Tag: mobile games

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.

Report provides insight on the growth of mobile games around the world

Newzoo, a market research firm, has released a new report concerning the growth of mobile games throughout the world. Mobile gaming has become a very popular pastime for many consumers as well as a very influential force within the game industry. Consumers have shown their favor for mobile games because of their accessibility and ease of use, while game developers have taken a strong interest in mobile platforms because financial opportunities and the prospect of reaching a massive audience.

Mobile games market growth 33% in 2012

According to the report from Newzoo, there are now more than 500 million mobile gamers throughout the world. Together, these consumers have spent a total of $9 billion throughout 2012, growing the mobile games market by 33% over what it had been in 2011. Newzoo predicts that the market will continue to grow in the coming years due to the growing number of people purchasing smart phones and tablets.

Free-to-play games are most popular among consumers

The report notes that free games are, by far, the most popular among consumers. While free-to-play games have strong support, these mobile games do have monetization systems in place that can generate profit for their developers. Most free-to-play games offer special services or features that players have to pay for in order to access. In most cases, these features are not necessary to enjoy the game, but consumers tend to purchase these features anyway. These paid features, as well as in-game advertisements, provide developers with considerable profit despite the fact that their games are free-to-play.

Mobile payments revolve around gaming

Newzoo notes that the United Kingdom boasts of the highest number of consumers willing to pay money on mobile games, whether they are free-to-play or not. The U.S. has seen the most growth in the number of mobile gamers there are and U.S. gamers tend to spend more time on their mobile devices, according to the report. The report also notes that approximately 66% of all money spent through a mobile device goes toward gaming.