Nintendo's expanded Pictonico free-play event reaches its deadline

Nintendo's temporary expansion of the free portion of Pictonico reaches its scheduled conclusion today. The iOS and Android application normally gives users only a small selection of its photo-driven minigames without purchasing additional packs, but the limited campaign expanded that selection to ten games. Activities include Gardening, Constellation, Jigsaw Puzzle and several deliberately silly interactions built around photographs stored on the player's phone.

The campaign was scheduled to end at 9:59 AM on September 15 in Japan, so users outside Japan should account for the time-zone difference rather than assuming it remains active for their entire local day. Pictonico is an interesting part of Nintendo's mobile strategy because it is built specifically around smartphone functionality rather than adapting a console game. Players can use personal photos inside the minigames and earn coins through free play for the Photo Fortune system.

Nintendo continues to experiment with smaller mobile experiences even while its core business remains centred on dedicated gaming hardware.