there looking. It says planned release: March 2016...
Pfffft! Console emulators on a touch screen phone? Get a 3DS and use VC you dirty cheapskates
@Moon It is only a guess on my part, but I'm guessing it's because Youtube has a streamlined process with content id, so that videos and the like can be taken down easily, whilst there probably is a lot more footwork involved in taking an app down from the store. If I'm correct, then until there is a more suitable method to take down apps in bulk, Nintendo probably won't spend time or money to do so.
Like I said though, I could be VERY wrong about this.
You can actually find the app in a google search instead of a google play search: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nintendo.zaaa&hl=en
But despite the Install button, it just says all my devices are incompatible, can anyone download it?
Eh, I love the app stores; they are essentially a programmer's YouTube and a great way to make money on the side.
@Sticker Well, it's kind of because of the whole "playing games without paying for it" part. You wouldn't just take a game out of a game store without paying for it, would you?
@NintendoFan64 they might...
Android is like the Wild Wild West, filled with rubbish apps. Apple Appstore is much better maintained and regulated by Apple. I think Nintendo should concentrate on iOS and forget about Android.
I was just on the Miitomo website and right next to the phone right when it loads it still says "Planned release: March 2016"
I hate mobile tablet games I also seen these while searching for miitomo and miiverse
Check this out, is this real?
http://gamingbolt.com/nintendo-nx-mega-leak-specs-controller-handheld-better-performance-than-ps4-and-more
@therealyoshi nintendo will probably have a link if you go to their website when it comes out. no need to search then.
@maaleska Wait, you mean it can't be rooted if you want to run the app? My phone was rooted before I got it, and I haven't the foggiest you'd go about unrooting it. I don't even know what the benefits of having it rooted even are.
@orravan85 meh, The whole "it doesn't matter its ARM not X64 based" thing pulls that article right down as that exact difference was one of the reasons the Wii U stopped getting games. As it was getting harder to get the new x86 engines running on the Wii U's architecture (and low specs).
that is unless the NX has some form of native ability to run "foreign engines" which has been rumoured in the past
@Sticker because it's stealing. I mean people work hard on these games.
@pokedude583 yeah, Nintendo added an antiroot thing to prevent cheating or something. It depends on your phone model to unroot it, which one is it? I can look it up for you
also rooting has many advantages, namely overclocking the CPU, installing custom ROMs, installing modules, proper backups, etc.
So the question remains: When's Miitomo launching?
End of March is quickly approaching.
@NinChocolate
@Nintendian
Please keep your iOS / Android fanboyism out of this forum.
There are just to much of it on the net already. Here we are all Nintendo fans.
We are some who do like the openness of Google's platform. Let there be room for all of us.
There are just to many Android users out there for Nintendo to ignore. These Mobile apps from Nintendo are some kind of gateway to Nintendo's own platforms and wallet garden. Mobile apps is not Nintendo's primary business.
Nintendo's Goal for these apps, is to reach out to as many potentially new customers as possible. And therefore all major platforms are important to them.
And just for your information. Both iOS and Android are like "The Wild West":
http://bgr.com/2015/11/11/app-store-malware-ios-vs-android/
I had no interest in Miitomo before this article, but if I can't use it simply because my device is rooted, then I truly have no interest in it. With all of the security updates Nintendo applies to 3DS and Wii U, I'd think they could devise a way to detect changes to their app from an external source.
It's not free just because there's an illegal dump of it accessible to you. You don't own a license to play it on any platform just because you once bought it on SNES, either.
That said, only you can prevent forest fires. It's an honor system.
@Sticker I've lived a pirate's life, and decided it was not for me. I feel more dedicated to a game I've payed for, since I need to get my money's worth from it before I can put it down. If I got the game for free, I can just delete it if I decide I want to play something else.
I hope the new loyalty program is not fully tied to Miitomo, I'm not really interested that app.
I actually discovered NintendoLife through some random app I found on Google Play after searching "Nintendo News". The app pulls articles from NintendoLife, Nintendo Enthusiast, Nintendojo, etc. Did you know about this @ThomasBW4 ? I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't, as it doesn't seem official by any means. (If you want to see for yourself, the app is called Nintendo Infos. Of course, now that I'm trying to search for it again, I'm just seeing the same DS emulators and Super Mario Bros. rip-offs.)
@itzdanburton The emulator can even enhance the resolution of the game!
@dronesplitter Thank you for saying that. I actually had to write a whole article on emulators and why the illegal part is downloading pirated ROMS, so now I can just make people read that when they try to argue with me. http://www.zeldarocks.com/Emulators-Amazing-Tools-or-Piracy-Devices.html
Yeah...I saw PBG's video on iOS gaming...it was awesome. The video I mean. lol
@Jamotello Good point. But still searching will still be flooded with ripoffs of miimoto and ds emulators T_T
@Jamotello Good point. But still searching will still be flooded with ripoffs of miimoto and ds emulators T_T
@Sticker I'm not going to judge anybody because I've played a few games via an R4 card myself, but heck, that's AWFUL. The controls I mean. That's why you'd never catch me playing the likes of Super Mario World on a smart phone. Must be really tricky to play with that horrible loocking touch d-pad, touch buttons and also the placement of the buttons. Just...urgh. Even the plug in controllers/controller docks I've seen for smartphones aren't very good.
