Nintendo's New Rewards Program Launches in Japan, Revealing First Prizes

As previously scheduled, the replacement for Club Nintendo has launched in Japan, revealing the first rewards to be offered through My Nintendo.

My Nintendo members earn rewards by spending Gold and Platinum points, each of which is earned in different ways. Gold points come from purchasing digital games (not entirely unlike Club Nintendo coins), while Platinum points are accumulated by fulfilling certain objectives, such as signing into Miiverse and the eShop every week, linking Miitomo (Nintendo's new mobile game) to your Facebook account, and so on.

Among the first wave of rewards these points can be spent on are free games for Wii U or 3DS, discounts on games for those platforms, 3DS themes, and Miitomo items.

In terms of free games, Platinum points can be used to get the new Zelda: Twilight Princess-themed version of Nintendo Picross (1,000 points) or WarioWare: Touched (1,000). Most games cost Gold points, including Super Mario 64 (120), Donkey Kong Country Returns (320), or New Super Luigi U (240). You can also get a DLC pack for Pikmin 3 for 30 Gold points.

Game discounts encompass some more recent games, like Mario Kart 8 (20 percent off for 950 Platinum points), The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (40 percent off for 130 Gold points), and Ultimate NES Remix (40 percent off for 105 Gold points).

3DS themes are available for 200 Platinum points, which can also be used to earn Miitomo rewards like a Mario suit (250 points) or game tickets (starting at 85 points for one).

My Nintendo assumes Club Nintendo's place as the company's loyalty program (following its closure last year) but it's also intended to be more. My Nintendo is said to be "more than a traditional rewards program," having been positioned earlier this year as a "comprehensive service that rewards users for interacting with Nintendo products and services in a variety of ways."

The service launched in Japan today alongside Miitomo. They're expected to be available in North America and Europe by the end of March.