14 DAY TRIAL // Nintendo has not managed to make the Wii U as successful as previous hardware from the company, but one bright spot during the last year was the steady rise of the Amiibo line of figurines with included video game interactions.
Now it seems that the Nintendo Software Technology team is working on a free-to-play video game based around the concept, which will use the toys to unlock special content, encouraging gamers to collect as many as possible and interact with them in unique ways.
NintendoLife quotes sources saying that Nintendo wants to deliver the new game on both the Wii U home console and the 3DS handheld to attract as big an audience as possible.
The title is apparently now finished and will be a surprise launch for the start of 2016 in North America, available to all those who own at least one of the compatible Amiibo figurines, for a limited period, and it appears that, after a while, the game will only be available for a relatively low price.
It seems that the video game will also be offered in Europe later in 2016 and will be entirely free.
It will be interesting to see whether the title can improve sales for the Wii U and the 3Ds and if the Amiibo line of figurines will also get a major boost.
Nintendo Software Technology is also interested in hiring more people with mobile expertise because it is planning to work on a project associated with the smartphone space in the coming months.
Nintendo says that Mario on mobiles is not the solution to all of its problems
The company has long been evaluating a move towards smartphone video games, although it is at the moment only testing the options that are opened up by the use of its major characters on mobile platforms.
Reggie Fils-Aims, who is the president of Nintendo of America, says that simply moving Mario to a new set of devices does not mean that the company will print money and will be able to neglect its traditional business model.
According to the executive, developers are carefully evaluating ideas about the best way to add value for fans and give them extra experiences based around their favorite fictional universes.
At the moment, there are plans to launch a new title called Miitomo in March of 2016, with other four coming one year later, each of them tailor-made to showcase how mobiles can allow fans to interact with favorite characters in new ways.
The new NX platform is the big long-term investment for Nintendo, with rumors suggesting that it will be announced early next year and that launch will take place during the summer, with more than 12 million units sold before the end of 2016.
A free-to-play video game that uses the Amiibo concept and the new features of the device might be a good way for the company to attract fans who are disappointed with the kind of experience they get from the 3DS and the Wii U.