DeNA
Latest
'The Drowning' controls distilled to taps and swipes
The Drowning will forgo traditional emulated joysticks seen in other touch-interface shooters, instead opting for taps and swipes as the chief means of control.
Battlefield's Ben Cousins all set to release The Drowning on iOS for DeNA
A little while ago, I said here on TUAW that the Ngmoco brand was "effectively done on the App Store," with the company's biggest games finally being shut down at the end of next month. And that hasn't changed at all -- the Ngmoco name just plain isn't being used. Ngmoco's parent company, DeNA, is still chugging along. A few years ago, DeNA, under the banner of Ngmoco, picked up former EA developer Ben Cousins, a veteran of both the Battlefield franchise and EA's "EAsy Studio" division, which specialized in free-to-play, casual browser-based games. Cousins' studio, which started out as Ngmoco Sweden, has now been renamed Scattered Entertainment, and he's set to release, with the help of DeNA, his first mobile free-to-play title, called The Drowning, sometime in March. TUAW got to see an early version of the game running on video, and chat with Cousins earlier this week about what it's been like working with Ngmoco/DeNA, and just how he put together his first mobile free-to-play title. What's probably most interesting about The Drowning, right off the bat, is just how different it is for everyone involved. DeNA (and Cousins, to an extent) has basically made its name on mainstream, casual experiences: It runs a very large Japanese social network called Mobage, and has found its first big hit in the US with Rage of Bahamut, a fairly casual social card game. But The Drowning is dark and atmospheric, and makes use of the much more hardcore first-person shooter genre. "We wanted to make a zombie game, but we didn't want it to be like every other zombie game on mobile," says Cousins. The Drowning is about "the apocalypse happening in the modern era. Overnight, completely unexpected and synchronized across the world, all of the deep sea oil rigs in the world start leeching this new oil and they can't stop it. And that oil seems to be creeping across the ocean towards populated places." Workers fall into this oil, disappear and then a week later return as monstrous zombies, trying to bring more and more living things under the water. It's creepy and strange, and it also sets up a solid premise for the other thing that's different about The Drowning: It's a first-person shooter designed not with virtual controls, but with controls meant to work best on a touchscreen. You can see the video below for a full rundown of how everything works, but Cousins says the idea for the controls came just out of constant "testing and prototyping and experimenting and trying out different things." "During one of the market research sessions," recalls Cousins, "I was sat behind a one-way mirror," watching a tester play with the game. The tester became frustrated with the virtual controls he was using, and expressed his frustration to Cousins: "Why can't I just tap enemies to shoot them, or tap the world to go there? Why can't I use these gestures to control a shooter," asks Cousins, "because that felt like the most natural thing to do." So the team worked to take the gestures we normally use on touchscreens like the iPad -- pinch and zoom, swipe, tap and so on -- and plug those into the usual shooter inputs. The result seems very fluid -- you can swipe around the screen to look, tap one finger to move through the 3D environment or tap two fingers to fire, with the point of attack coming in between your two finger taps. "With a single finger tap you were obscuring the contact point, and a lot of satisfaction of shooting these enemies in the game was kind of lost," says Cousins. So the team had the idea to use your two fingers "as an iron sight," and that worked well. "I can do it all in one fluid motion and I can shoot moving targets and things like that." Originally, the controls also included moves like jumping and crouching, but as the gestures became more streamlined, those actions got removed from the code. And Cousins says they weren't needed, though he does say the team built out one prototype using an actual Counter-Strike map, "where you can do everything you need just using the standard gestures." The actual gameplay isn't just killing zombies, however, says Cousins. The game's player character is originally based in Seattle, but is eventually forced out of the city by the invading creatures. He flees to a fictional nearby island, and there meets Charlotte, a mechanic/welder who can help him make