Nintendo is getting ready to introduce paid memberships to its game, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp.
The paid features will let you, “appoint one lucky animal as your camp caretaker and get some extra help around the campsite” and “receive fortune cookies and store your furniture and clothing items in warehouses.”
There are no more details for now, but Nintendo says it will share extra information in a video this week. This news follows hot on the heels of a similar subscription for Mario Kart Tour, which offers a $4.99 per month “Gold Pass.” That subscription gives gamers a faster speed mode. It will also allow them to play multiplayer.
Paid subscriptions: Not just Animal Crossing
Nintendo initially employed a premium strategy for its mobile games. Super Mario Run offered users a free demo, but then opted for a $9.99 single download that unlocked the whole game.However, Nintendo changed its strategy after declaring the strategy had not reached “an acceptable profit point.”
Since then, Nintendo has started using in-app purchases more. While it’s still a fraction of Nintendo’s total revenue (less than 5% of overall sales), this seems to be the direction Nintendo is dead-set on going in.
From a gaming perspective, that’s a shame. For years, I was excited to see what Nintendo would do on mobile. But games like Mario Kart Tour, which is loaded with IAP, have disappointed. Granted, the games are still playable without gamers shelling out cash. However, Nintendo’s cash-hungry mentality stands out more than ever compared to the premium titles on Apple Arcade — many of whose creators clearly grew up as fans of Nintendo’s properties.
Can we expect similar subscriptions to be added to other Nintendo titles going forward? Nintendo hasn’t said as much. But if the “Gold Pass” and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp features work well, you’d have to assume so.
What do you think of Nintendo’s mobile titles? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: The Verge