And plus, in order to avoid having your thumbs all over the playing area whilst you're playing, the phone in the picture has had to relegate Super Mario World to a tiny fraction of the screen. Just...no.
@Sticker The problem is playing platform games from past systems is a nightmare because touch controls suck.
I mainly use it for RPGs, which in that case, it's perfect.
@Sticker ew, can you even play the game like that? It looks so tiny and you'll probably get some hand cramps.
Nintendo more than any other video company prizes absolute control over their IPs and their surrounding environment, lacking that control over the Android Market must indeed be quite unsettling for them.
The Android Market doesn't have the shoot first ask questions later policy Youtube has that Nintendo has taken full advantage of.
@YorkshireNed Or you could have the best of both worlds and run emulators on 3DS
Could the writer of this article explain exactly how iOS is a "Wild West" please? The App Store is NOTHING like Google Play, thank God. Has he even used the App Store?
Oh and every app released on iOS is rigorously tested by Apple before being granted release, so how can you accuse it of having little control?
The journalism on this site is getting lazier and lazier, sadly
@norwichred Go look at this video by PeanutButterGamer called Ipad games I believe. It proves what the author is talking about and destroys what you're saying.
If you mean weird iPad games does it mention any copyright infringing ones which the author of this piece is writing about?
@norwichred
Its ok to love your Apple devices. They are great products. But don't be blind and believe anything.
Here are some interesting information for you:
http://bgr.com/2015/11/11/app-store-malware-ios-vs-android/
Is this the truth? I have no idea. But the iOS app store simply can't be as regulated as you claim. The sheer number of apps is impossible to fully control.
@Nintendian Oh yes, that sounds GREAT. For you. I definitely would like Miitomo on a system I don't have and never will. Nintendo should TOTALLY cut the potential user base in half because you think so.
Number one : that link is about the most us informative load of rubbish I have ever read. What does it actually tell us? It even admits, itself, that it means nothing!
And the writer of this article is concentrating on copyright infringement and emulators and that is what I am talking about. Find me one emulator for sale on the App Store.
@YorkshireNed Lol more than half of the games i want to play aren't even on the eshop...
Sorry Nintendo. Love your games, but my root is worth more to me than your apps. As a grandfathered Unlimited Data user, I need my root to tether. I can do without your games.
@NinChocolate wait 'til they go on windows mobile. they can technically be played on xbox one then. whoa.
@Flauber It's saying my devices are incompatible as well. Then again, I only have a tablet.
@iamDTS Me too.....but playing em ona little touch screen? Yuck, I'll just wait and keep hoping.
@dronesplitter
I'm not for piracy, but everything is so confusing with copyright laws and they keep changing all the time. Fair use is confusing, not applied consistently by courts, and many companies will sue or use DMCA to shut down fair use of their items anyways if they don't like the way they are depicted.
Backups have long been looked at as legal by the courts. Use of the backup is a grey area as the courts like to look at them on a case by case basis and Nintendo doesn't sue people who use backups, just those that distribute backups. So is a rom of Super Mario World on my PC legal? Absolutely. Can I use it to play on a PC? Maybe. Current software makers try to get around this by "licensing" the game to you and by adding copyright protection to the disc which most courts have ruled is illegal to circumvent. But none of these existed for old cart based games. It would certainly be illegal to play on homebrew/emulation on a 3DS because you accept the license for the OS to operate a 3DS and that license doesn't allow you to circumvent the OS. But the Retron 5 is a system devoted to using a backup of the software you own on an android operating system with features not originally part of the game.
The safe thing would be to buy a cheap cart reader and create your own backup image, but it wouldn't be any different than those found online and since the court has never ruled on something like this I'm not sure if they would object to obtaining an online image.
Me personally I think video games should have their own copyright rules because we as a society make the rules anyway. The original copyright rules were 25 years before Disney got them extended to infinity and beyond. 25 years seems fair to me for a video game. I wouldn't be opposed to an extention if the company has a current way to purchase the games such as Nintendo with VC, but if you haven't had a game available for purchase in 25 years I don't believe it hurts the original producer in any way and it's a shame to lose those old games which were either not successful enough to rerelease or because of bankruptcy the rights are lost.
@NintendoFan64 @Danrenfroe2016 The developers aren't gonna get any money out of these games anymore. Super Mario World is 25 years old and Nintendo doesn't make SNES cartridged anymore.
For the most part, there's absolutely nothing wrong with emulating old games.
Chill out.
@Melkac still does not make it right to steal games...
@Sticker
Because it's illegal?
@Danrenfroe2016 No one's getting harmed in any way by me emulating Terranigma on my android.
It's freaking fine.
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