weapons and other gear. From there, the game is basically a series of areas that open up in sequence, with the player going out to collect scrap and explore, and returning to Charlotte for upgrades and new weapons. Eventually the player will unlock vehicles, but these are essentially just keys to new places to play, like a boat that will deliver you around the island, or a helicopter that can climb up to a new area. The game is free-to-play, but Cousins says even he had things to learn from how DeNA runs their business models. At EA, he was considered the "F2P expert," but at DeNA, "it was evident in the first week that I was one of the least knowledgeable people in the company about free to play." In Japan, says Cousins, "the free-to-play market is so much more mature." As a result, there isn't an IAP "store" in The Drowning. Rather, Charlotte's upgrades take time, so if you want to progress faster through the game, you'll be asked to pay. She also has a scrapyard where you can find new rare recipes and other upgrades, and it'll cost IAP currency to visit, or to make sure you get an extra rare (but still random) item from her. In the game itself, there is no multiplayer mode. But as you go through the game, you'll sometimes come across larger boss creatures that are way too strong to beat on one run through. Those creatures will also appear in your friends' games, and together, run by run, you'll be able to take them down for a chance at a rare or better item, says Cousins. So there's a sort of asychronous multiplayer game at work. But it's basically skippable, he told us -- you can ignore the larger creatures if you'd rather not deal with them. Cousins says Apple has changed his life three different times -- with the iPod, the iPhone and then the iPad, and he's very happy to have to chance to give back to the platform. I have concerns about The Drowning's business model for sure. While Cousins and DeNA seem more than convinced that Western audiences are ready to pay for random chances at items and time savers (as they're already doing with Rage of Bahamut and its ilk), we haven't seen a model like that show up in a more hardcore first-person shooter. The Drowning does look like a very different take on what DeNA, and even Cousins, have delivered in the past. The setting looks very interesting and well-done, and those controls do seem like a very smart take on first-person shooting for the touchscreen. The Drowning should be available to the public sometime this March, so we'll know for sure then if all of the work on this game, back since June of 2011, has been worth it.
The Drowning headed to iOS for free next year
Scattered Entertainment is bringing free-to-play game The Drowning to iOS in early 2013. The "console quality" FPS is set ten years in the future, and draws inspiration from real life events in Beebe, Arkansas circa 2012, when thousands of black birds fell from the sky. The Drowning's story appears to only get more grim, as players control a character that is "one of the few survivors of a mysterious global catastrophe."Former ngmoco GM Ben Cousins is now GM of Scattered Entertainment, a DeNA studio located in Stockholm, Sweden.%Gallery-172799%
DeNA and Square Enix to release new mobile Final Fantasy game
DeNA is one of the larger social networks coming out of Asia lately (they're probably best known around these parts for buying mobile game developer ngmoco), and the company announced this morning that it's teamed up with Final Fantasy creators Square Enix to publish a new Final Fantasy-branded title on iOS and Android. Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade is the name, and it's a casual social game centered on flying airships around a fantasy setting, working together with other players to bring down bad guys, earn experience and level up characters and their abilities. The game is due out on the App Store soon, and will be a free download, so when it does arrive, we'll be able to check it all out and see how it works right away. But even more interesting than the actual game at this point is the deal behind it: DeNA is using the much-loved Final Fantasy brand to try and grow its network of connected gamers. This is a really strong push for DeNA in the West, and while it (and other Eastern social networks) have made lots of tries at attracting gamers' attention before, using the much-loved Final Fantasy brand is probably their strongest tactic yet. They're asking fans to sign up on the website right now (thus getting them involved in the big Mobage network), and offering a special "Cloud" card in the game for doing so, featuring the