A 3-stage Evolutionary Model of Mobile Social Game Design in Japan

The mobile Internet business is entering a new era in Japan with the emerging revenue being generated from item purchasing in mobile social games. Users using the mobile high speed Internet with flat-rate data services have acceptance of micro-payments and increased payment acceptance in mobile social games. This has been impacting mobile business and the game business in Japan since the emergence of Open Social based platforms in October 2009. With all of the hype being generated by mobile social games, the author attempts to identify the key success factors in this mobile business landscape. The author examines the current business landscape in mobile social games in Japan. The author recognizes the rapid changes in the ecosystem in mobile social games. The author proposes a 3-stage transition model for describing the underlying ecosystem paradigm in Japan.