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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."
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.
EA's various studios raise over a million dollars in charity for Japan
EA says that thanks to a variety of promotions and initiatives from quite a few of its studios, the company has raised over a million dollars for helping those affected by the recent natural disasters in Japan. There were quite a few different efforts going, from selling FIFA 11 DLC to auctioning off Dead Space 2 gear and even selling a brand new iOS app called Frog Minutes. Employees at the Canada Burnaby campus also assisted by packing 100,000 meals with Kids Against Hunger, which were then sent out to affected areas in Japan. If you'd like to donate to the Red Cross and its efforts in Japan, you can do so right here.
Frog Minutes preview: Our first few Frog Minutes
If you expected something "punk rock" from Grasshopper Manufacture's Frog Minutes, you'll be surprised when you see the actual app, because it's less punk and more ... tranquil. The iOS app, which launches tomorrow, is actually about frogs, and features more grasshoppers than any Grasshopper Manufacture game yet. Frog Minutes is a game about fattening up frogs to catch them. First, you tap to catch grasshoppers, and then when a frog appears, you drag bugs out of your menu to the frog. When a meter fills up, indicating that the frog is sated, you tap to catch it, then get information about the type and size of frog you've caught. As you play, new kinds of bugs appear, new hiding places to tap reveal new frogs, and the frogs get picky about what they want to eat (a message passed to you by a giant thought bubble). The whole time, a scrolling information bar keeps you updated about your accomplishments, as does the enthusiastic voice of narrator Bianca Allen. "Congratulations! You caught a lot of grasshoppers!" "The frog seems to be full!" "Isn't the scenery beautiful?" "It seems like you failed!" And that's Frog Minutes. You tap around the screen to build an inventory of bugs, tap hiding places to make new frogs emerge, and then you ply the frogs with insects to catch them. It occupies some weird space between "mellow timewaster," "arcade game," and "nature show." And it seems like a nice way to pass a few spare minutes -- especially since the proceeds from its sale go to earthquake relief.
Grasshopper's charity iOS game is Frog Minutes, coming March 30
Grasshopper Manufacture will officially unveil its first, charity-focused iOS app at its Grasstream 2 event on March 30. Though we still don't know exactly what it will be, Grasshopper has revealed in advance what it's called: Frog Minutes. Those two words don't really help us figure the game out that well. Nor does the logo, posted by Famitsu. We won't have to wait too long to find out what it is: Grasshopper announced that in addition to being premiered at the event, the app will be available for download on the App Store on March 30. All proceeds will go to the Japanese Red Cross, to support victims of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.