popular character from Final Fantasy VII. It remains to be seen if this move will work, but again: DeNA and their competitors have been fishing for new users in the Western market for a while now, and the Square Enix brand is probably their most powerful bait yet. Show full PR text DeNA and Square Enix Partner to Bring FINAL FANTASY AIRBORNE BRIGADE Mobile Game to Players in United States and Canada Pre-registration for the Free Game Guarantees an Exclusive Complimentary In-game Card Featuring the Character "Cloud" SAN FRANCISCO – November 29, 2012 – Following the game's success with more than three million registered users in Japan, DeNA Co., Ltd. (TSE: 2432) and Square Enix Co., Ltd. announced today that the two companies are bringing FINAL FANTASY® AIRBORNE BRIGADE™ to mobile phone users in the US and Canada. This is the first FINAL FANTASY free-to-play social game to be released in English. FINAL FANTASY AIRBORNE BRIGADE is an easy-to-play social game where players cooperate and adventure through a world inspired by the popular FINAL FANTASY series. Each player rides an airship, and forms groups called airborne brigades in order to fight powerful bosses. Each player gains experience, and levels up by adventuring through quest regions. They will encounter foes and obtain abilities and items straight from the FINAL FANTASY series. "We're very proud to offer FINAL FANTASY fans based in the US and Canada our own take on the themes and ideals of the series with the upcoming launch of the mobile game FINAL FANTASY AIRBORNE BRIGADE," said Kenji Kobayashi, executive games director at DeNA. "In celebration of the franchise's 25th anniversary this year, we strived to create a unique gameplay experience where players can elevate each other through fun, cooperative play." The game appeals to FINAL FANTASY fans as well as players new to the franchise. FINAL FANTASY AIRBORNE BRIGADE will be available soon as a free download on Android and iOS devices. Players can pre-register for the game and be alerted via email as soon as the game is available for free download. Pre-registered players can obtain a free three-month exclusive in-game card featuring Cloud, one of the most popular FINAL FANTASY characters of all time, which will help them during boss battles. To pre-register for FINAL FANTASY AIRBORNE BRIGADE, please visit: ffairbornebrigade.com
DeNA collects 10 new partners for Mobage titles on iOS
DeNA, one of the biggest social gaming networks in Japan, has announced a development deal with 10 social and mobile game developers. The company is working to gain inroads with western audiences via iOS and other mobile platforms. Mobage is the giant network that DeNA runs, which recently picked up Ngmoco and several other western publishers and developers to help build a stable of popular games and attract western players. Now, the company has deals with 10 different social and mobile game developers, including XMG Studio, Cobalt Play Games and Joywinds, plus several other small-to-medium developers who've been working hard on iOS and Android. Deals like this are becoming common in the social and mobile landscape. Eastern companies are learning that they need high-quality games to attract customers in the west. At the same time, smaller game developers are looking for funding. DeNA has plenty of that to go around. Typically, the issue is that smaller developers get swallowed up in the big network's money-making machine, and the resulting games lack the quality they need. So we'll see. DeNA is certainly pushing hard for an iOS hit (or two, or three, or 10, presumably). Some of these studios are capable of giving them that, but hopefully the publisher will be smart enough to let these creators do their thing. Show full PR text DeNA Unveils New Partners Coming to Mobage, the Premier Mobile Games Platform Diverse Portfolio of Games and Developers Further Extends the Reach of the Global Network SAN FRANCISCO – November 1, 2012 – DeNA Co., Ltd. (TSE: 2432) announced today that it is partnering with 10 independent social and mobile game developers to bring their games to the Mobage mobile social games network and platform for iOS™ and Android devices worldwide. New developer partners include BigHut, Cobalt Play Games, GameCloud, Electrified Games, Joywinds, Inc., Kyy Games, Massive Damage, Oh BiBi socialtainment, Runaway Play, and XMG Studio, Inc. The Mobage network has launched industry-leading games such as Rage of Bahamut™, developed by partner studio Cygames Inc., and Deity Wars, created by CROOZ, Inc., which have both held top spots on the Apple® App Store™ and Google Play™ top grossing