1）日本社交巨头DeNA最近宣布将于本月与游戏开发商Grasshopper Manufacture成立合资公司“Grasshopper Social Network Service”（暂命名）。

DeNA-Grasshopper-logo

这家新公司将针对DeNA旗下的Mobage平台开发智能手机社交游戏，观察者指出这个合作项目的重点在于，DeNA“锁定”了与日本著名游戏开发者须田刚一，后者是Grasshopper Manufacture首席执行官，他在1998年成立了这家公司，是7月份与DeNA签署Mobage独家游戏开发协议的五大顶级开发者之一。

2）DeNA日前发布的2011年第三季度（截止9月30日）财报指出公司营收及利润均持续增长。

其社交网站Mobage日本用户已达3200万，比去年同期增长50%，用户消费的虚拟货币Moba-coins也同比增长11%。

从总体上看，DeNA该季度营收为4.57亿美元，比去年同期增长28%，营业收入为2.03亿美元，同比增长13%。

3）日本社交游戏公司GREE日前重新制定2012财报（截止9月30日）目标，预计公司在这一财年净销售额将达1300亿至1400亿日元（约为17至18亿美元），比之前的预期上升了40%，超过2010年净销售额（642亿日元，约合7.94亿美元）的两倍，缩小了与竞争对手DeNA的差距（游戏邦注：GREE之前的销售额仅为DeNA的一半左右）

Revision of earning estimates(from GREE)

GREE预测公司营业利润在这一财年将达600亿至700亿日元（约合7.65亿至8.95亿美元），比去年的311亿日元上升40%至50%。

预计净收入将达330亿至390亿日元（约合4.22亿至5亿美元），超过去年的两倍。

4）谷歌近日宣布向所有Google Apps用户开放Google+服务，支持他们在公司运行Google Plus。

Google plus--Google Apps(from socialtimes)

已经拥有Google+帐号的用户可选择将该帐号与Google Apps帐号绑定，多数Google Apps高校用户，以及.edu邮箱用户现在都可以通过邮箱ID访问Google+。

5）奥地利开发商Socialspiel（之前曾向Facebook发布解谜游戏《Push》）日前推出Facebook钓鱼游戏《Tight Lines Fishing》。

Tight Lines Fishing(from games)

玩家在游戏中为了捕获取大的鱼，需要获得个性化的新鱼具，该游戏风格像儿童画册，玩家在钓鱼过程中还会遇到多个分配任务的新角色和渔夫。

游戏的钓鱼机制颇为讲究技巧，玩家需先在水边抛下浮标，把握鱼儿咬钩的时机。

6）在本周MAU增长最快的Facebook游戏榜单上，《Mafia Wars 2》（最近MAU为1220万）和《Bubble Witch Saga》（最近MAU为560万）持续领先，排在第三名的是《Texas HoldEm Poker》（最近MAU为2980万）。

Top Gainers This Week-Games(from AppData)

Zynga Bingo正为《Texas HoldEm Poker》展开大规模的营销活动，并在ESPN.com网站发布了抢眼而昂贵的广告。预计随着Zynga Bingo及其他博彩游戏的问世，Facebook扑克游戏在11月份将获得更多发展。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

1）DeNA and Grasshopper Manufacture to Establish Joint Venture For Mobage [Social Games]

by Dr. Serkan Toto

I can’t say I am surprised: DeNA today announced they will form a joint venture with Grasshopper Manufacture, the maker of games like No More Heroes, Shadows Of The Damned, Killer 7, or Lollipop Chainsaw. The joint venture company, provisionally named “Grasshopper Social Network Service”, will be established within this month.

The goal is to develop mobile social games – exclusively for Mobage on smartphones, in Japan and other markets. DeNA says that under the joint venture, Grasshopper will “transfer its existing mobile games resources to Grasshopper Social Network Service and DeNA will provide support for the company’s game development.”

The main bullet point here is that DeNA wants to “lock in” the talent and reputation of famed game maker Goichi Suda (aka Suda51), who is the CEO of Grasshopper Manufacture, for Mobage.

Suda founded his company back in 1998. He was one of the five star game creators that inked an exclusive deal with DeNA in July this year for social game development on Mobage (Suda announced one of his goals is to develop the most violent social game and offer it worldwide).（source:serkantoto）

2）DeNA Reports Rise In Revenue, Profits For Second Quarter

by Mike Rose

Tokyo-based social and mobile gaming giant DeNA today posted financial results for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2011, reporting a rise in both revenue and profits year-over-year.

The company noted that, during the quarter, it launched its Mobage platform for Android devices, while also releasing games built using its proprietary social games engine ngCore.

It also established a new Ngmoco development studio in Sweden, acquired Punch Entertainment in Vietnam and Atakama Labs in Chile, all as a means of bolstering its game development reach.

During the quarter, DeNA saw its social games network expand to 32 million users in Japan altogether, up more than 50 percent compared to the same quarter last fiscal year. The consumption of Moba-coins, Mobage’s virtual currency, also increased by 11 percent year-over-year.

