Nintendo has confirmed that its first foray into the free-to-play market will be a game based on the 3DS launch title Steel Diver.

The company has been discussing for some months its plans to develop its first ever free-to-play title, but in an interview with IGN, Shigeru Miyamoto revealed that it will be based on the submarine combat sim.

Few other details were divulged, other than that the game will not be a mere port of the 2011 3DS title, and will include a four-player battle mode. It was not revealed whether the title is being developed for 3DS or Wii U, nor was it discussed exactly what kind of pricing model it will take. It could incorporate numerous micro-transactions, for instance, or it could leverage some sort of subscription model.

Whilst it may appear to be a rather obscure choice of franchise to turn to, Steel Diver actually has plenty of history as Nintendo's experimentation horse. It first appeared to the public as a Nintendo DS tech-demo designed to show off the usage of two screens. It was not until the 3DS launch that it actually released as a full game - this time pushed to demonstrate the stereoscopic 3D abilities of the new handheld. This then will be the third time the franchise is used to show off a new Nintendo concept.