charts. "The Mobage network provides development studios a unique opportunity to reach millions of mobile game players throughout the world," said Barry Dorf, Senior Director of Third Party at DeNA's U.S. subsidiary ngmoco, LLC. "As a global mobile games platform leader, our dedication to building long-term partnerships has enabled us to work with some of the most esteemed developers worldwide to deliver engaging, top grossing games like Rage of Bahamut. This is an exciting time for Mobage as we strive to fulfill our commitment to bringing delight, innovation, and fun to mobile gamers." New Mobage Developer Partners BigHut: The Brazilian independent mobile game development studio strives to make free-to-play games that are fun to play and provide experiences tailored to individual players. The company launched this week Boney the Runner, an endless runner game where players help Boney the skeleton escape through the cemetery from a pack of hungry dogs. To play Boney the Runner for free, please visit: http://moba.ge/boneytherunner Cobalt Play Games: A team of developers based in Asia working on interactive entertainment for the iOS and Android platforms. They have developed more than 10 casual mobile games and have just released their tower-building game Monster Mall on the Mobage platform. To download the free Monster Mall game, please click: http://moba.ge/monstermall Electrified Games: Electrified Games is an experienced independent developer of mobile and online games recognized for its expertise in trading card and strategy games. From its offices in the San Francisco Bay Area, the company has developed games for leading publishers and brands including Kaijudo Online, Kaijudo Battle Game, Tap Tap Revenge Tour, Defense of the Oasis, and Café 51. GameCloud Studios: A leading developer of global social and mobile games striving to bring together the digital and real worlds. Founded in 2009, the company has operations in Southern California and Shanghai, and has been developing innovative games and systems for the mobile space. With a unique approach to sports simulation games, the company introduces an innovative intuitive play system for their current mobile sports games. Joywinds, Inc.: A new mobile game developer from Shanghai whose core value is to connect people through imagination. Their newest title World of Wizards is set to launch this month on Mobage, and turns players into legendary wizards by learning different spells, collecting equipment and capturing magical pets. Kyy Games: Kyy Games is an independent game development studio located in Tampere, Finland. The company is known for their game Cabals: The Card Game, a revolutionary online trading card game that re-invents the genre with the introduction of a gameboard and an original game world that is inspired by different esoteric traditions. Kyy games has also launched Legends of Elendria: The Frozen Maiden, and Cooties: The Revenge of the Appendix. Massive Damage: Massive Damage, Inc. is an award-winning mobile games studio building the future of massively multiplayer social role-playing games on mobile. The studio recently released its cult-hit title Please Stay Calm, a location-based zombie survival game, and it is currently working on other titles coming soon to the Mobage platform. Oh BiBi socialtainment: Oh BiBi socialtainment is a French company specialized in developing and publishing social games for smartphones and tablets. The young and wild company benefits from the solid handheld game design expertise of its founder Stanislas Dewavrin, the former Creative Vice President at Gameloft and the Asphalt franchise creator. Oh BiBi socialtainment is committed to providing innovative, full-featured social games, promising brand new user experiences. Runaway Play: Based in New Zealand, Runaway Play is currently developing a Mobage mobile version of Flutter, a butterfly simulation game that gained a loyal following on Facebook. The developer also released the mobile games Puzzle Planets and Howling Mouse. Runaway Play works closely with philanthropic partners National Geographic and the World Wildlife Fund to continue to raise awareness surrounding wildlife conservation. XMG Studio Inc.: XMG is an award-winning mobile games developer based in Toronto. They have released 12 mobile games in various genres, including the popular Drag Racer franchise, the original franchise that created the drag racing genre in mobile games. Additionally, the company was named one of the top up-and-coming global mobile game developers to watch for by industry media. For developers interested in opportunities to publish their mobile