Nintendo’s first smart device app, Miitomo, launched in 15 countries, including the US, Australia and several European markets.

The “free-to start social experience” debuted in Japan earlier this month, where it was downloaded more than 1 million times in its first three days. The company claimed it was the number one free app in both the App Store and Google Play.

Miitomo lets users create a ‘Mii’ character and customise its facial features, voice and personality: a smartphone camera can also be used to create a Mii from a photo, and existing Wii U or Nintendo 3DS characters can be imported.

Users then add friends who already have the app, or by linking the app with their existing Facebook or Twitter accounts.

Before the launch, the company had a pre-registration programme, and those signed-up will receive points for the new My Nintendo rewards scheme. This is described as “a comprehensive service that rewards users for interacting with Nintendo products and services in a variety of ways”.

Nintendo plans to launch four more apps by the end of March 2017, developed with DeNA, a Japanese company which develops and operates a range of mobile and online services.