U Turn
Nintendo signs deal with DeNA to bring Mario and other IP to mobile
Will also operate open online service
The Next Puzzle
Hall of Fame: Kazuki Morishita
GungHo Online CEO on bringing people joy
This Good Takes
Sega's investment wasn't about the cash, it was about Japan, says Space Ape
Toby Moore on a strategic move
New Networks
Sega buys Demiurge Studios and invests in Space Ape and Ignited Artists
Big push into mobile
Alternate Worlds
DeNA talks Protocol Zero, its stealthy entry into the world of VR gaming
Designing for the spherical environment
All About Mii
Still wary of mobile gaming, Nintendo announces Mii mobile app
No plans to launch Nintendo classics on mobile
Research Cash
Metaps raises $36 million to research smarter AI for better UA
Goal to become the world's brain
Tough Times
DeNA still in transition with FY14 Q3 revenues down 4%
But coin sales on the up
Bubble M&a
Four years on, GREE writes off $75 million from its OpenFeint acquisition
Also drops $78 million from Pokelabo deal
Joining The Dots
LINE looks to partner with mobile game devs in Taiwan and Thailand
Building presence in its #1 markets
Fantasy Land
CyberAgent Q1 FY15 sales up 4% to $119 million
Profit growth of 39% predicted for the year
Light Up
Mobcast buys Lumines and Meteos for mobile reinvention
Pieces of the puzzle
Force Multipler
Terra Battle punches above its weight in France and Japan
Top grossing on 1.5 million downloads
Deal
Tencent and Aiming sign mutual game distribution deal in China and Japan
Best of both worlds
Payments
Updated: LINE Pay to launch soon for digital and real-world purchases
Following Apple and Google into wallet business
Monster Strike finally snatches Japanese #1 top grossing spot from Puzzle & Dragons
Report reveals the winds of change in Japan's app charts
Interview
As UA extends from launch into lifecycle, you need sharper analytics, says Adjust's Japanese MD
Shawn Bonham on the influence of re-engagement
Interview
Chorus' Shin Kanaoya questions, Who are you making your game for?
What to expect at PG Connects London 2015
Bright Sparks
Nexon sees FY14 Q3 mobile revenues up 41% to $88 million
Japan still down, but Korea on the up
Deal
French media outfit Ankama acquires Wizcorp for its HTML5 expertise
Japanese company's smarts impress
Financials
LINE Corp sees FY14 Q3 revenue up 17% to $210 million
Active user base totals 170 million
Chart Of The Week
RPGs take top grossing share from card-collection games on Japanese Google Play charts
Metaps marks the changes
Deal
GREE agrees publishing partnership with carrier KDDI
The power of two
Data
Final Fantasy's Sakaguchi first F2P game Terra Battle hits 500,000 downloads
Pushing the social aspect
LINE expands its vision with native iPad app
The next 70 million
Deal
Passing the baton: GREE sets up a joint venture to make games for LINE
Social platform wins over games platform
DeNA drops Mobage branding
Simplifies its approach
Video
DeNA on why western best practices don't work in Asia
Kenji Kobayashi on acting local
Pocket Gamer and App Annie light up the Tokyo night with VIP-studded TGS party
Japanese mobile gaming glitterati were out in force at Ele Tokyo
Jobs
Wooga hires ex-LINE game man to run new Japan office
Heading east
Square Enix launches Dive In game streaming service in Japan
How to get Final Fantasy VII on your mobile
Jobs
Adjust appoints ex-Upsight exec Shawn Bonham to head up APAC expansion
Japan and South East Asia on target
Sponsored Feature
Metaps on why you should come to Tokyo Game Show and bring your mobile game to Japan
Learn more at Metaps' Tokyo Mobile Game Night
On the back of Japanese app success, Disney sells 1.6 million Tsum Tsum plushies
Cute sells
Chart Of The Week
Chart of the Week: How GungHo stole the Japanese mobile game industry from DeNA and GREE
Times they are a'changing
Financials
With FY14 sales down 27% to $1.2 billion, GREE pivots, switching 700 staff to native games
Too much, too late?
Financials
Despite ongoing business reset, Square Enix sees game sales up 103% to $373 million
Dragon Quest Monster Super Light strong in Japan
Financials
DeNA's platform approach hits global competition with FY14 Q1 revenue down 37% to $278 million
International business drops 50%
Financials
Namco Bandai posts FY15 Q1 game sales of $397 million
Financials
Mobile provides 'steady growth' as Konami sees FY15 Q2 game revenue up 2% to $201 million
Sales still heavily Japan-centric
Financials
Sega Sammy sees FY15 Q1 game revenue rise 13% to $211 million
Looking to Chain Chronicle for future sparkle
Financials
Capcom sees FY15 Q1 mobile sales drop 26% to $14 million
Looking to Asia for future growth
Financials
GungHo hits 'peak' Puzzle & Dragons as FY14 Q2 sales drop 11% to $440 million
What's next?
Financials
Koei Tecmo sees FY15 Q1 online and mobile game sales up 18% to $16 million
Driving majority of company income
Investment
With IPO rumours mounting, Gumi raises $49 million and hooks up with Sega for US invasion
Japanese publisher gains momentum
MarvelousAQL rebrands. Now just Marvelous
Drops the AQL
Friend & Foe: The Last Guardian devs embark on a great indie adventure
Tokyo bound
Pg Connects
Looking to crack Japan? Don't stress over localisation, says Metaps
Looking for perfection highlights imperfection, says McCarthy
Sponsored Feature
Metaps on bringing its Android-focused Japanese success to the west
We help our partners make a lot of money
Deal
Metaps buys market intelligence outfit App Data Bank
Japanese consolidation for smarts