games on DeNA's Mobage mobile games platform, please visit: https://developer.mobage.com About DeNA DeNA Co., Ltd. is a global Internet company focused on social games, e-commerce and other Web services for mobile devices and PCs. DeNA's current flagship business is its mobile social games platform Mobage, which offers first-, second- and third-party games on four localized user networks across Japan, China, South Korea and the rest of the world. The original Mobage network in Japan currently serves over 43 million registered users with more than 2,000 titles. Founded in 1999 as a small startup in Tokyo, DeNA currently has over 2,000 employees worldwide working at offices and development studios in 16 cities across 11 countries and regions. The company generated annual sales of more than 1.8 billion U.S. dollars in the fiscal year ended March 2012. DeNA is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (2432). For more information, visit dena.jp/intl. About Mobage The Mobage social games network and platform hosts over 50 first-party and third-party games that are available on the Apple® App Store™ and Google Play™. Mobage features chart-topping apps including Rage of Bahamut, Blood Brothers and Ninja Royale™, casual games such as Zombie Farm® and Tiny Tower, licensed intellectual properties such as Marvel: War of Heroes, and core games such as Quests & Sorcery™, Hellfire and Warriors of Odin. Mobage also hosts mobile social games in other languages via separate regional networks. Mobage offers developers access to a suite of features to enhance their development environment, including a payment API, production and marketing support and analytics tools. To learn more about Mobage, visit: http://mobage.com. For developers interested in publishing opportunities on Mobage, please visit: https://developer.mobage.com
ngmoco co-founders Neil Young and Bob Stevenson leave, Clive Downie new CEO
Neil Young left Electronic Arts back in 2008, at the time for a new mystery project – it only took little over a week for Young to announce he had co-founded mobile outfit ngmoco. After a long stint as CEO, Young has stepped down and will be replaced by Clive Downie. The other ngmoco co-founder, Bob Stevenson, is also stepping down.Young has spent 11 years at Electronic Arts before co-founding ngmoco and taking over as CEO. New CEO Clive Downie also spent time at Electronic Arts before joining ngmoco as VP of studios. ngmoco was acquired by Japanese publisher DeNA in 2010 for $400 million.[Image credit]
Grasshopper/DeNA partnership releasing new Frog Minutes this spring
A year after the release of the charity app Frog Minutes, Grasshopper Manufacture is preparing an updated version for iOS and Android. As announced last September, this new Frog Minutes game will be published by DeNA on its (newly worldwide) Mobage network. The release is set for the spring. The last game had players catching bugs to lure various species frogs, then capturing the frogs.This game is being released under the Grasshopper/DeNA joint venture, whose name appears to have been changed from "Grasshopper Social Network Service Inc." to the infinitely snappier "Grasshopper Universe."
DeNA and Square Enix bringing Final Fantasy Brigade to Japan's smartphones
Square Enix's smartphone-based social RPG, formerly titled Final Fantasy x Mobage, was detailed and properly titled during a recent press conference hosted by Japanese cell network operator DeNA. It's now titled Final Fantasy Brigade, and will allow players to team up with their friends' characters and perform quests while exploring the world, unlocking series-standard jobs and summons along the way. You can check out a few screens (like the one posted above) over at 4Gamer, and take a moment to soak in its Theatrhythm-esque charm. Or, you know, be completely disgusted by it. We're not going to tell you how to live.
Grasshopper and DeNA form joint venture for Mobage games
Grasshopper Manufacture's relationship with mobile game company DeNA is extending beyond the production of games for DeNA's Mobage service. Well, sort of. Today, the two companies announced that they're forming a joint venture called Grasshopper Social Network Service, Inc., and will work together to ... produce games for Mobage. DeNA is looking to build up its catalog of exclusive games to help Mobage take off outside of Japan; Grasshopper is looking for "a new world of players" to experience the company's unique style. Grasshopper's other recent, high-profile partnership is with Digital Reality. Together, the two companies are working on Black Knight Sword and Sine Mora for XBLA and PSN.