Overall, the company saw revenue of $457 million, up 28 percent compared to the same quarter last year, and operating income of $203 million, up 13 percent year-over-year.

Going into the next quarter, the company said that it is preparing a full-scale global launch of Mobage for iOS. （source：gamasutra）

3）GREE re-states its FY12 sales up 40% to around $1.7 billion

by Keith Andrew

Citing what it claims is an increased rate of monetisation, Japanese social mobile gaming outfit GREE has re-stated its financials for FY12, the period ending 30 June 2012.

It now expects to generate net sales of between ¥130 – 140 billion (around $1.7 -1.8 billion).

Such figures represents a massive jump of 40 percent or more on the firm’s previous projections, and would be more than double the ¥64.2 billion ($794 million) in net sales the firm recorded in 2010.

It would also see the company getting much closer to parity with its Japanese rival DeNA. Previously its sales have been around half that of DeNA’s.

Up and up

As you might expect, a rise in revenue expectations is coupled with equally bullish projections when it comes to operating profit, which GREE believes could come in somewhere between ¥60 billion and ¥70 billion ($765 million to $895 million).

That would signal a significant rise – again between 40 to 50 percent compared to from the ¥31.1 billion recorded last year.

Re-stated net income is likely to be between ¥33 billion and ¥39 billion ($422 million to $500 million) – more than double the figure recorded in 2010.

GREE commented that while paid service sales had been “stable” during the firm’s most recent quarter, monetisation of the company’s social output has been “increasing at a higher rate than originally expected”.

It’s growth that should enable the firm to offset “increased labour costs and recruiting costs with the expanding business” and those related to opening offices outside of its Japanese base.（source:pocketgamer）

4）Google Plus Now Open To All Google Apps Users

By Kenna McHugh

Google announced on their site that Google Apps is now in service with Google Plus. All Google Apps users, paid Business version or just the free version, can now operate Google Plus for their company or group.

ReelSEO says, “One of the biggest advantages Google Plus has in gaining new users is their ability to reach millions”. Reaching those millions means more advertising dollars for the social network.

Even if Google Apps users are already signed up with a Google Plus account, they have an option to import their current Google Plus account over to their Google Apps account.

Most colleges use Google Apps and the college students who are using the “.edu” email address associated with their school can now gain access to Google Plus through their email identity via their college account.

RWW reports that Google Apps users have been asking for Google Plus admittance since the social networking platform arrived on the Internet. Google Apps users are paying customers that use Google’s services for their company or group. With the addition of its Apps users, membership should have a nice big jump in numbers over the next couple of weeks or so.（source:socialtimes）

5）Socialspiel reels in untapped social game genre in Tight Lines Fishing

by Joe Osborne

Well, the fishing genre on Facebook certainly hasn’t been … over-fished. (We’re here all night, try the veal.) Vienna, Austria-based Socialspiel has formally announced Tight Lines Fishing on Facebook. This game is an attempt at bringing the excitement of popular fishing games on consoles to Facebook. However, the motion controls simulating actual fishing were left for another day.

In the ongoing competition to catch the biggest fish, Tight Lines Fishing players will train as well as customize and equip new gear to catch bigger fish in a storybook world around them. The game’s art style is almost reminiscent of children’s books, and as you explore you’ll come across new characters with quests for you and fisherman’s stories to tell.

“With Tight Lines Fishing we’ve created new ways to connect with friends around the world and bring out the angler in all of us,” Socialspiel CEO and co-founder Helmut Hutterer said in a release. “In doing so, we continue our history of creating unique social games with high quality production values and appealing experiences for players and their friends to enjoy. Until today more than 1.5 Million fish have been caught.”

The fishing mechanic in the game, while not quite on par with literally making the motions, is actually skill-based. Players must cast a bobber into nearby waters and time when they reel in exactly as a fish bites the line. There are a number of things to upgrade and customize about your character, so we imagine there are plenty of fish to catch. This is a major departure for Socialspiel, which before this released Push, an equally-charming puzzle game on Facebook.

6）Bubble Games Bouncing Around This Week’s List of Fastest-Growing Facebook Games by MAU

AJ Glasser

Mafia Wars 2 and Bubble Witch Saga continue to lead our list of fastest-growing Facebook games by monthly active users while Zynga’s Texas HoldEm Poker muscles its way into the top three.

With Zynga Bingo and other casino games on the horizon, we expect to see more growth out of its poker title in the coming months. Zynga also appears to be aggressively marketing the game off Facebook, with expensive-looking ads like the one below turning up on ESPN.com over the weekend.

As for the rest of our list, bubble shooter and puzzle games make up the bulk of the growth this week with old favorites like Diamond Dash and Bubble Island growing in small increments. King.com’s Bubble Saga also keeps a spot open with choppy MAU that may or may not reflect user acquisition activities. Three other King.com games also made the rankings this week, including Bubble Witch Saga at No.2.（source:insidesocialgames）