The competition between GREE and Mobage isn't the only game in town when it comes to social gaming platforms.

That's was the concept underpinning the talk at the Mobile Gaming Europe conference in London by GREE's VP of UK studio business operations Kyoto Matsushita.

As well as GREE and Mobage, there's Origin, Zynga, Facebook, Orku, Game Center, PlayStation Network and Xbox Live amongst others, Matsushita pointed out.

Each has a different focus, but each is attempting to solve the basic problems of user acquisition, engagement and retention.

"There is weak viral engagement for mobile games," Matsushita said. "This is what we're looking to solve."

One part of the process

Yet, she was keen to stress that platforms aren't a silver bullet for success.

"We have several games on GREE that are of high quality but haven't been updated regularly," she pointed out, adding that GREE won't make your game a success if you're not operating it correctly.

But if you are prepared to put in the hard work - and liaise with GREE, which offers plenty of consulting services - the potential benefits of a platform are obvious.

"On a platform like GREE, you get global distribution and cross promotion is easier," Matsushita pointed out.

Another advantage is that GREE runs a cross-platform currency, which effectively locks players into the platform, encouraging them to try other games on the platform..

Correctly used, these network effects will drive up your lifetime value, Matsushita ended.