Mobage for iOS Launches in Chinese along with Kaito Royale TV Drama Strategy

This article is part of our coverage of the 2011 China Mobile Developers Conference.

Yesterday the CEO of DeNA China, Wang Yong, announced during his speech at the 2011 China Mobile Developers Conference that the Mobage (pronounced Mo-ba-ge) iOS Chinese platform has just launched.

He didn’t reveal much else but I managed to learn more after interviewing a DeNA staffer who was manning the booth. We got in touch with DeNA Japan yesterday but they didn’t have much information to tell us about its activity in China.

According to the DeNA China representative I spoke to, the Mobage Android platform was first launched in August this year, which was followed by yesterday’s Chinese iOS platform launch. Mobage China now has about 20+ localized mobile games on its platform. And the most popular game in Mobage China? She says it’s Ninja Royale.

The Kaito Royale Strategy in China

Some of you might know that DeNA’s other popular game title — Kaito Royale — will soon have its own TV series. And that, as I understood, is part of DeNA’s strategy to promote the Mobage brand in China. Sounds like they’re already doing what Rovio wants to do in the near future with animations and movies.

The DeNA China staff also told me that there are a lot of Japanese drama lovers in China. And most of them actually get to watch these Japanese drama series online for free. So with Kaito Royale turning into a TV series, that may help more Chinese (who love Japanese drama) to get in touch with the Mobage brand and eventually play its games.

DeNA China is focused on reaching out to Chinese who love all things Japan first and I thought that’s a pretty smart move. DeNA seems to be pushing the Mobage brand hard in China and is forming quite a huge local team to do exactly that.

DeNA’s Shanghai’s office has about 160 staffers and is also looking to set up bases in Beijing and Guangzhou. Meanwhile, DeNA’s main competitor GREE has partnered with Tencent for the China market. Of course, there is also Papaya Mobile which has over 30 million users in China and the U.S. It recently also received investment from DCM’s A-Fund.

Mobage worldwide - A snapshot from a brochure we received from DeNA China