Mobile gaming is set to get new, worldwide impetus after Japanese mobile social gaming network GREE revealed details of its upcoming global platform that is set to launch in the second quarter of 2012.
GREE, which first announced plans for the service last month, has released specific details of GREE Global Platform, its “fully borderless” service for international gamers. It will feature single sign-on — allowing gamers to play across a range of supported devices — with a global payment system in place for subscriptions and in-network purchases, although games themselves are free.
The company says “out-of-network cross promotional opportunities” will give developers and advertisers the opportunity to market titles on the service, with in-built analytics to monitor usage.
The new platform will make GREE’s free-to-play games — which are available for iOS and Android users — open to an international audience for the first time, and the company estimates it has 150 million registered gamers.
Quoted in the company’s media statement, Yoshikazu Tanaka, CEO and Founder of GREE, points to the significance of the firm’s international focus as it seeks to reach one billion users:
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This new GREE platform continues to show the commitment we have to building a truly global, free-to-play ecosystem for mobile developers. GREE worldwide has the largest cross-platform network and this is a step closer to our goal of reaching one billion users.
DeNA, GREE’s chief rival and fellow Japanese social gaming network, is also taking steps to develop a worldwide service after recently inking a deal to explore business opportunities in Europe. Both companies have been involved in a ‘land grab’ which has seen them announce of announcements — including new offices, partnerships deals and more — in markets across the world, as both continue to take their services to new audiences.
Mobile gaming is already massive in Japan and, thanks to the upcoming GREE Global Platform and DeNA’s continued global focus through its Mobage platform, the genre looks set to increase its exposure across the rest of the world next year.
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