By Dr. Serkan Toto – On Japan's Game Industry
It took a long time, but months after DeNA announced it has secured the talent of high-profile game maker Goichi Suda (aka Suda51), the first title is finally out. Available for Mobage on Android and in Japanese only, No More Heroes – World Ranker is marketed as a “social assassin...
If you thought that Japan’s online gaming industry solved the real-money trading (RMT) problem, think again: Japanese business daily The Nikkei yesterday ran a story on the phenomenon, pointing out that players sell off virtual items from hit game Dragon Quest X for real money. Dragon Quest X...
Gundam Royal, a social “space action” game offered on Mobage for feature phones and smartphones, now boasts 4 million registered users. Maker Namco Bandai released the title, which is based on Gundam, a super-popular Japanese anime series, in December 2010. Gundam Royal took 7 months to...
I have mentioned it multiple times in the past: the App Store and Google Play will see a flood of made-in-Japan card battle games in the next few weeks and months. Rage Of Bahamut, Dragon Collection, Deity Wars, Driland, or Dark Summoner were just the beginning. Now Tokyo-based (and listed) social...
LINE, NHN Japan’s super-popular social app, is getting another push in Japan. KDDI, the country’s second largest mobile carrier (around 35 million customers), announced it will take LINE into its so-called “au Smart Pass” service. That service makes it possible for...
I have been admiring the work of Hideo Kojima, the designer behind hit video game franchise Metal Gear, for years. And today, during an event in Tokyo to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the action-adventure series, Kojima took the stage with GREE CEO Yoshikazu Tanaka to announce the first social...
By Dr. Serkan Toto – On Japan's Game Industry