Japanese social mobile platform GREE is bringing mobile to gaming's top table.

Its E3 show presence - a large booth that ranks alongside the likes of Take-Two and Konami in scale and location, plus its well organised opening day party - demonstrates the company's ambition.

And according to its SVP for platform Ethan Fassett, this is only the start.

The new seamless, global GREE platform is rolling out in a open beta, and the company is also highlighting its support from publishers such as Ubisoft, Gameloft and Konami.

"I think our story is pretty compelling," Fassett says of why large companies are keen to sign up for the platform.

"It's an easy decision for companies such as Ubisoft who are entering the mobile market."

Doing it best

When it comes to more experienced outfits such as Gameloft, who could be seen as competitors to GREE, he argues the platform play should be seen as being more cooperative than competitive.

"Who does platform best is the most important question. It's about revenue, but not just about revenue," he argues

"It's about user acquisition, which is difficult and costly. It's about engagement - gifting, friends invites, notifications etc so you don't have to re-acquire users, and it's about monetisation."

His point is that putting all these pieces together is a difficult task and one that most publishers aren't best placed to achieve. In this way, releasing games on GREE might be philosophically difficult for some, but as GREE has proved in Japan, it's actually a win-win situation.

Big beastsOf course, GREE's not the only platform play in town. There's its Japanese arch-rival DeNA, not to mention Zynga, while EA has its broader Origin technology.

"Zynga is going pretty aggressive into mobile, but the question is how quickly it can shift its focus from Facebook. And there's a mindshare issue of it being associated with Facebook," Fassett says.

"But, of course, it's a smart company with great games."

Equally, companies such as Facebook, Apple and Google also could impact in this sector, but for all of them, games are important but not key as they are for GREE.

"We like our positioning," Fassett says, with a certain amount of quiet confidence.

Covering all bases

By which he means that GREE has proven it can make a lot of money for companies that publish on its platform. In Japan, the top games on GREE can generate tens of millions of dollars per month.

"GREE is good at monetisation. Personally I've been very impressed," Fassett explains, adding that while he doesn't expect to see 'Japanese levels of monetisation' reflected globally that doesn't mean GREE can't improve on the current situation.

"And the mobile market is in huge flux," he adds.

Still, while the headlines will be focused on the big brands and the big bucks, Fassett is also keen to stress the platform team's heritage - built on the back of OpenFeint's indie friendly reputation - won't be cast aside.

After all, GREE bought the San Francisco start up partly for its technology but mainly for its relationships with thousands of developers.

"You need the big guys and marque titles to drive the platform and public awareness, but you also need the long tail," he says.

"Some games from indie developers will blow up into huge hits, like Tiny Wings. We'll continue to cater to the indies."