Tag: mobile gaming japan

Japan may lead the charge toward mobile games

Japan has long been a hub of activity in the game industry. The country is home to many of the world’s most acclaimed game development studios and publishers and has been a very prominent market for the game industry for years. In many cases, Japan has been the birth place of many of the trends that are being seen in the game industry today and the country may be on the frontlines of a major shift away from traditional gaming platforms toward mobile games.

Metaps reports publishers flocking to mobile games

According to Metaps, an Android monetization platform, a large number of Japanese game publishers are beginning to show strong interest in mobile games. These publishers have been taking note of the rising popularity of these games among consumers with smartphones and tablets. Part of the allure of mobile games has to do with the money that can be found in this sector. Consumers have shown their willingness to spend money on mobile games time and again, which itself has been more than enough encouragement for game developers and publishers to show more interest in the world of mobile games.

Trend could spread throughout the world

With Japanese publishers showing such extreme interest in mobile games, a number of new titles for mobile platforms are expected to enter the Japanese market in the near future. This trend may quickly spread to the rest of the world, especially as large publishers, such as Electronic Arts, have already expressed strong interest in mobile games of all kinds. If mobile games continue to grow in popularity among consumers, publishers are likely to begin pressuring developers to begin crafting mobile titles at a faster pace.

Mobile not likely to dethrone consoles

While mobile games are becoming significantly more popular, console games remain the staple of the game industry. Mobile games may eventually cut into the console market, but with a new generation of consoles on the horizon, this is not likely to take place within the next several years. Moreover, console makers are not blind to the opportunities that exist in the mobile space and have been working to make their traditionally stationary console systems more mobile friendly.

GREE and Yahoo Japan to launch new venture focused on mobile games

Mobile games giant GREE has announced it has been working with its partner Yahoo Japan  over the past several months to introduce a new take of social games into the Japanese market. GREE and Yahoo Japan joined forced in November 2012 and put a strong focus on addressing some of the demands that had emerged among consumers in Japan. Now, the two companies have announced that they will launch a joint venture in March, 2013, that aims to revolutionize social games and the way people play them.

Consumers show strong support for social games

Mobile games are very popular in Japan, especially those with strong social elements. Consumers have proven time and again that they enjoy various forms of social media, with Twitter and Facebook serving as examples for such interest. When it comes to gaming, consumers typically enjoy those that they can play with friends or, in some cases, complete strangers. These games attract interest because of they tend to create a community atmosphere that can be both competitive and welcoming to a wide range of consumers.

Venture will draw upon strength of GREE and Yahoo Japan

The new joint-venture is being called “GxYz,” though its name is likely to be changed in the future. Both GREE and Yahoo Japan have invested more than $2 million into the venture and is being designed to build upon the strength of both of its parent companies. The venture will take advantage of GREE’s strong presence in mobile games and Yahoo Japan’s user acquisition capabilities to help draw more attention to the social gaming business. The venture is suggested to open up new possibilities in the development of mobile games and help introduce new ideas to the industry.

Developers may help revolutionize the game industry with mobile games

The venture will be focused exclusively on the Japanese market. Japan has long held a very prominent position in the game industry, as many of the world’s most acclaimed development studios call the country home. These studios helped shape the early years of gaming and may help usher in a new generation of mobile games that could have a major impact on the game industry as a whole.