Nintendo’s First Mobile Game Isn’t Mario, And It Won’t Be Available Until March 2016

Nintendo fans waiting for the Japanese gaming giant to release its first mobile game this year will have to wait a little longer, after the schedule for its much-anticipated first release was bumped back to March 2016.

The company, which partnered with Japanese mobile games specialist DeNA back in March, had originally aimed to out its first title this year. That isn’t happening now, according to Nintendo CEO Tatsumi Kimishima, who — speaking at an investor meeting live-blogged by the Wall Street Journal — said that more time is needed to promote its mobile debut.

That first game was revealed to be Miitomo, in which user-created avatars connect with others. It will be free to download with optional add-ons available via in-app purchases.

That’s hardly an electric opening launch — Nintendo’s share price dipped 7.5 percent right after the reveal — and it isn’t likely to appeal to mainstream mobile games worldwide like, say, a Mario game, but there will be more to come. Kimishima, who replaced the late Satoru Iwata at the helm of the company in July, confirmed that five titles are schedule for launch in 2016. Here’s to hoping that we see some Nintendo classics reborn on mobile. It’s long overdue!