Germany's Wooga releases an original mobile game in Japan

German mobile game company Wooga opened a Japanese branch in September, 2014, but unfortunately their games can't get popularity in Japan. Therefore they release Japan's original mobile game in cooperation with Japanese companies Pitaya Games and Imagineer. The title is "Sumikkogurashi -Puzzle wo Surundesu(すみっコぐらし ～パズルをするんです～)", and they opened a pre-registration site.

Sumikkogurashi(Life of corners) is the character series of Japanese stationery company San-X. Japanese people love corners. We want to secure the corner seats when we ride trains and when we go to surrounding cafes. These characters express such a Japanese national traits and are popular in a wide age group. In Japanese, 'coners' is called 'sumikko', and 'Gurashi' means 'life'.

In this puzzle game, characters of Sumikkogurashi go on a trip looking for their favorite corner space while playing puzzles. In a trip, they find new friends and items also. They carry out closed β test before official release and intend to brush up a game based on the play data of testers.

Hello Kitty becomes the cellphone in April

Japanese startup Ola releases the Hello Kitty shaped cellphone "Hello Kitty FIGURINE KT-01" in this April. This is a flip phone with the body as Hello Kitty shape. When users close this, it become a Hello Kitty figure of palmtop size. Of course application are Hello Kitty specifications, too, and Sanrio supervises all of them. The smartphones spread enough in Japan, but the demand for futurephone as second phone remains, and they paid their attention to it and developed this. basic functions are only call and SMS, but it has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Priced at 12,000 yen(exclusive of tax).

GREE makes anime of their mobile game with Chinese companies

Japanese mobile game company GREE makes anime made from their mobile game "Seisen Cerberus(聖戦ケルベロス)" with Japanese TV channel TV Tokyo, Chinese video site iQIYI, and China's Medialink Entertainment. It is broadcasted in iQIYI from March and is broadcasted in TV Tokyo from April. Official site of this anime is here.

Seisen Cerberus is a long hit game of GREE, and reaches the fifth anniversary from release in this April. Players become the knight serving one of three kingdoms, make own military unit, fight against enemies in cooperation with fellow and contribute to kingdom's further prosperity. This anime expresses an original story led by main characters based on setting and the view of the world of the game. GREE and iQIYI release the game with release of this anime in China.

This is the second big challenge to the China market by GREE. They ever had a Chinese branch office, but withdrew in 2013.

mixi started pre-registration of cute mobile puzzle game of Marvel Heroes "Marvel TSUM TSUM"

Japan's mixi started pre-registration of cute mobile puzzle game of Marvel Heroes "Marvel TSUM TSUM".

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mixi, Disney and NHN PlayArt make Marvel Heroes "TSUM TSUM", the cute mobile puzzle game

This is the puzzle game that combined popular mobile puzzle game Disney TSUM TSUM with Marvel Heroes. Marvel Heroes and Villains become cute mascots "TSUM", and players connect them of same kinds with a single stroke. Disney TSUM TSUM is a simple puzzle game, but co-play element and a battle element are added to Marvel TSUM TSUM. Players are given missions more than 200 at the time of the release.

The Angry Birds Movie is shown in theaters of Japan from October 1

3DCG animation movie The Angry Birds Movie of popular game Angry Birds is shown in theaters of Japan from October 1. Like other countries, Sony Pictures is in charge of it. The title for Japanese version is simpler and it becomes "Angry Birds(アングリーバード)".

They showed short teaser movie of Japanese version with this announcement. They develop Japan's original promotion from now on.


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Angry Birds found a license agent in Japan at last