Docomo teams with China Mobile to bring mobile games to Chinese consumers
NTT Docomo, one of the largest mobile operators in the world and the largest operator in Japan, has signed an agreement with China Mobile, a developer of mobile games. Through this agreement, Docomo will offer a localized version of its “d game” platform to the Chinese market. The platform is expected to make mobile games more available to consumers throughout the country. This is the first time that the d game platform is being used outside of Japan.
Docomo sees major promise in the mobile sector
Japan is one of the most active mobile markets in the world. Consumers throughout the country have access to and own mobile devices of various types. Many of these people use their devices to play mobile games. China boasts of a large consumer base that is interested in mobile gaming as well, a fact that has not been ignored by Docomo. Mobile games currently represent one of the most lucrative sectors of the game industry as a whole, encouraging companies like Docomo to expand their reach in the gaming as much as they can.
China Mobile to leverage the d game platform
China Mobile boasts of 700 million subscribers, all of whom will be exposed to Docomo’s d game platform in the coming weeks. Initially, 20 mobile games will be available on the platform for Chinese consumers. More games will be introduced to the platform over time, as more titles are localized. Non-game content can be found through the platform as well, some of which comes from well known Japanese game publishers Capcom, Konami, and Square Enix.
China Mobile and Docomo team to promote NFC technology
This is not the first time Docomo and China Mobile have joined forces. In February of this year, the two companies joined forces to launch an international NFC service. The service allows NFC readers developed by both companies to be sold by each company in their given market. The deal was meant to promote social interaction among gamers, as well as promote mobile commerce and information distribution in both China and Japan.
Console ban may soon be lifted due to performance of mobile gaming
For over a decade, China has been a very poor market for the game industry. Ten years ago, the Central Government issues a ban on the manufacture, sale, and import of game consoles. While this has not stopped gaming from being an influential force in China, the market has been relatively stagnate since the ban was introduced. This ban may soon be abolished, however, due in no small part to the influence China has had on the mobile gaming space.
Mobile gaming unabashed by console ban
While consoles have been banned in China for several years, mobile gaming is not restricted to traditional systems. Instead, mobile games are entirely based on devices like smart phones and tablets. Because these devices cannot be considered gaming consoles, they are not susceptible to the ban instituted by the Central Government. The clout that the country holds in the mobile gaming market has become massive, accounting for some $6.38 billion during the fourth quarter of 2012. Apple held the majority of the Chinese market in thrall during this period.
China may become a very promising market for game industry
If China decides to rescind its ban on consoles, the game industry may be in for a major shift. Game developers and publishers have been itching for an opportunity to enter into the market, which is considered an untapped field of massive promise. The world’s largest console makers, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, are eager to enter into the market for t he same reasons. While lifting the ban could be good news for the game industry, it may also open the way for a new force to emerge therein.
Lifting the ban could allow Chinese companies to reshape the industry
If the Central Government does lift the ban, Chinese companies will be able to develop and produce their own consoles. Given the fact that two of China’s largest smart phone developers have produced devices that rivaled the iPhone and Android devices in the fourth quarter of 2012, such companies may be able to introduce a console that could dethrone the industry’s traditional heavyweights. A more accommodating atmosphere for gaming could also attribute a major amount of momentum to the country’s mobile gaming market.
