My Nintendo
![]() | |
Developer | Nintendo |
---|---|
Type | Loyalty program |
Launch date |
|
Website |
my |
My Nintendo (Japanese: マイニンテンドー Hepburn: Mai Nintendō) is a loyalty program provided by Nintendo and the successor to Club Nintendo. The system rewards allows players to earn points from using software or purchasing games, which can then be spent on rewards such as digital games or discounts. The program launched on March 17, 2016, in Japan and on March 31, 2016, in the rest of the world, launching alongside Nintendo's first mobile app, Miitomo.
Features
Users can create or sign into a My Nintendo with a Nintendo Account via Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or a Nintendo Network ID. By clearing various "missions", players earn three different kinds of currency; Gold Points, Platinum Points, and Miitomo Platinum Points, which can be exchanged for rewards, including digital game downloads for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, discounts on software purchased from the Nintendo eShop or official Nintendo store, and downloadable themes for the Nintendo 3DS. Gold Points are earned by purchasing software digitally via the Nintendo eShop while Platinum Points are earned by performing actions such as linking with social media or signing into the Nintendo eShop or Miiverse weekly. Miitomo Platinum Points are earned by clearing missions within the Miitomo mobile app and can either be used to purchase rewards within the app or combined with regular Platinum Points to be spent on the main rewards.[1]
Development
Shortly after announcing in March 2015 that Club Nintendo would be discontinued, Nintendo announced that a new loyalty program was in development, saying "Our heartfelt thanks to our members for your support over the years. Please stay tuned for more information on our new loyalty program."
In November 2015 during a Japanese shareholder's meeting, My Nintendo was revealed. It was shown that users could connect with accounts from social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. Users who purchase a game and register it can see their play time and related messages about the game posted by other users. Users can also receive points for buying and playing the game that can be used to receive rewards.[2][3][4]
On December 1, 2016, in addition to a new template and site navigation, My Nintendo added child account support, allowing users under 13 years to use the service with parental or guardian control. Adult user accounts can also add children between the age of 13 and 17 inclusively.[5]
Availability
Pre-registration for a Nintendo Account began on February 17, 2016 in sixteen countries. A Nintendo Account is required to sign up on My Nintendo. As of March 31, 2016, the Nintendo Account, and consequently My Nintendo, became officially available in thirty-nine countries at launch. As of December 1, 2016, the number of countries increased to one hundred and fifty-three. The availability of content and methods of collecting points may vary a lot between different territories.
The following are the sixteen countries that were supported during the pre-registration period, and enjoy full services directly from Nintendo:
The following countries were added at the launch of the My Nintendo service, and may enjoy some services directly from Nintendo, such as a localized Nintendo eShop on the Nintendo 3DS at least:
The following countries and self-governed territories were later added throughout 2016, and most may enjoy little to no direct services from Nintendo, but all are able to connect to Nintendo's mobile apps starting with either Miitomo or Super Mario Run, depending on availablity:
-
Albania
-
Angola
-
Anguilla
-
Antigua and Barbuda
-
Argentina
-
Armenia
-
Aruba
-
Azerbaijan
-
Bahamas
-
Bahrain
-
Barbados
-
Belarus
-
Belize
-
Benin
-
Bermuda
-
Bhutan
-
Bolivia, Plurinational State of
-
Botswana
-
Brunei Darussalam
-
Burkina Faso
-
Cambodia
-
Cape Verde
-
Cayman Islands
-
Chad
-
Chile
-
Colombia
-
Congo
-
Costa Rica
-
Croatia
-
Dominica
-
Dominican Republic
-
Ecuador
-
Egypt
-
El Salvador
-
Fiji
-
Gambia
-
Ghana
-
Grenada
-
Guatemala
-
Guinea-Bissau
-
Guyana
-
Honduras
-
Hong Kong
-
India
-
Indonesia
-
Israel
-
Jamaica
-
Jordan
-
Kazakhstan
-
Kuwait
-
Kyrgyzstan
-
Lao People's Democratic Republic
-
Lebanon
-
Liberia
-
Macao
-
Macedonia, The former Yugoslav Republic of
-
Madagascar
-
Malawi
-
Malaysia
-
Mali
-
Mauritania
-
Mauritius
-
Micronesia, Federated States of
-
Moldova, Republic of
-
Mongolia
-
Montserrat
-
Mozambique
-
Namibia
-
Nepal
-
Nicaragua
-
Niger
-
Nigeria
-
Oman
-
Pakistan
-
Palau
-
Panama
-
Papua New Guinea
-
Paraguay
-
Peru
-
Philippines
-
Qatar
-
Rwanda
-
Saint Kitts and Nevis
-
Saint Lucia
-
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
-
São Tomé and Príncipe
-
Saudi Arabia
-
Senegal
-
Seychelles
-
Sierra Leone
-
Singapore
-
Solomon Islands
-
Sri Lanka
-
Suriname
-
Swaziland
-
Taiwan
-
Tajikistan
-
Tanzania, United Republic of
-
Thailand
-
Trinidad and Tobago
-
Tunisia
-
Turkey
-
Turkmenistan
-
Turks and Caicos Islands
-
Uganda
-
Ukraine
-
United Arab Emirates
-
Uruguay
-
Uzbekistan
-
Venezuela, The Bolivarian Republic of
-
Vietnam
-
Virgin Islands (British)
-
Yemen
-
Zambia
-
Zimbabwe
Similarly to predecessor Club Nintendo, as well as the Nintendo eShop and Nintendo Network ID, My Nintendo is not IP-restricted, and users from unlisted countries (as well as from listed countries with lesser services) can sign up for a Nintendo Account and use the service, in a country address different from their own without any known repercussions. However, persistent limits of the selected regional Nintendo eShop of choice applies. Regardless, My Nintendo is supported in far more countries than Club Nintendo was, and Nintendo is planning to expand the official roster of country support over time, albeit many of the countries added later may be limited to only Nintendo mobile app support.
References
- ↑ "Language Selection Nintendo Account". Nintendo.
- ↑ "Nintendo Account/My Nintendo details – get points by playing games". Nintendo Everything.
- ↑ "New Nintendo membership service is "My Nintendo"". Nintendo Everything.
- ↑ "Talking Point: Nintendo's Delays With My Nintendo and Miitomo are Disappointing, but Not Disastrous". Nintendo Life.
- ↑ McFerran, Damien (December 1, 2016). "My Nintendo Rewards Site Gets A Fetching Facelift". Nintendo Life. Retrieved December 1, 2016.