Having already vowed to 'shake up' mobile gaming with the 'bloodiest social game ever' in the form of a Mobage-focused developer collective, Goichi Suda's decision to serve up exclusive titles for the platform doesn't exactly come out the blue.
What we didn't previously know, however, was Grasshopper Manufacture and DeNA had signed a deal that will see a series of exclusive games hitting the platform in the years ahead.
Company capers
Indeed, as part of the deal, Grasshopper and DeNA will form a new company provisionally dubbed Grasshopper Social Network that will deliver Grasshopper mobile games to the platform both in Japan and what's currently billed as "other markets".
"Our new venture with DeNA will allow us to explore creative ways to bring Grasshopper Manufacture's universe to a new world of players," said Grasshopper CEO Suda, better known as Suda51.
"Mobage's world-class entertainment network and the power of social mobile games will unlock new types of experiences for our fans."
The new company will officially kick off in November, both parties have revealed, with Grasshopper's existing mobile resources transferred to the firm, while the first game to be released will be a mobile version of No More Heroes.
Global game?
Interestingly, however, the move appears to be one designed to solidfy Mobage's position in Japan, rather than expand its footprint in the west where early reports have suggested it is struggling.
Nonetheless, DeNA director and executive producer Kenji Kobayashi claims Suda51's releases have global appeal.
"We are very excited to expand our Mobage catalog with great games from new genres," said Kobayashi.
"We are especially eager to deliver the creative magic of Suda51 to Mobage users worldwide."
[source: DeNA]
News
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.
Top Stories
News
10 hours, 49 minutes ago
Pocket Worlds’ Highrise surpasses 40 million users as it unveils new development tools
Feature
Mar 25th, 2024
5 takeaways from GDC 2024: The games industry reckons with key challenges, Godot competes with Unity, and AI was the big trend without the big announcements
Feature
Mar 25th, 2024
Hot Five: Epic’s app store plans, Turkey’s tax exemptions, and Call of Duty Warzone: Mobile finally releases globally
Events
Mobidictum Network Lisbon April 2024 | Europe | Apr 16th |
HIT Games Conference Istanbul 2024 | Apr 18th | |
App Promotion Summit London | Europe | Apr 25th |
Dubai GameExpo Summit 2024 | Middle East | May 1st |
Mobidictum Meetup Berlin May 2024 | Europe | May 7th |
Mobidictum Meetup Tallinn May 2024 | Europe | May 21st |
Israel Mobile Summit 2024 | Middle East | Jun 6th |
Mobidictum Meetup Barcelona September 2024 | Europe | Sep 1st |
Popular Stories
Feature
Mar 25th, 2024
5 takeaways from GDC 2024: The games industry reckons with key challenges, Godot competes with Unity, and AI was the big trend without the big announcements
Interview
Mar 22nd, 2024