Nintendo has released its first paid iOS app in the Japanese App Store today, a universal edition of its Pokédex app, previously available only on the Nintendo 3DS.
Once downloaded you’ll find a version of the Pokémon encyclopaedia which covers all of the latest generation of critters (from DS games Pokémon Black and White). This costs 170 yen (about £1.30). Four extra packs with monsters from previous generations are then available to download for 500 yen (£3.90) each – meaning users will pay around £17 for the whole thing.
While this is not the first iOS app from Nintendo, (Pokémon Say Tap was available for a limited time last year), it is the first paid app from the company. Co-creator of the app is Creatures, Inc., creators of the main Pokémon series, and owned by Nintendo.
Nintendo has historically been devoted to creating games for only its own hardware. In recent years, however, Nintendo has allowed licensing of its brands and characters to other platforms and devices.
Will this be an isolated instance, or will there be more paid apps coming to the App Store from Nintendo?
No word on when, or even if, the Pokédex app will be coming to the U.S. App Store.
Update 12/10/12: The Pokédex app is now officially available in the U.S.!
