THE BRIDGE

tag Gungho Online Entertainment

GungHo setting up shop in Singapore, unveils $300M investment plan in local developers

SHARE:

Japanese gaming giant GungHo Online Entertainment announced today that it will establish a local subsidiary in Singapore, specifically focused on developing new gaming titles for emerging markets. The company also unveiled it’s plans to strengthen partnerships with local game developers in the Southeast Asian markets, including investments worth 30 billion yen (about $289 million) in the latter. In a press release, GungHo says that this initiative will be conducted in association with Softbank Group (TSE:9984), one of Japan’s leading firms as well as having many investments in Chinese and other Asian companies. GungHo’s chairman Taizo Son is a younger brother of Japanese business tycoon Masayoshi Son, CEO of Softbank. See also: Japan’s Softbank Mobile to acquire majority shares of game developer Gungho Online Entertainment

gungho_logo

Japanese gaming giant GungHo Online Entertainment announced today that it will establish a local subsidiary in Singapore, specifically focused on developing new gaming titles for emerging markets. The company also unveiled it’s plans to strengthen partnerships with local game developers in the Southeast Asian markets, including investments worth 30 billion yen (about $289 million) in the latter.

In a press release, GungHo says that this initiative will be conducted in association with Softbank Group (TSE:9984), one of Japan’s leading firms as well as having many investments in Chinese and other Asian companies. GungHo’s chairman Taizo Son is a younger brother of Japanese business tycoon Masayoshi Son, CEO of Softbank.

See also:

GungHo’s Princess Punt Sweets passes 8M downloads in Japan, still no English version

SHARE:

Japanese gaming powerhouse GungHo Online Entertainment, the maker of the hit mobile game Puzzle & Dragons, announced this week that Princess Punt Sweets – its second most popular smartphone game – has has surpassed eight million downloads in Japan. The only other region where this title is available is in Korea, having launched back in July of 2013 (iOS and Android). I’m surprised that GungHo has not expanded this game to English regions [1], because I think it really has the kind of cute appeal that has helped so many other Japanese apps succeed in overseas markets in the past year or two. It might be an easier sell to overseas markets than Puzzle & Dragons, I think. If you’d like to try out the Japanese version, you can get it as a free download for iOS and Android. GungHo, CNet Japan Note, I’m not counting the game’s prequel, which GungHo has published in English.  ↩

princess-punt-sweets

Japanese gaming powerhouse GungHo Online Entertainment, the maker of the hit mobile game Puzzle & Dragons, announced this week that Princess Punt Sweets – its second most popular smartphone game – has has surpassed eight million downloads in Japan.

The only other region where this title is available is in Korea, having launched back in July of 2013 (iOS and Android). I’m surprised that GungHo has not expanded this game to English regions [1], because I think it really has the kind of cute appeal that has helped so many other Japanese apps succeed in overseas markets in the past year or two.

It might be an easier sell to overseas markets than Puzzle & Dragons, I think.

If you’d like to try out the Japanese version, you can get it as a free download for iOS and Android.

GungHo, CNet Japan


  1. Note, I’m not counting the game’s prequel, which GungHo has published in English.  ↩

Puzzle & Dragons retains steady growth pace as it moves to markets abroad

SHARE:

Checking back in on our Puzzle & Dragons expansion watch, GungHo Online Entertainment’s hit mobile game surpassed 26 million downloads as of March 23, maintaining it’s steady pace of growth (see chart below). Of course as it’s Japanese user base saturates, overseas markets will become more important. The company has recently reached the following milestones in overseas markets, according to Gamebiz.jp: March 7th – reached 3 million downloads in North America March 11 – reached 1 million downloads in Hong Kong and Taiwan March 15 – reached 2 million downloads in Korea The US and Europe will be key markets moving forward, so we’ll keep an eye on GungHo’s efforts there. China could be interesting too after the company tests the waters in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Checking back in on our Puzzle & Dragons expansion watch, GungHo Online Entertainment’s hit mobile game surpassed 26 million downloads as of March 23, maintaining it’s steady pace of growth (see chart below). Of course as it’s Japanese user base saturates, overseas markets will become more important. The company has recently reached the following milestones in overseas markets, according to Gamebiz.jp:

