Nintendo Takes Animal Crossing to Phones in New Mobile Move

Nintendo has made its biggest move in mobile gaming so far with plans to add Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp as its third smartphone title, according to Bloomberg.

The game will be available on both iOS and Android from late November and is the first smartphone iteration of a popular series about anthropomorphic animals. It will be free to download but allow in-game purchases to speed up progress, a key to making money from such titles.

Analysts have high expectations for the new game, with Goldman Sachs estimating an Animal Crossing title could generate twice as much revenue as the combined sales of Nintendo’s two previous smartphone games Super Mario Run and Fire Emblem Heroes.

In the June quarter, Nintendo reaped 9.1 billion yen ($79 million) from its smartphone business. Shares of Nintendo have surged 80 percent this year and its market value has swelled to about $55 billion.

The Animal Crossing series debuted in 2001 on the Nintendo 64 console, with subsequent versions appearing on the company’s DS and 3DS handheld devices, where they sold more than 20 million copies. The title has gained a strong following by giving animals memorable personalities and creating a community with various activities to complete.

The new mobile game involves players befriending animals and completing errands for them to collect rewards, which can then be used to build a customized camp site. To save time, players can choose to spend real money instead of completing tasks. They can also buy in-game items with real money, like clothes to customize their characters or paint jobs for their camper cars. In April, Citigroup estimated the game would generate 14 billion yen in sales in the current fiscal year, on the assumption it will attract 18 million users.