When we heard Yoshikazu Tanaka, CEO of Japanese mobile gaming giant GREE, speak at this year’s Global Mobile Internet Conference, we knew the company had some grand ambitions. But according to a report today from Reuters, those ambitions appear greater than anyone likely expected.
We are aiming for 500 million to a billion users, though we don’t have a timeframe, or particular countries … Facebook is said to have 700 million, and we are also aiming for that level.
That’s a lofty goal indeed considering that the company’s own registered users were at 25 million this past March (see below). But GREE’s recent acquisitions of OpenFeint (90 million users) and partnership with mig33 (47 million users) gives it a pretty substantial kick start.
So if GREE intends to be as ubiquitous as Facebook, where does the company see its biggest growth potential? China is one target, and GREE has already partnered with Tencent to give it some traction in that market:
In Japan not many enterprises are promoting their business well in China, so we see great potential here… China has unlimited potential, so we have to explore that. But also the globe. — Tanaka at GMIC, Apr 2011Yoshikazu Tanaka, GMIC 2011
Similarly GREE’s rival DeNA has global ambitions of it’s own, announcing its Korean branch earlier this week with it’s China operations about to enter full-swing in the next month.
Both companies have already performed well in Japan, but we’ll have to wait and see if either of these names will succeed in achieving Facebook-type numbers and recognition on a global scale. Whatever happens, it’s certainly good to see Japanese companies finally looking outside their borders for growth.
Stay updated on the go with our mobile app.
Get latest insights with smoother, more personalized experience through TIA mobile app.