  • March 7th – reached 3 million downloads in North America
  • March 11 – reached 1 million downloads in Hong Kong and Taiwan
  • March 15 – reached 2 million downloads in Korea

The US and Europe will be key markets moving forward, so we’ll keep an eye on GungHo’s efforts there. China could be interesting too after the company tests the waters in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

puzzle-dragons-26-million

Puzzle & Dragons x Evangelion collaboration finally goes global

SHARE:

The Puzzle & Dragons X Evangelion collaboration that began in Japan back on February 24 has now extended to global versions of the hit mobile game, including the US. It will likely be a smart tie-up for GungHo Online Entertainment, since the intricate artwork that helped make Puzzle & Dragons such a big hit at home will certainly be appreciated by anime fans abroad. You can read more about the collaboration on the P&D Facebook page.

puzzle-dragons-evangelion

The Puzzle & Dragons X Evangelion collaboration that began in Japan back on February 24 has now extended to global versions of the hit mobile game, including the US.

It will likely be a smart tie-up for GungHo Online Entertainment, since the intricate artwork that helped make Puzzle & Dragons such a big hit at home will certainly be appreciated by anime fans abroad.

You can read more about the collaboration on the P&D Facebook page.

puzzle-dragons-evangelion-2

How Puzzle & Dragons connects with Japan’s commuters

SHARE:

People often look at GungHo Online Entertainment’s hit game Puzzle & Dragons and wonder why it’s such a strong mobile title. I’ve already written much about exactly why I like it personally, but there are some other reasons that I think have really contributed to its success here in Japan. I started thinking about this recently when I saw someone complaining about Dungeon Keeper on Twitter, and how it kicks you out of the game when you lose a connection [1]. Lots of games require persistent connections, and that’s certainly fine provided your day doesn’t take you through a maze of underground subway tunnels like many of us who live in urban centers such as Tokyo. But it really got me thinking about Puzzle & Dragons, and how and where I have been playing it over the past year or so. What’s remarkable about the game is not just that it doesn’t require a persistent connection, but that it only really requires a sporadic connection. During my own subway commute here in Tokyo, there are certain blind spots on my route where I usually can’t get a network connection. And because I’ve traveled that route so often, I can usually…

tokyo-game-show-201303

People often look at GungHo Online Entertainment’s hit game Puzzle & Dragons and wonder why it’s such a strong mobile title. I’ve already written much about exactly why I like it personally, but there are some other reasons that I think have really contributed to its success here in Japan.

I started thinking about this recently when I saw someone complaining about Dungeon Keeper on Twitter, and how it kicks you out of the game when you lose a connection [1]. Lots of games require persistent connections, and that’s certainly fine provided your day doesn’t take you through a maze of underground subway tunnels like many of us who live in urban centers such as Tokyo.

But it really got me thinking about Puzzle & Dragons, and how and where I have been playing it over the past year or so. What’s remarkable about the game is not just that it doesn’t require a persistent connection, but that it only really requires a sporadic connection.

During my own subway commute here in Tokyo, there are certain blind spots on my route where I usually can’t get a network connection. And because I’ve traveled that route so often, I can usually anticipate when I’ll lose my connection and when I’ll get it back [2]. P&D will always handle these drops like a champ. The actual dungeons (or rounds/levels) don’t need a connection at connection at all. So if you suddenly go offline, you won’t even realize it until you finish the level and the data tries to sync. So in reality, the game only really needs a connection during times when it phones home to sync data, such as:

  • The initial start screen
  • Entering or exiting a dungeon
  • Powering up or evolving a monster

If you happen to run into network issues during those times, you’ll typically see a ‘Connecting’ message, followed by either a ‘retry’ option or an error message (see below).

puzzle-dragons-connection

So very often I’ll find myself beginning a dungeon before going through a long underground stretch that has no signal, just so that I have something to do during that blacked out period. You’ve no doubt done something similar at some point, perhaps downloading all your podcasts or syncing an RSS reader before a flight.

