Miraculous collaboration: Nameko and Tamagocchi sell tie-up game

This is miraculous collaboration for a pet upbringing game. Tamagocchi is a pioneer of the pet game, and new models are still released. Characters of Tamagocchi become anime and various goods, and it is very popular among young girls. Bandai combines the pioneer of the pet game with current popular character. This is "Namekocchi".

Current Tamagocchi becomes the cartridge system. When the girls attach cartridge parts called "Tama Deco Pierce" to the main body of Tamagocchi, they can enjoy various attached contents. Bandai releases Nameko version of Tama Deco Pierce in January, 2014.

Players can bring up characters of Tamagocchi of the Nameko version, pull a sacred lot and play a mini-games by using this. Nameko version of Tama Deco Pierce is 1,260yen(about 12USD).

Glu Mobile tied up with Japanese mobile game company Colopl

Today, Colopl, one of the most successful Japanese mobile game company announced that they tied up with Glu Mobile. They release each other's mobile games in Japan and North America.

Colopl is still low in the popularity in foreign countries, but have been already known as one of the main mobile game companies in Japan. Originally they were known as a company of geolocation sosial game for futurephone "Colony Life(コロニーな生活)". It was still a popular game, but they started development of the game apps for smartphones in September, 2011. As a result, this strategy succeeded. Each their apps are high quality, and reputation is good. Particularly, quiz RPG "The World of Mystic Wiz" got the biggest success.

This has already broken through 15 million downloading only in Japan and gets 1 million downloading newly every two weeks. Furthermore, not only the Japanese version but also the Korean version and English version were released, and won game of the Year 2013 in Google Play Best of 2013. Now, the Japanese TV channels broadcast CM of this many times.


Colopl released some of their games by themself in foreign countries until now. However, they quicken the speed from now on in cooperation with Glu Mobile. On the other hand, they localize games of Glu Mobile for Japanese users and release them. This business tie-up is publishing-exchange of the games in the North America and Japan.

Japanese funny Flash anime Eagle Talon is broadcasted in the U.S.

Yesterday, Japanese Flash anime production company DLE entertainment announced the tie-up with U.S. TV company United Television Broadcasting Systems(UTB). They broadcast Flash anime Eagle Talon in UTB from the end of this week.

DLE is a pioneer of the Flash anime production in Japan. Particularly, Eagle Talon produced from 2006 is their masterpiece. It was shown at every place such as TV, Web and movie. Furthermore, It collaborated with contents of other companies, characters, companies, local governments and appeared in virtual worlds, social games, mobile games, smartphone apps.


Eagle Talon is an absurd comedy anime. Members of a weak secret society plotting world conquest create a funny disturbance every time. DLE has already established subsidiary DLE Amarica in the Silicon Valley, but goes into the U.S. market in earnest triggered by broadcast in UTB. Furthermore, they intend to carry out the development of the character business in the future.

The end of Sekai: AR apps Sekai Camera is over in January

Yesterday, Japanese startup Tonchidot announced that they shut down AR apps "Sekai Camera" on January 22, 2014.

Sekai Camera debuted vividly in TechCrunch 50 of 2008. Sekai Camera became the topic with eccentric personality of former CEO Takahito Iguchi.




Sekai Camera was a pioneer of the Japanese smartphone AR apps. When an iOS version of this was released in September, 2009, many Japanese changed to iPhone from futurephone to use this. And the Sekai Camera iOS version broke through 100,000 downloading in four days after it was released. They were cool speed and numbers in those days. Afterwards, Many geolocation apps and AR apps were developed in Japan. Unfortunately they have been overtaken by rivals of the late departure, but Sekai Camera affected many startups.

By the way, what is Takahito Iguchi doing now? He resigns as Tonchidot CEO in December, 2011, establishes new company Telepathy and develops a wearable device Telepathy One.

DeNA entered the education-related business

DeNA begins the business except the social game.

See Also:
DeNA released Japanese Manga apps for a global market


A new genre was added to them today. It is education. They released education business for children "Applizemi".

They offer a digital textbook to children through apps of Applizemi regularly. Of course their social game know-how is utilized in this, but it's not F2P. It's monthly subscription and charges are 980 yen every month. At first they contribute this in free of charge as a trial until June, 2014. They begin with national language, arithmetic and English digital texts for primary schoolchildren, and release the digital text of the junior high school and high school student in the future.

This is a Japanese traditional correspondence education. After a school was over, many Japanese children go to the private supplementary school, and even a correspondence education studies more at home. In addition, adults study for various qualification by a correspondence education, too. However, they are textbooks of the paper and sent to the home with a parcel every month. Now, It's the 21st century! :D All of them can replace with smartphone, tablet and apps. Probably DeNA aims at it.

Everything becomes cutey in Japan. Even if it is Unity

Unity is a giant of the multi-platform game developement tool. Of course there are many users in Japan. So Unity Technologies established Unity Japan in 2011. And they just began Japan's original development. They are Moe(萌え) and personification of Unity. They provide Japanese original character Unity-Chan to users gratis in 2014.

