Miitomo launches March 31 in the west, Nintendo confirms (update)

Miitomo, Nintendo's social networking foray into mobile app development, will launch on Thursday, March 31 in North America for Android and iOS devices, the company said this morning. The app also launches in Europe the same day.

Miitomo has been out for about two weeks in Japan, and Nintendo said it would launch by the end of this month in 39 countries worldwide. It's a free-to-start social experience designed around Nintendo's Mii avatars, in which users create themselves, customize their Miis with clothes and other virtual items, and interact with friends on the My Nintendo network through a Q&A mode.

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Miis can be created through Miitomo's editor, designed with the help of a picture taken with a smart device's camera, or imported from a Nintendo 3DS or Wii U through a QR code. Users can find friends who have installed Miitomo by linking their Facebook or Twitter accounts.

In a news release, Nintendo touted the one million downloads of Miitomo in its first three days of availability in Japan.

Nintendo also announced it would open a new virtual store on Nintendo.com on March 31, through which users with a Nintendo Account may purchase games for download to their 3DS or Wii U. The shop will feature "an expanded catalog of more than 2,000 games," the company said.

For more on Miitomo see Polygon's hands-on with the app from GDC 2016.

Update: Miitomo is now available for download in the U.S. from the iTunes App Store and Google Play.