The end result for P&D is a pretty frustration-free gaming experience, far removed from the likes of Dungeon Keeper mentioned above. And of course, a game that does not need a persistent connection is not unique to by any means, but I think the lesson to be learned here is that you want to make a game that’s a mainstream hit in the Japan market (or for a similar urban population with developed public transport), you need to make sure it doesn’t frustrate users when they suddenly lose a connection.

Thumbs up, but no more than necessary

I probably don’t need to point out that in addition to handling sporadic connections really well, P&D is a really easy game to play with one hand – again, a great advantage for Japan’s legions of train commuters who stand hanging one-armed from a strap during rush hours. You only really need your thumb to play, and since all the puzzle movement is in the lower half of the screen, you never find yourself reaching uncomfortably to the top half during gameplay (see lower left). No fingers necessary!

When Apple rolled out Control Center with iOS 7, it did lead to some unexpected problems for P&D players however (and probably many other games too). If you’ve played the game for any length of time, you’ll notice that sometimes when you try to bring an orb up from the very bottom row, you will sometimes inadvertently launch Command Center. It’s a huge annoyance (see lower right), and as much as I love the convenience of Command Center, I’m sure the folks at GungHo we’re not too pleased when it came out.

But overall, Puzzle & Dragons is still a pretty amazing little mobile game, one that I regularly see people playing during their commute – provided that I don’t have my head down playing it myself.

puzzle-dragons-thumb
Command Center sometimes gets in the way :(

  1. I have not confirmed whether the game actually does this or not, but given that it came from Richard Gaywood, a super smart dude from TUAW (where I once briefly blogged), I’m taking this as a certainty.  ↩

  2. Usually my network ‘blind spot’ is between Omotesando and Futakotamagawa. Coverage has improved much over the years, thankfully. I should also point out that this is also a great game if you’re annoyed by the tunnels on the bullet train!  ↩

GungHo’s Dokuro is a mobile hit in Japan and China

SHARE:

Hitting number one in Japan and China this week was a game called Dokuro, a fun puzzle scroller from mobile game giant GungHo Online Entertainment. Already a popular title on PlayStation Vita, the game just hit the top overall spot on the Android here in Japan after being released last week. On iOS, it was also the country’s top app for a few days this week [1]. Interestingly, it also became China’s iOS top app/game on December 7th, a position it still holds now as I write this. For those not familiar with the title, it stylistically has the same sort of whitewashed macabre cartoon art as The Nightmare before Christmas, with a similar skull-headed hero. The story has our rescuing the princess from the Dark Lord’s castle, after he kidnapped and locked her in a dungeon. This boney, but sympathetic, henchman guard decides to escort the princess through elaborate stages, employing a number of tools and strategies to bring her safely past treacherous obstacles and traps. The princess is far from the model of an independent woman, walking mindlessly forward like a lemming, depending on you to clear the path. The hero can move boxes, pull levers and push…

Hitting number one in Japan and China this week was a game called Dokuro, a fun puzzle scroller from mobile game giant GungHo Online Entertainment. Already a popular title on PlayStation Vita, the game just hit the top overall spot on the Android here in Japan after being released last week. On iOS, it was also the country’s top app for a few days this week [1].

Interestingly, it also became China’s iOS top app/game on December 7th, a position it still holds now as I write this.

