DeNA and ngmoco launch mobile social gaming platform Mobage world

Dr. Serkan Toto is currently working as the first and only Asian-based writer for the TechCrunch network, mainly covers with Japan technology and Web companies for TechCrunch, CrunchGear and MobileCrunch. Serkan also works full-time as an independent Internet and mobile industry consultant with a focus on the Japanese market. He is Saint lingual, holds an MBA and a doctorate in economics. Serkan ... ? Read More

Whether the world is ready for mobile social gaming revolution? Apparently, the Tokyo-based Dena, a company that makes $ 1.3 billion a year just by offering mobile games for users of the Japanese cellular phone and acquired by ngmoco for $ 400 million in December to think so. DeNA/ngmoco released in English (and Chinese) version of Mobage, his successful Japanese mobile social gaming platform on Android yesterday.

Think of Mobage like Facebook and Zynga rolled into one, but

-available exclusively to mobile phones (PC version)
-the first and third-party games (DeNA/ngmoco himself makes games too)
and virtual social graph instead of real (most of your friends will probably be strangers, as in the Japanese version)

The platform is completely new, stand-alone social network with focus on mobile games and its own virtual currency MobaCoin – and now ngmoco is designed to replicate the success of the DeNA seen in Japan (where the company boasts 30 million users) at the global level.

Mobage in English ("Mobage global") originally oriented Android users in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. A Chinese version ("Mobage China") was launched through the local Office of the Corporation DeNA, as well as "Japan", she Mobage is not associated with a global platform.

On Mobage English players can choose between different items from the get-go (i.e., Pocket God, and so on we rule the Earth, the Zoo, paper toss – see the full list here), with more than 100 additional games in development at the present time.

Much like Zynga, the business model is to offer most of the games for free and money through the sale of virtual goods. As hinted at above, this model works very well for DeNA in Japan, where the company is currently listed at $ 7.6 billion capitalization (you read that right).

Future plans for DeNA ngmoco include more names, iOS version Mobage and expansion of the global market more Mobage. Competitor GREE (another power of the Tokyo-based mobile social gaming, recently acquired Openfeint for $ 104 million) is expected to make a push in the United States market soon, too (that the company opened an Office in California in January of this year).

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Ngmoco and AT&T partner to bring Android users social gaming platform Mobage

Leena Rao is currently working as a writer for TechCrunch. She recently finished graduate school of the Medill School of journalism at Northwestern University, where she studied business journalism and videography. From 2004 to 2007 she helped lead efforts for advocacy and community relationships Congressman Carloyn Maloney in New York. She graduated from Columbia University in 2003 where it was ... ? Read More

AT&T and mobile social gaming company ngmoco, which is owned by the Japanese gaming giant DeNA, has just announced a major agreement to bring social gaming platform Mobage clients for Android AT&T.

According to the release of Mobage will serve as a platform for users of Android AT&T to detect and play games, and connect and communicate with other players around the world. AT&T said that the agreement is the first of its kind between ngmoco and United States wireless carrier.

AT&T customers will be able to find Mobage application conveniently at the Android market, where they can easily access the full catalog of Mobage names, as well as contact with the entire community of mobile social gaming Mobage.

Tokyo-based Dena, making $ 1.3 billion a year, acquired the ngmoco for $ 400 million last year. Mobage launched worldwide last week, the platform is a stand-alone social network with focus on mobile games and includes its own virtual currency MobaCoin. Platform offers most of the games free of charge and monetizes through sale of virtual goods. As my colleague Serkan Toto wrote last week, the English first Mobage aims to Android users in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Ultimately, Ngmoco has plans to roll out Mobage for users of iOS.

AT&T has also worked with Zynga to provide custom games and content to the customer of the carrier.

ngmoco ("next generation mobile company") the creation and production of games for the iPhone. CEO Neil Young is a former Executive from Electronic Arts, where he led the development of ...

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