Nintendo's first smartphone games will be free to play, money to flow from in-app purchases

Over the past few years, in-app purchases within free-to-play games have gained a lot of popularity in the smartphone gaming industry, with numerous reports pointing out that mobile game developers actually make more money from such titles than from paid games. What remains to be seen, however, is the extent of these microtransactions within Nintendo's upcoming smartphone games.

As with all free-to-play titles, it will be one thing if Nintendo and DeNA will allow the user the option of spending money to buy certain visual enhancements, and totally another story if in-app purchases will be forced down the user's throat. For instance, the option to buy a new suit for a character would be welcomed. Limiting the number of hours a user can play but then asking for money for more "on time" would be terrible for the user.