Japanese former main Social Networking Service mixi entered the messaging apps

Japanese former main Social Networking Service mixi is out of condition now. They fell to a deficit at last in this term. The profit of the social games does not increase, and active users continue decreasing, too. They perform various measures to change this situation, but when I say honestly, most of them are copy of LINE. They released messaging apps for smartphones "mixi Talk".

This is the service that expanded the message function of mixi. mixi users can chat, message switching and sticker switching and images sharing. Well...there are not the particularly new functions. More ideas are necessary for their revival.

DeNA publishes a credit card of social game platform Mobage

Probably this is a social game industry's first example. DeNA publishes a credit card of their social game platform Mobage. The name is "MOBAGE CARD".

MOBAGE CARD is a credit card for Mobage users 20 years or older, and the annual convention costs of the first year are free(Annual convention costs of 1,312 yen are necessary after the next year). Usually, When we use the credit card, some percent of use amount of money is paid cash back. However, it's paid in virtual currency Moba Coins in MOBAGE CARD. Moba Coin is virtual currency of Mobage and used in various social games. Furthermore, virtual goods of social games are offered to users as a privilege of the credit card in future, too. This is a new trial to put a credit card, a virtual currency and virtual goods together. In addition, VISA, overseas travel insurance and shopping insurance are attached to this.

News Flash: Legendary rock band KISS cooperates with SEGA's mobile social game

If I remember correctly, this is the first time that KISS cooperates with a social game. Today, SEGA's subsidiary SEGA Networks announced that rock band KISS cooperates with their game apps for smartphones  "Demon Tribe".

Demon Tribe is one of the luxury apps in game apps of SEGA Networks. It is a Defense of the Ancients(DotA) style game, and players become the agents with ability to transform themself into a daemon and fight against evil daemon army corps with friends. As can be seen in these videos, most of the graphic are full 3D.



Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley appears for this game as a daemons. KISS hold Japan tour this month. So, this may be a tie-up to it. They will announce the followup from now on.

Japanese game company Index which went bankrupt is purchased by SEGA

I wrote it about Japanese game company Index having gone bankrupt.

See Also:
Japanese game company Index is raided on the suspicion of window-dressing
Tragedy: Japanese game company Index went bankrupt

This disturbance was finally settled. SEGA obtains all their business by transfer. There was insolvency of approximately 24,500 million yen in Index, but their game business still grew up. So they looking for a sponsor and intended to continue game business. SEGA established new company SEGA Dream and signed on a business transfer with them. Index releases games with SEGA sequentially from now on.

Cool wearable device: Japanese startup Logbar announced ring type device

This is wearable device which is the coolest in Japan now. Japanese startup Logbar announced ring type device "Ring". What kind of device is this? Check this video.


Ring -Shorcut Everything- from Logbar on Vimeo.

This is really cool. Furthermore, it is smaller than glasses type wearable device and is simple. They release this in 2014 and show API for a developer.