Cocone’s Pocket Colony, now Mini Me, has a devious plan for world domination

Social app Mini Me from Japan’s Cocone Corporation is now available globally in English. Known as Pocket Colony in Japan, Mini Me is a social networking mobile app with gamified elements.

In Mini Me, players take control of an avatar that they can then use to cook, explore a virtual world, chat with friends, and even be an interior designer. Basically, it’s a a virtual playhouse with all the social features you’ve ever dreamed of, and naturally, yes, it has an incredible appeal to social gamers.

But as for just how much? Mini Me has been ridiculously popular in Japan, this in spite of its avatars sharing the wide-faced look reminiscent of the slightly dated Strawberry Shortcake from the 1980s.

Cocone’s Singapore subsidiary shared that in Japan, Mini Me has consistently ranked among the top ten highest earning apps on Google Play. In its most recent report for July 2014, Cocone was charted as the second highest earner in Japan from the iOS and Google Play stores combined, trailing just one spot behind the mobile platform giant, Line. While that category does exclude games, it does so rightfully as Mini Me is more of a social adventure than a true gaming app.

(See: Canada’s Play It Interactive closes $1.1m funding round, moves in on India)

However, most mobile gamers are probably well aware of just how insular Japanese games can get. They are usually designed for the domestic market, with the same tastes shaping their visuals, gameplay, and monetization. Whether Mini Me will see the same success globally as it did in Japan remains to be seen. We do know, though, of a secret formula that it has, that’s sure to bring Singaporean mobile users to their knees.

In August 2014, Cocone inked a deal with Sanrio for Hello Kitty-themed partnership. This put all sorts of Hello Kitty activity and items in the game. Given how Singaporeans go absolutely rabid for the cat-that-was-revealed-to-be-a-girl, Cocone Singapore, responsible for publishing the app globally, might just have a winner on its hands.

We’re getting in touch with Cocone Singapore for a more in-depth look at how Pocket Colony has been transformed into the internationally-appealing Mini Me. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, you can try Mini Me out on Android and iOS.

In more social gaming: