Nintendo had an interesting surprise at the end of today’s Direct. Gaming icon Shigeru Miyamoto revealed the phone app Nintendo Today.
This is a digital daily calendar that will have info on future Nintendo events. After the April 2 Nintendo Direct focusing on Switch 2, Miyamoto notes that the app will have offer information on the new console daily.
Nintendo loves having total control over its products, IP, and messaging. This is the company that made its own music app instead of just releasing its soundtracks on an existing service like Spotify. With Nintendo Today, the company can reach consumers directly instead of having to rely on others (including journalists like me) to spread its messages.
Of course, that is if the app gets traction. Nintendo did release an app on phones that it wanted players to use for Switch voice chatting, and people largely rejected it. And Nintendo already has social media channels and these Direct presentations as avenues for it to directly reach consumers.
Nintendo Today is available now on the Apple App Store and Google Play. I’ll have to check it out myself to see if there’s any value (or, hopefully, fun) to find there.