For those not familiar with the title, it stylistically has the same sort of whitewashed macabre cartoon art as The Nightmare before Christmas, with a similar skull-headed hero. The story has our rescuing the princess from the Dark Lord’s castle, after he kidnapped and locked her in a dungeon.

dokuro-0

This boney, but sympathetic, henchman guard decides to escort the princess through elaborate stages, employing a number of tools and strategies to bring her safely past treacherous obstacles and traps. The princess is far from the model of an independent woman, walking mindlessly forward like a lemming, depending on you to clear the path. The hero can move boxes, pull levers and push buttons to toggle gates, and even drink a potion to temporarily transform into a swashbuckling prince.

I’ve been playing the game for a few days now, and it seems to stay fresh as you go along with lots of new tactics and tools as the game progresses. The stages are short enough that you can pick up the game and try a new stage at any time during your day, sort of the same kind of mini challenge as Angry Birds in a way. So it will be interesting to see if Japan’s legion of on-train smartphone gamers latch on to this one or not.

Dokuro has some merchandising potential as well, with many of the early reviews here in Japan commenting on how cute the characters are. The game isn’t dependent in language in any way, so it’s a pretty accessible title that anyone can enjoy.

If you’d like to try out Dokuro, you can pick it up for 100 yen over on the App Store or for 105 yen on Google Play.

dokuro-1

dokuro-15


  1. Until at Dragon Quest VIII knocked it out of the top spot today.  ↩

As Angry Birds x Puzzle & Dragons collab goes live, will Japan warm to Rovio?

SHARE:

We previously told you that Japanese gaming giant GungHo Online Entertainment would be working with Rovio’s iconic Angry Birds on a Puzzle & Dragons collaboration. The results of that collaboration just went live in the P&D app today, as a special in game event showcasing a special ‘Piggy Island’ dungeon. As you can see in our video above, the special level includes most of the same Angry Birds characters that many of us know so well. For me, the most interesting part of how this was presented was that the Angry Birds theme music is featured in the collaboration. It was a pleasant surprise [1]. Of course it’s Rovio’s hope that by featuring their feathered friends inside Japan’s most popular mobile game, that they can get a little more exposure to the lucrative Japanese mobile games market. So far it looks to be working, and as I write this Angry Birds is ranked 69th overall in the Japanese iOS app store. It was ranked 432nd the same time yesterday (see picture below)[2]. Typically these collaborations result in a rather temporary spike in this way. But for Rovio, I expect they’ll be quite happy to find another channel through which to…

We previously told you that Japanese gaming giant GungHo Online Entertainment would be working with Rovio’s iconic Angry Birds on a Puzzle & Dragons collaboration. The results of that collaboration just went live in the P&D app today, as a special in game event showcasing a special ‘Piggy Island’ dungeon.

As you can see in our video above, the special level includes most of the same Angry Birds characters that many of us know so well. For me, the most interesting part of how this was presented was that the Angry Birds theme music is featured in the collaboration. It was a pleasant surprise [1].

Of course it’s Rovio’s hope that by featuring their feathered friends inside Japan’s most popular mobile game, that they can get a little more exposure to the lucrative Japanese mobile games market. So far it looks to be working, and as I write this Angry Birds is ranked 69th overall in the Japanese iOS app store. It was ranked 432nd the same time yesterday (see picture below)[2]. Typically these collaborations result in a rather temporary spike in this way. But for Rovio, I expect they’ll be quite happy to find another channel through which to connect with fans in Japan.

The Finnish company appears to have found Japan relatively difficult to crack in comparison to other markets, with so many other strong character brands to go up against. Although when we spoke with Rovio representatives earlier in the year, they emphasized that they wanted to take things slow. Japan is a hard nut to crack, but this is a good step.

angry-birds-puzzle-dragon-collab
Source: App Annie

angry-birds-puzzle-dragons-collab-2 angry-birds-puzzle-dragons-collab-2


  1. As with past P&D collaborations (see Batman: Arkham Origins), Clash of Clans), players can collect special themed monsters to power up and evolve. Some of these special monsters have been less than great in the past, but the Angry Birds characters I’ve collected so far (surprisingly) do not suck.  ↩

  2. For 9pm Japan time.  ↩