Nintendo's next mobile game lands on Android Feb 2 [update]

Update: A tweet from Nintendo's main Twitter account has clarified that Fire Emblem will launch for both Android and iOS on the quoted date of February 2. Hooray!

Original story: Nintendo is following quickly behind the launch of Super Mario Run with another mobile title from its coveted IP. Instead of focusing on turning a popular game into a weird, single-hand mobile spin, we're getting a strategy game backed by a rich heritage. The next game will be Fire Emblem: Heroes, and based on current information it seems like iOS will be getting it first once again — thankfully Android won't be far behind, if at all.

Fire Emblem isn't one of the Nintendo franchises that sets the whole world ablaze like Zelda, Mario, or even Kirby, but its following is still massive. Bringing this world to mobile as a grid-style strategy game makes a lot of sense, as these games typically encourage users to sit and play for hours on end. What Heroes brings to mobile is an impressive online component, allowing you to put your armies against your friends to see which is the better tactical mind.

Nintendo has set a February 2 launch date for Fire Emblem: Heroes on Android, which seems to be later than the launch of "soon" for iOS simply based on Nintendo's history of making hitting Apple's platform a priority — expect Apple to have the exclusive for just a bit, but thankfully it won't be months this time around. Like before, you can pre-register to grab the game from its Play Store listing right here.

Russell Holly

Russell is a Contributing Editor at Android Central. He's a former server admin who has been using Android since the HTC G1, and quite literally wrote the book on Android tablets. You can usually find him chasing the next tech trend, much to the pain of his wallet. Find him on Facebook and Twitter