Unity-Chan("Chan" is familiar title affixed to people's names via Wiktionary) is a free asset and developers can use her for game development. Of course she is not simple asset. She is person that it is like a mascot character of Unity. She has detailed setting and voice.

Real name: Kohaku ootori(大鳥こはく)
Birth date: August 13
Blood type: AO
Favorite food: Curry croquette
Voice actor: Asuka Kakumoto

Her debut is Comic Market 85(Comiket) held in Tokyo Big Sight in 29-31, December. It's the world's biggest Otaku event, and Unity exhibits a booth in these companies area. They sell limited goods of Unity-Chan and appeal to a large number of Otaku for her.

I would like to know the comment of David Helgason about this :)

Japan got romance sim which fall in love with a printer at last

A strange game was born again from Japan. It's an ad-game of home-appliance maker brother. The title is "Burao in love". Well, it's romance sim for women, and Burao is printer!

Burao said, "Nice to meet you, my name is Bura Burao. My hobby is futsal. My favorite ink is magenta."

Burao changes its clothes(?).

"Take that! Flying over-head scanner cover shoot!!!"

Unfortunately this is only Japanese support, we can play about ten minutes willingly.

Cyber Agent's new romance sim became the topic because of the bug

On December 13, Cyber Agent released new romance sim "Boyfriend(Provisional)" in their mobile game platform Ameba. This is a simulation game to meet various boys in high school life, and to find an ideal boyfriend. Characters gain voices and popular famous voice actors more than 30 play them. It became the topic very well, and 150,000 users registered at a prior registration stage.

It should have originally become the screen such as these.

However, after release, it was such screens that users saw.

:D :D :D

Layers are out of order!

This became the topic of an unfavorable kind for Cyber Agent, but much Web media wrote an article about this. As a result, this became the effective promotion! :)

Why Angry Birds can't get popularity in Japan?

Unfortunately, Angry Birds is not popular in Japan. There are very few kinds of sold goods, and it is difficult to find them in downtown and shops. When I tell this to foreign people, they are surprised. However, this is a fact. Angry Birds is one of the contents to realize the difference between Japan and overseas market. Why? The main problem is that there are a lot of rivals of Angry Birds. Too many mobile games and too many characters…

Now, their biggest rival of the character of  mobile game is Nameko. In addition, LINE characters are tough like this, too.

In fact, Japan resembles Finland. At first, the area of the country is the almost same. 80% of the country are the forest, don’t have underground resources and nations love mobile. However, Japan has a big difference. It’s population. Population of 125 million produces mobile games and characters and to consume. Well, Japan has a closed specific market.
I think that the reason is not only it.

I live in farm village in Yokote city, Akita now. Most of the inhabitants are old people of poor farmers, and they don't have the knowledge of the mobile game at all, and don't have the preconception for Finland, too(In the first place, they don't know where Finland exists either). I showed them Angry Birds. Unexpectedly their impression for characters were very good. They said "Funny face!". However, their reaction changed completely when I let them play a game. They said in this way, “What a cruel game!”, “I feel sorry for the birds and piggies!”.

Needless to say, Japan is Hentai big country. There are a lot of more cruel, weird and bizarre games. However, many Japanese adults have a feeling of repulsion to “Aerial ramming”. This was the same in Tokyo. When Rovio Japan started, they held an event in Apple Store Ginza and a businessman asked them a question in Q and A time, "After having attacked pigs, what happens to them? Do they die?". I did not see such a question until now in overseas sites. I told this to the American friend who lived in Tokyo. Then he answered, "It's natural! Aerial ramming is Kamikaze(Kamikaze Suicide Attack) for the Japanese!".

via Wikipedia "Kamikaze"

This was an unexpected viewpoint. Surely, Japanese may have a bad impression toward Aerial ramming because of Kamikaze Suicide Attack. Most of generations who experienced WW II already died, but the subsequent generation learns WW II and how was Japan of those days foolish in books, TV programs, movies, etc... In those processes, a Japanese may dislike Aerial ramming under unconsciousness. It's right "imprinting".

Then what kind of measures should Rovio Japan take in future to let Angry Birds be popular in Japan?

1. Focusing for small kids 

Fortunately, Angry Birds is already popular among Japanese kids. Most of participants of the sketch event that they held in Tokyo in last month were children of kindergarteners. Furthermore, they do not have the preconception because they do not yet know WW II.

See Also:

Rovio held a drawing event of Angry Birds in Tokyo and it was popular among kids

2. Don't be angry, let's laugh

They cooperated with popular mobile game Puzzle & Dragons of GungHo last month, and birds laughed there. It was very popular with Japanese Puzzle & Dragons fans.

