Nintendo's first mobile game is named Miitomo and is available for smartphones running Apple and Google operating systems. The smartphone app has already climbed to the top of Japanese iOS charts during the first day of the game's availability. In fact, the social app has bumped Japan's most popular messaging app to number two on the country's popularity chart.

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Japan Times reports that Nintendo's first mobile game knocked the messaging app Line to No. 2 on the list of Japan's most downloaded apps. It is based on data collected by market research firm App Annie, according to GameSpot.

Nintendo spokesperson Yasuhiro Minagawa did not provide any specific figures about how many times Miitomo has been downloaded. However, he said the mobile game has had a good start.

Jefferies Group LLC analyst Atul Goyal told Japan Times that the rankings show Nintendo is important in the smartphone age. Goyal explains that Miitomo can be a platform for providing Nintendo content and maybe third-party content in the future.  

Miitomo was launched in Japan on March 17, Thursday but a release for Western countries has not been announced yet. The game lets users make and customize Mii characters that can sync up with other players like a feature on Nintendo's Wii and Wii U gaming consoles.  

After a smartphone or tablet owner creates a Mii they can share it with other app users who can then ask questions about the custom-built character.   

Meanwhile, Miifotos allows Mii characters to be added to pictures from a mobile phone's image gallery. The photos can then be shared on social networks.   

Miitomo also includes an in-game shop where players use Miitomo Coins to buy items such as extra clothing. The Coins themselves can be earned through gameplay or purchased using real money.

Nintendo plans to launch five smartphones games by 2017. They will all be free and created with the direction of Mario Kart producer Hideki Konno.

In related news a leaked image of the Nintendo NX controller recently showed up on the web. However, it seems to be fake and might include a Photoshopped image from an Unreal Engine tech demo, according to Techno Buffalo.