12.26.2013

Miraculous collaboration: Nameko and Tamagocchi sell tie-up game

This is miraculous collaboration for a pet upbringing game. Tamagocchi is a pioneer of the pet game, and new models are still released. Characters of Tamagocchi become anime and various goods, and it is very popular among young girls. Bandai combines the pioneer of the pet game with current popular character. This is "Namekocchi".



Current Tamagocchi becomes the cartridge system. When the girls attach cartridge parts called "Tama Deco Pierce" to the main body of Tamagocchi, they can enjoy various attached contents. Bandai releases Nameko version of Tama Deco Pierce in January, 2014.



Players can bring up characters of Tamagocchi of the Nameko version, pull a sacred lot and play a mini-games by using this. Nameko version of Tama Deco Pierce is 1,260yen(about 12USD).

12.19.2013

Glu Mobile tied up with Japanese mobile game company Colopl


Today, Colopl, one of the most successful Japanese mobile game company announced that they tied up with Glu Mobile. They release each other's mobile games in Japan and North America.

Colopl is still low in the popularity in foreign countries, but have been already known as one of the main mobile game companies in Japan. Originally they were known as a company of geolocation sosial game for futurephone "Colony Life(コロニーな生活)". It was still a popular game, but they started development of the game apps for smartphones in September, 2011. As a result, this strategy succeeded. Each their apps are high quality, and reputation is good. Particularly, quiz RPG "The World of Mystic Wiz" got the biggest success.



This has already broken through 15 million downloading only in Japan and gets 1 million downloading newly every two weeks. Furthermore, not only the Japanese version but also the Korean version and English version were released, and won game of the Year 2013 in Google Play Best of 2013. Now, the Japanese TV channels broadcast CM of this many times.


Colopl released some of their games by themself in foreign countries until now. However, they quicken the speed from now on in cooperation with Glu Mobile. On the other hand, they localize games of Glu Mobile for Japanese users and release them. This business tie-up is publishing-exchange of the games in the North America and Japan.

Japanese funny Flash anime Eagle Talon is broadcasted in the U.S.


Yesterday, Japanese Flash anime production company DLE entertainment announced the tie-up with U.S. TV company United Television Broadcasting Systems(UTB). They broadcast Flash anime Eagle Talon in UTB from the end of this week.

DLE is a pioneer of the Flash anime production in Japan. Particularly, Eagle Talon produced from 2006 is their masterpiece. It was shown at every place such as TV, Web and movie. Furthermore, It collaborated with contents of other companies, characters, companies, local governments and appeared in virtual worlds, social games, mobile games, smartphone apps.


Eagle Talon is an absurd comedy anime. Members of a weak secret society plotting world conquest create a funny disturbance every time. DLE has already established subsidiary DLE Amarica in the Silicon Valley, but goes into the U.S. market in earnest triggered by broadcast in UTB. Furthermore, they intend to carry out the development of the character business in the future.

12.18.2013

The end of Sekai: AR apps Sekai Camera is over in January


Yesterday, Japanese startup Tonchidot announced that they shut down AR apps "Sekai Camera" on January 22, 2014.


Sekai Camera debuted vividly in TechCrunch 50 of 2008. Sekai Camera became the topic with eccentric personality of former CEO Takahito Iguchi.




Sekai Camera was a pioneer of the Japanese smartphone AR apps. When an iOS version of this was released in September, 2009, many Japanese changed to iPhone from futurephone to use this. And the Sekai Camera iOS version broke through 100,000 downloading in four days after it was released. They were cool speed and numbers in those days. Afterwards, Many geolocation apps and AR apps were developed in Japan. Unfortunately they have been overtaken by rivals of the late departure, but Sekai Camera affected many startups.

By the way, what is Takahito Iguchi doing now? He resigns as Tonchidot CEO in December, 2011, establishes new company Telepathy and develops a wearable device Telepathy One.


12.17.2013

DeNA entered the education-related business

DeNA begins the business except the social game.

See Also:
DeNA released Japanese Manga apps for a global market


A new genre was added to them today. It is education. They released education business for children "Applizemi".



They offer a digital textbook to children through apps of Applizemi regularly. Of course their social game know-how is utilized in this, but it's not F2P. It's monthly subscription and charges are 980 yen every month. At first they contribute this in free of charge as a trial until June, 2014. They begin with national language, arithmetic and English digital texts for primary schoolchildren, and release the digital text of the junior high school and high school student in the future.

This is a Japanese traditional correspondence education. After a school was over, many Japanese children go to the private supplementary school, and even a correspondence education studies more at home. In addition, adults study for various qualification by a correspondence education, too. However, they are textbooks of the paper and sent to the home with a parcel every month. Now, It's the 21st century! :D All of them can replace with smartphone, tablet and apps. Probably DeNA aims at it.