Nintendo’s First Mobile Game Miitomo Has a $79 Microtransaction

Lou Contaldi March 17, 2016 10:24 PM EST

Earlier today we noted how Nintendo’s first mobile game Miitomo has went live in Japan. The free-to-play title, based on gameplay footage, seems to merge elements of Tomadochi Life, Animal Crossing, and Wii “Everybody Votes” Channel. It has been noted since the get-go that Miitomo would support microtransactions, but how exactly would this work and what would the denominations be?

According to Dr. Serkan Toto, a Tokyo-based game industry analyst, the pricing structure ranging from ¥120 ($1.08) to a whopping ¥8,800 ($79.38) in microtransactions. Seen in the photos below, these microtransactions can be used for pachinko-like minigames to win new items and outfits. This strategy may catch some people off guard, while others have been expecting this. It is unquestionable that Nintendo’s mobile partner DeNA has successfully used the standard mobile microtransaction pricing model for years. On the other side, Nintendo has recently shown through various Nintendo 3DS games — specifically Pokemon Picross — that they are willing to set reasonable microtransaction rates (and at times caps) to curb inordinate spending.

So far, Miitomo has only launched in Japan, so this pay structure and pricing model may not be final. However, we will see soon — Miitomo will launch in all expected countries before the end of March 2016 on mobile devices.

So the App Store lists 120 yen as the only in-app purchase. But inside Miitomo, the biggest IPAP is 8,800 yen ($78). pic.twitter.com/ay5uJs0TTO — Dr. Serkan Toto (@serkantoto) March 17, 2016

Crazy to see a pachinko-style monetization mechanic in Miitomo. Here is a screenshot, reward is an item: pic.twitter.com/U3pFMIai8A — Dr. Serkan Toto (@serkantoto) March 17, 2016