Grasshopper Manufacture bringing Frog Minutes, two more to Mobage worldwide
Mobile game company DeNA is bringing its social game service Mobage to the rest of the world, and three Grasshopper Manufacture games are coming along for the ride, the company announced at a pre-TGS showcase. One series you know -- Frog Minutes, the super-serene frog feeding game first released on iOS this year. The Mobage game is considered a sequel to the iOS release. The other two are new: Humans vs. Zombies and Alien Busters, both expected to be released in winter 2012. Akira Yamaoka joked that these are totally different from GHM's other bloody, zombie-filled games.
No More Heroes social game will be appropriately bloody
Suda 51's contribution to DeNA's "Super Creators Initiative" is a social No More Heroes game. And, being a No More Heroes game, it'll be about people assassinating one another. It shouldn't be too much of a surprise, then, that Suda 51 told attendees at a press conference, "We're aiming to make it the social game with the most blood." We suppose it could be a surprise, given that the original Japanese and European releases of No More Heroes were bloodless, subsituting a shower of coins. So by being even a little bloody, the new social game is bloodier than the real game in Japan. Suda also expressed a desire to give this game enough "power" and "impact" to make it outside of Japan, a lofty goal for a Japanese mobile game. That was a goal that the three previous mobile NMH games, released by Marvelous in 2008, couldn't achieve.
Inafune, Suda 51 signed for mobile development
DeNA's popular Japanese mobile gaming platform, Mobage, is getting a major boost from some of the nation's leading gaming industry figures. During a press conference held earlier today (as translated by Andriasang), DeNA revealed that five famed producers will develop games for the platform, including Keiji Inafune, who's creating a game titled J.J. Rockets with his new studio Comcept, and Suda 51, who will make a new installment in the No More Heroes franchise. Other contributors include Marvelous Entertainment's Yoshifumi Hashimoto, who is working on a Harvest Moon mobile title, former Sonic Team lead Yuji Naka, who will develop an adventure game with his new studio Prope, and Crafts & Meister co-founder Noritaka Funamizu. Sounds like a pretty great lineup, though we wish the five would also collaborate on a single project. The idea of a No More Heroes farming simulator is, well, the best idea.
Infinity Blade X for Mobage goes free in Japan, supported by virtual goods sales
DeNA, Japan's most successful mobile internet company, will offer a free-to-play version of Epic and ChAIR's incredibly successul iOS game, Infinity Blade. Over there it'll be called Infinity Blade X for Mobage, and promises to offer multiplayer and co-op features through DeNA's immensely popular Mobage network -- the game will be free to play and supported by the sale of virtual goods. Infinity Blade, which is considered a "premium" title everywhere else but Japan (see: it costs more than a buck), was just recently updated with head-to-head multiplayer and survival modes. The game's latest milestone saw it surpass $10 million in sales. Infinity Blade X for Mobage is scheduled to launch in Japan sometime this fall.
DeNA bringing Infinity Blade X to Japan's Mobage platform
DeNA's been on the iOS hunt for about a year now -- I saw them at GDC Online last fall asking developers to create games for their Mobage mobile platform in Japan, and then they outright purchased popular iOS developer ngmoco not long after that. Now they've put together plans to bring another big iOS game to the Mobage platform -- along with Epic Games and developers Chair Entertainment, DeNA will be bringing a version of the popular iOS game, called Infinity Blade X to Japan. The game will be very much like the Infinity Blade we know, using swipe controls to fight RPG-style through an old castle, of course. But it will also be free-to-play, and instead be monetized with virtual goods, as well as offer social connections through the Mobage network. The game will run in Unreal Engine 3 as well, and will be available across the Mobage-town platform, which runs on a number of different cell phones and services in Japan. DeNA has a huge network and lots of resources in Japan, and as I said, they've been looking for Western games to bring over and