Complete Gacha cancellation rush

I write about the "Complete Gacha" disturbance of Japanese social game industry this week.

Japanese Government regulates the virtual goods system of Japanese social game
Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency regulates denies news
GREE and KLab announced the comment for the news of the "Complete Gacha" regulation
Seven Japanese major social game companies abolish Complete Gacha

There was new movement today, too. Today, Main social game developers announced the Complete Gacha cancellation all at once. Crooz, Bandai Namco, gloops, Cave, A team, KONAMI, gumi, Voltage, etc, etc......

The contents of their release are about the same all.

• All the Complete Gacha will be stopped by May 31 
• New Complete Gacha will not be offered from now on
• Complete Gacha stop does not affect achievements 

However, the people of the social game industry say in Twitter. "Although voluntary rule decision was discussed all together, the mass media broke the flow". The mass media, such as television and a newspaper, have reported Complete Gacha all at once. However, the most of the news contents are wrong. They do not understand what Complete Gacha is. On the contrary, they do not seem to understand a social game, RMT, the virtual economy either. By the way, Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency does not yet announce the official release.

Seven Japanese major social game companies abolish Complete Gacha

The situation suddenly unfolds.

 Today, NHN Japan, GREE, CyberAgent, DeNA, dwango and mixi announced the press release to abolish Complete Gacha jointly. On the other hand, social game developer KLab announced the press release same as it, too. They cancel Complete Gacha of the social games which they offer now by May 31. In addition, they do not provide new Complete Gacha from now on either.
via http://www.nhncorp.jp/press/files/PRESS_20120509181104.pdf(PDF)

They chose self-imposed control rather than regulated by the government. However, Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency does not yet announce a dictum about Complete Gacha. Only medias raise a clamor.

See Also:
Japanese Government regulates the virtual goods system of Japanese social game
Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency regulates denies news
GREE and KLab announced the comment for the news of the "Complete Gacha" regulation

GREE and KLab announced the comment for the news of the "Complete Gacha" regulation

I wrote it about the news that Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency might regulate "Complete Gacha".
Japanese Government regulates the virtual goods system of Japanese social game

However, Consumer Affairs Agency denied the news. And they do not yet announce the official release.
Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency regulates denies news

Meanwhile, GREE and KLab, one of the Japanese popular social game developers announced the comment for this news.

GREE CEO Yoshikazu Tanaka said, "We understand this matter. if Consumer Affairs Agency points it out about Complete Gacha, we listen to it earnestly and strive for improvement in use environment." "In the growth of the future social game, Complete Gacha is not absolutely necessary. There is not the influence to the basic of the business even if we abolished this. We provide another service and increase sales."
via http://www.4gamer.net/games/136/G013654/20120508068/

KLab announced the press release immediately on the next day of the news. They said, "We make efforts in the social element such as the team battle and develop a game. The social game regarded as a social problem makes efforts in the collection of cards. Therefore it different from our game. However, we do not depend on Complete Gacha, but introduce this into 12 games. If Consumer Affairs Agency regulates Complete Gacha, we will repair some game systems rather than will call off a game. We think that Complete Gacha regulation has good influence and bad influence. Bad influence is a decrease in temporary sales. However, we can prevent it if we introduce substituted system. We calculate the fall influence of sales is 5% or less. Good influence is that new users move to our game. The money which users can spend to virtual goods has a limit. If users play plural social games, there is a limit to usable money by each game. Some of social games of other companies strongly depend on Complete Gacha. If they disappear, users may move to our social game."
via http://v4.eir-parts.net/v4Contents/View.aspx?cat=tdnet&sid=969625(PDF)

KLab is very bullish.

Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency regulates denies news

Yesterday, I wrote an article of Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency regulates the virtual goods system of Japanese social game. However, according to Ketai Watch(One of the Japanese mobile news sites ), Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency denied this news.

On April 24, Mr.Fukushima, Secretary-General of Consumer Affairs Agency  answered the question about social game of the reporter of the Yomiuri Shimbun. He answered in this way. "Consumer Affairs Agency pays attention and watches movement carefully".

Consumer Affairs Agency says, "We are still stages after starting examination. A cancellation request or the measures order are not decided and do not have such a plan.We do not announce the company name either".

I think that the Yomiuri Shimbun might write a wrong article.

Japanese Government regulates the virtual goods system of Japanese social game

Surprising news ran through Japan yesterday.

Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency regulates "Complete Gacha".

What is "Complete Gacha"? This is one of the mechanism of the virtual goods sale in Japan. Many virtual worlds and social games have a virtual goods vending machine in imitate of a capsule toy vending machine called "Gacha". Items come out of there at random. It may resemble a lottery. Users play Gacha for several hundred yen once. Users must play Gacha many times to get the item which want. "Complete Gacha" is Gacha which must prepare all the items of an appointed kind in Gacha. When users collect all items, they get a rare item in a reward. Consumer Affairs Agency judged this to be illegal. According to them, this corresponds to "prize" prohibited by a Japanese premium notation. However, Complete Gacha is not a born thing recently. There was it for various virtual worlds and online games for several years. Why do they regulate it at this time? I think that because a Japanese social game became too popular.

Japanese social game is profitable very much now. On the other hand, there are a lot of people who want to make them a evil. Core gamers, people who do not know a lot about IT, Information illiterate...etc... In a disgraceful thing, most of politicians and government officials of the Japanese Government are Information illiterate.

Japanese Government and most of government officials are VERY STUPID. They do not support new business. On the contrary, they create a drag on it. The biggest obstacle of the contents business of Japan is Government. The Japanese creator, the developer and the businessman survived while fighting against their interference.


I am apprehensive in whether they tighten up regulation rapidly taking advantage of this.

See Also:
“Complete Gacha”: Japanese Government To Regulate Social Game Mechanism Soon [Social Games]