According to an X (formerly Twitter) post from the Japanese Patent Office, Nintendo has renewed its copyright for Tomodachi Life, hinting at a possible revival of the series.
The news comes from Chizai Watch, a Japanese site that publicizes copyrights. Nintendo’s application was filed in late September and included among 33 other properties under the company’s brand. While this is not solid proof that Nintendo is planning to port the game or release a sequel to the Switch or its successor, it does show that Nintendo has an interest in the Tomodachi Life brand. Without an official announcement from the company, however, the exact purpose of this renewal has yet to be seen.
The Success and Fate of Nintendo’s Tomodachi Life
Tomodachi Life was a life simulator for the Nintendo 3DS featuring the company’s iconic Miis in a wide variety of mini-games. The game was a major success and stood among the top 10 best-selling games for the console, being along the same lines of Nintendo’s other famous life simulator Animal Crossing in how it followed an entire island of colorful characters.
Despite the success of the game, it seems to have been largely forgotten by Nintendo until recently. Moreover, as many of the game’s features were online, this title will be affected by the upcoming shutdown of all online functions to the 3DS and Wii U.
The Current State of the Mii Franchise
Even if Tomodachi Life has been forgotten by Nintendo, the same cannot be said of the Mii franchise it is a part of, which continue to serve as mascots for Nintendo’s online community. Perhaps the most prominent recent example of the Mii franchise is its appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which presented costumes for various iconic gaming franchises that did not have fighters presented.
One successful game that shows that Tomodachi Life may be due for a second coming is Nintendo’s Miitopia. This was similar to Tomodachi Life as a life simulator featuring Miis, but it featured more heavy RPG elements. With both of these recent successes for the Mii brand, it would be unsurprising if Nintendo was to try and capitalize on the franchise and its many fans.
Source: Chizai Watch