adapt for their huge audience. This won't be the last big title we see translated for the Mobage platform, I'm sure. Show full PR text DeNa to Bring Infinity Blade X to Mobage in Japan Epic Games' Popular Sword-fighting Adventure Game to Go Social DeNA Continues to Enrich the Mobage Catalog with a Diverse Range of Games TOKYO, JAPAN – June 22, 2011 – DeNA Co., Ltd. has announced today that the company is expanding the Mobage social gaming platform's catalog of hit titles, with the social game version of Infinity Blade, offered in collaboration with Epic Games, Inc. and its award-winning studio, ChAIR Entertainment. The adaptation of the popular sword-fighting adventure RPG will launch exclusively on Mobage for iOS in Japan as a social game in the fall of 2011. This Infinity Blade title is the newest in DeNA's diverse lineup of apps for Mobage, spanning from casual to core games. Provisionally entitled Infinity Blade X for Mobage, the social title is the first Mobage game developed with Epic's Unreal Engine 3, allowing high-end sophisticated graphics. The gameplay maintains the design and control features of the original version, while adding the ability for players to fight or collaborate with each other via the Mobage network. Infinity Blade X for Mobage will be free-to-play, with virtual goods on offer as well. The original Infinity Blade is an international hit as an iOS mobile game, with revenue earned by its developers exceeding 10 million US dollars in just six months after launch. In the original game, players take on the role of a heroic knight, with the mission of defeating the God-King and freeing the kingdom's citizens from a reign of darkness. Fans of the RPG battle, loot, and upgrade their skills in a fantasy world with unprecedented graphic quality and a touchscreen-optimized user interface. # # # About DeNA DeNA Co., Ltd. is a world-leading Web service company that operates the Mobage social gaming platform, social networking services and e-commerce websites. Drawing on its extensive community base and rapidly expanding developer line-up, Mobage currently serves over 28 million users in Japan with more than 1,000 game titles for smartphones, feature phones and PCs. The company generated annual sales of more than 1.3 billion U.S. dollars in fiscal year ended March 2011. To expand the Mobage platform globally, DeNA is building a presence in the US, Europe and in China. DeNA is listed on the Tokyo stock exchange (2432).
Ngmoco hires Ben Cousins, creates ngmoco Sweden
Ngmoco has picked up former EA developer Ben Cousins, the man behind much of that company's free-to-play services at the EAsy division. He will establish a new studio under ngmoco called ngmoco Sweden, which will create games and content using ngmoco's (and parent company DeNA's) services and platforms. At EA, Cousins was instrumental in setting up the free-to-play shooter Battlefield Heroes, as well as the more hardcore spinoff, Battlefield Play4Free, so it's likely that in his new position at EA, he'll be heading up some free-to-play projects more tailored to a traditional gaming audience than ngmoco's current social and casual initiatives. Cousins also used to work at DICE, the company behind EA's Battlefield series, which is also based in Sweden, so there could be a few employees from that developer following him across to the new division at ngmoco. All in all, this is good news for iOS players and fans of ngmoco's games in general. I can't wait to see what titles come out of ngmoco Sweden first. [via Joystiq]
Professor Layton solving social scene in 'Professor Layton Royale'
Professor Layton developer Level-5 is teaming up with social gaming's DeNA on Professor Layton Royale. Andriasang reports the new social game has players selecting from three different classes and is a crossover of Layton and Kaito Royale. The game will initially launch in Japan, with the potential of "localized versions to international users on the highly anticipated global Mobage service." With DeNA's acquisition of ngmoco last year -- and Layton's international appeal -- the company would be leaving money on the table if it didn't take advantage of the global opportunity. Crossovers are something Professor Layton is getting comfortable with, as the puzzle master also has an upcoming collaboration with Capcom's ace attorney in Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright for 3DS.
