Japanese game maker Nintendo announced on Thursday that it will release its first game for Android and Apple iOS smartphones in 2016. The game is called Miitomo. Nintendo is the only one of the three major electronic game console makers that is yet to release a game outside of its own devices.

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Cnet reported that the Miitomo game will be free to download and play, but players can make purchases within the app, according to Tatsumi Kimishima, Chief Executive Officer of Nintendo.

Nintendo issued a press release stating that Miitomo can connect people with friends by showing some of their personal details and as well as common interests. Players can engage with one another through the use of avatars known as Miis.

Nintendo's rivals, Microsoft Xbox and Sony Playstation, have already adopted some of their games to smartphones and other mobile devices. Nintendo initially refused to follow suit. However, in March the company finally announced that it will start making its game available on smartphones.

Japanese game developer DeNA has been given the task of developing the Miitomo game. DeNA's work portfolio includes the Star Wars: Galactic Defense mobile game.

Miitomo will be available to both Android and Apple iOS devices and is the first installment of five games.

Initiially, Nintendo intended to release Miitomo by the end of this year. However, the game has been set for a world wide release, which caused the date to be pushed to March next year. Nintendo also intends to launch an advertising campaign for their smartphone by early next year, according to The Verge.

During a recent investors conference, Nintendo officials unveiled the My Nintendo membership program, which is basically a cloud service that will let users connect their various mobile devices. Once the game data has been saved, the user can simply transfer it to another console or device.

The company reported its revenues from operations for the first six months 2015 after suffering five years of straight losses. However, its nearly nine billion yen operational revenue was short of analyst's expectations.

Despite Nintendo officials announcing the upcoming release of its smartphone game, the price of the company's stocks lost almost ten percent of its value on Thursday.

TagsNintendo CEO, Nintendo smartphone game, Miitomo mobile game, free to play Miitomo, Avatar Mii, DeNA game developer, free android apps