"Alright, guys, time-in." If the mobile social games space were a game of tag in the schoolyard, that's essentially what Japanese social game maker DeNA just said. The company announced that the ngmoco-powered Mobage platform for Western Android devices is out of open beta. Ngmoco CEO Neil Young said, "Mobage has come out of beta," according to GamesIndustry.biz.
Certainly an apt description of current events, but we'll take it. Since Mobage launched this July, the service hasn't enjoyed much success. Despite that, a number of games from Zombie Farm to We Rule already hit the top 25 on the Android Market while on Mobage. However, according to Young, that was just a test.
"The beta period allowed us to test, refine and prove the service, assuring a superb user experience with Mobage and our world-class suite of games," Young said. "We now start the process of scaling the service and it is great to already see our games ranking high in the charts."
A wild success or not, DeNA is already ahead of its arch nemesis, Gree. The competing Japanese mobile social game network has yet to release its OpenFeint-backed global games network, though it has said that it's coming ... in 2012. Of course, there's also the mighty Zynga to worry about, which might have a few mobile tricks up its sleeves with Project Z. It looks like we'll have to wait another year to see the mobile social games race pick up the pace.
Showing posts with label dena. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dena. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Gundam's giant fighting robots even bigger on Japan's Gree, DeNA
Just in case you haven't noticed, Japan kind of has a thing for gargantuan fighting robots. The incredible growth of mobile social games based on the popular Gundam franchise reflects this, as Gundam Masters by Gree has reached over 1 million players just over a month since its Sept. 1 release on Japanese mobile phones. Serkan Toto reports that the number breaks down to 1,262 players registered per hour since its launch.
Even more impressive is that the Gundam game available through DeNA's Mobage network, Gundam Royal, reached 1 million players in just six days when it launched in December of last year. According to Serkan Toto, the game now enjoys around 3 million players on the Mobage network, which just launched in China and across the English-speaking world through Ngmoco.
While these numbers certainly pale in comparison to, say, CityVille's meteoric growth going into 2011, there's likely more Gundam where this came from. DeNA just embarked on a joint venture with Bandai Namco, the company that holds the Gundam license, to make a 100 million yen joint studio project called BDNA Inc. And Serkan Toto reports that Bandai Namco is also working with competitor Gree to release four more mobile social games this year.
Mobile social games are clearly far bigger across the Pacific than they are in the U.S., but they're gaining traction in the western world as well. Several secret Zynga projects have been cropping up like Mafia Wars Shakedown and FarmVille Express. Not to mention companies like Capcom making major moves in the space with its Smurfs games. If 2011 was the year of social games, 2012 will certainly be the year of mobile social games.
[Via and Image Credit: The Next Web, Gunjap.net]
Do you think mobile social games are going to take off in the U.S. and abroad like they have in Japan? What social game are you dying to get to play on your mobile phone? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Even more impressive is that the Gundam game available through DeNA's Mobage network, Gundam Royal, reached 1 million players in just six days when it launched in December of last year. According to Serkan Toto, the game now enjoys around 3 million players on the Mobage network, which just launched in China and across the English-speaking world through Ngmoco.
While these numbers certainly pale in comparison to, say, CityVille's meteoric growth going into 2011, there's likely more Gundam where this came from. DeNA just embarked on a joint venture with Bandai Namco, the company that holds the Gundam license, to make a 100 million yen joint studio project called BDNA Inc. And Serkan Toto reports that Bandai Namco is also working with competitor Gree to release four more mobile social games this year.
Mobile social games are clearly far bigger across the Pacific than they are in the U.S., but they're gaining traction in the western world as well. Several secret Zynga projects have been cropping up like Mafia Wars Shakedown and FarmVille Express. Not to mention companies like Capcom making major moves in the space with its Smurfs games. If 2011 was the year of social games, 2012 will certainly be the year of mobile social games.
[Via and Image Credit: The Next Web, Gunjap.net]
Do you think mobile social games are going to take off in the U.S. and abroad like they have in Japan? What social game are you dying to get to play on your mobile phone? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Monday, October 3, 2011
No More Heroes creator to spit out three more Mobage social games
And only one of which will actually involve grasshoppers. Grasshopper Manufacture, the Japanese developer responsible for stylish, gory hardcore games like No More Heroes, revealed just before the Tokyo Game Show that it will release three mobile social games through the now-global Mobage network, Kotaku reports.
The first game to be released internationally under this new deal between the developer and DeNA, which runs the Mobage network with recent acquisition ngmoco, is Frog Minutes. The game already released in Japan back in March, so this will likely just be a localized version for Mobage on Android phones in the U.S. and abroad.
In Frog Minutes, players disturb parts of a forest scene to stir up various insects and feed them to frogs. The more quickly players do this, the higher their score will climb, it seems. Ribbeting, isn't it? (Sorry, couldn't resist.) Not much was revealed about Grasshopper Manufacture's other two Mobage projects other than their titles: Humans vs Zombies and Alien Busters.
The developer plans to show more of those games at a later date, according to Kotaku. Grasshopper Manufacture is placing big bets on social games with a mobile social version of No More Heroes, which designer Suda 51 said he hopes it will be bloodiest social game around.
While it's interesting to see a Japanese developer known for taking risks with unique games major consoles that (unfortunately) sell poorly hop into the low-risk, high-profit world of social gaming, it wasn't hard to see this one coming. And considering the effect social games has had on traditional American developers, we doubt this is the last news like this we'll hear from Japan.
Are you excited to see Grasshopper Manufacture go full-bore into social gaming? What other Japanese developers do you expect to see enter the space? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
The first game to be released internationally under this new deal between the developer and DeNA, which runs the Mobage network with recent acquisition ngmoco, is Frog Minutes. The game already released in Japan back in March, so this will likely just be a localized version for Mobage on Android phones in the U.S. and abroad.
In Frog Minutes, players disturb parts of a forest scene to stir up various insects and feed them to frogs. The more quickly players do this, the higher their score will climb, it seems. Ribbeting, isn't it? (Sorry, couldn't resist.) Not much was revealed about Grasshopper Manufacture's other two Mobage projects other than their titles: Humans vs Zombies and Alien Busters.
The developer plans to show more of those games at a later date, according to Kotaku. Grasshopper Manufacture is placing big bets on social games with a mobile social version of No More Heroes, which designer Suda 51 said he hopes it will be bloodiest social game around.
While it's interesting to see a Japanese developer known for taking risks with unique games major consoles that (unfortunately) sell poorly hop into the low-risk, high-profit world of social gaming, it wasn't hard to see this one coming. And considering the effect social games has had on traditional American developers, we doubt this is the last news like this we'll hear from Japan.
Are you excited to see Grasshopper Manufacture go full-bore into social gaming? What other Japanese developers do you expect to see enter the space? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
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