ngmoco to launch Swedish branch with former EA Easy boss Ben Cousins
When Ben Cousins left EA Easy as head of the studio earlier this year, he didn't leave a forwarding address. Cousins and his new employer revealed today his position as head of newly formed ngmoco Sweden, where he'll be leading the studio in the development of "freemium games for mobile platforms like iOS/Android" (according to Cousins' Twitter feed). His last major project with EA was Battlefield Play 4 Free. The official PR from ngmoco puts the Swedish branch in a position of support for parent company DeNA's "Mobage" social gaming platforms. And the new studios puts Cousins in a position to hire up colleagues in a part of the world ripe for the picking -- Sweden. Don't be surprised if you see some high profile ex-DICE staffers showing up at ngmoco's new Swedish office over the next few months, as we totally warned you. [Image credit: OfficialGDC]
DeNA and Rovio Mobile chat from LeWeb '10 in Paris
Stuart Dredge over at MobileEntertainment is reporting live this week from Paris' LeWeb 2010 conference, and quite a few iPhone publishers and developers are in attendance and talking about Apple's platform and beyond. Of the most interest to us are probably the statements by Japanese publishers DeNA (who recently bought Ngmoco) and Angry Birds developer Rovio Mobile. First up, DeNA says it's still got acquisition money to spend, and while most of the company's business is currently running on feature phones in Japan, it's very much seeking out smartphone developers in North America and Europe to run social games on its platform. And DeNA's representative, Tomoko Namba, even says that Zynga would be welcome to join them. DeNA is trying to build a platform, not necessarily specific games. It'll be very interesting to see what happens with DeNA in the future -- it's clear that they don't know a lot about how to run mobile games in the US, but joining up with Ngmoco (and whoever else they pull on board) is a good way to learn how to do that. Rovio Mobile is at LeWeb as well, sharing that Angry Birds has reached 12 million paid downloads and 30 million free downloads on other platforms. The company says that ads have worked out very well on platforms besides iOS, but on iOS, with a trusted store in place, paid still seems to be their system of choice. Rovio also confirms that the game is probably headed to consoles next year and even teases some new, non-Angry Birds related titles coming in the near future. There's no question that 2010 was a landmark year for mobile gaming, so it'll be interesting to see what happens next year.
Deal documents show Ngmoco's 50 million downloads, $10m losses in 2009
Stuart Dredge of MobileEntertainment did some digging into the paperwork behind the Ngmoco sale, and came back with some interesting figures about the company's financials. Turns out that rumored $403 million purchase price is true -- kind of. The deal includes a $100 million bonus, if Ngmoco keeps its numbers up to certain standards. The actual payment now is $303 million, which consists of $146 million in common stocks, $27 million in DeNA investments, and $128 million cash. That cash payment, Dredge reports, is about a third of DeNA's total cash balance, so this is a significant deal for both companies. Meanwhile, the documents state that Ngmoco has seen 50 million downloads on the App Store as of last month, and has 12 million users on the Plus+ network across 119 games (as a comparison, OpenFeint announced 25 million users this year, although of course that service is spread across many more titles). And perhaps most interesting, Ngmoco is growing, but has spent a lot of money for that growth. In 2008, its revenues were only $484,000, and it lost $2.46 million. 2009 went better on the revenue side, jumping up to $3.16 million, but the company's losses came out to a whopping $10.89 million. Pretty amazing that financials like that led to a sale of $403 million -- both Ngmoco and DeNA must expect a lot from this partnership in the future.
DeNA acquiring ngmoco for $400 million
DeNA, a Japanese mobile internet company, is set to purchase mobile publisher ngmoco, best known for Rolando and Topple, for a whopping $400 million. The combination of the two companies, according to the announcement, will create "the world's largest mobile social games platform company." The ngmoco shareholders and employees will receive $300 million in cash and securities, with an additional $100 million contingent on performance milestones. Gamasutra points out that this is just the latest acquisition by DeNA, which has slowly been making selective purchases in the western market. This is also just the latest social media purchase with an incredible dollar figure attached. Disney recently purchased Playdom for over $500 million, while EA acquired Playfish late last year for $300 million. -- oh yeah, and there's also that rumored $100 million investment by Google in Zynga. Now, let us all hold a moment of silence for sanity.