See Also:
Collaboration of Angry Birds and Puzzle & Dragons began today

3. Leave "Aerial ramming"

Fortunately too, racing game Angry Birds Go! was just released and many Japanese game and  apps media wrote articles about this. Japanese gamers are used to a comical race game because of the Mario cart series(Besides, Nintendo does not yet have an intention to go into a smartphone market). Angry Birds Go! may give Japanese people a new impression of Angry Birds.

DeNA CEO Moriyasu talked about a hard fight of DeNA in TV program

DeNA CEO Isao Moriyasu appeared in Japanese business TV program Nikkei Plus 10 only a few minutes ago. The theme of the program was "the social game has a hard fight". Very biting :)

MCs commented, "The social games of Mobage of DeNA were very popular before. However, all current Japanese youths have a smartphone, and they play game apps of LINE GAME or Puzzle & Dragons." MC asked comment to Moriyasu about this.(Very biting :D)

Moriyasu said, "The cause that we have a hard fight is difference between futurephone and smartphone." "We were behind with smartphone measures. Smartphone shift advanced faster than our expectation in Japan." "Puzzle & Dragons, Clash of Clans, Candy Crush Saga are good games. We wanted to develop these earlier :)" "We develop 60 new games in Japan and 20 new games in foreign countries from now on. There may be too many them. However, all games do not make a hit. These are numbers including them." "Our e-comic apps "Manga Box" is popular. We have already broken through 100,000 downloading."

Probably DeNA makes efforts in new game for smartphones development  and starts service except the game. Provides various services centering on a game … It resembles a strategy of the messaging apps. Messaging apps provides various services centering on a message. That reminds me DeNA releases a lot of  casual game apps and action game apps recently. They are genres of popularity on a game platform of the messaging apps. DeNA may consider LINE to be a rival.

Big in Japan: LINE sticker of Moomin broke through 6 million downloading in one week

LINE provides many free stickers as well as paid stickers. A lot of stickers which cooperated with companies are included in them. Last week, Japanese cosmetics brand Orbis carried out the promotion using the free sticker of Finnish character Moomin. They offered free Moomin sticker to LINE users who added their official LINE  account as friends. It made a big success. The free sticker of Moomin broke through 6 million downloading in only one week.

Moomin is very popular in Japan. Because Anime of Moomin were produced originally in Japan, many goods are still sold in fancy goods shops, and Moomin cafes are always full. Speaking of a Finnish character in Japan, it is Moomin than Angry Birds.

According to the press release of Orbis, the free Moomin stickers were used more than 30 million times. All these are numbers only in Japan. The most popular design was Hattifnatt. LINE users liked that they were expressionless and had a wineglass.

I think the stickers of the messaging apps can become the new platform to introduce a character to abroad. The LINE sticker has already played role.

Cygames starts a radio show of Rage of Bahamut

Japanese social game developer and publisher Cygames stimulates cross media development of their mobile game "Rage of Bahamut". They published art books, sold goods and sexy figures, and they start the Internet radio program.

This is broadcasted in Internet radio HiBiKi Radio Station on 12:00 every week from December 11. MC are popular voice actor Shota Aoi and Ayumi Tsuji. This is an important element, because voice actors are very popular in Japan. Cygames added voices to characters of Rage of Bahamut Jp ver. Because voices of voice actors have value in Japan, they contribute to the acquisition of the active users.

Google started sale of Google Gift Card in Japan

Google Japan announced that they started sale of Google Gift Card in Japan from today. This is the sixth place following US, the U.K., France, Germany, Canada.

Kinds of a cards sold in Japan are 1,500 yen, 3,000 yen, 5,000 yen, 10,000 yen, 15,000 yen and 20,000 yen. There are very many and easy to buy them! They are sold in Seven-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart, Circle K Sunkus, MINISTOP, three F of main convenience stores, Aeon and Ito-Yokado of the department store, and Don Quixote of the discount store. I think this to be a good news for Android users of the teenager. What do they use a virtual currency for? Of course they are a game apps and LINE stickers! :)

Like the SnapChat? Japanese startup Cocone released Messaging apps "TonTon" where a message disappears

Unfortunately SnapChat does not have popularity at all in Japan. However, the messaging apps that resembled it was released. It is "TonTon"(iOS/Android). TonTon is service of Japanese startup Cocone, and the system is very simple.

At first, when user's registration, the phone number is not necessary. Only by the setting the user name and it's completed in only five seconds.

The most important function is automatic removal of messages. It's like images of SnapChat. All messages disappear from the both sides of a sender and the addressee in constant time.

In addition, there are no stickers in TonTon. This is rare for Japanese messaging apps. There is a function to tell a friend about one's existence by a knock in substitution for it. This is an origin of the service names of TonTon. "Ton-Ton" means a knock in Japanese onomatopoeic word.

Cocone explains this is the service that is easier than other messaging apps. Surely other precedence messaging apps(ex LINE) more many functionalize it. TonTon focus on a momentary chat.