February 24, 2010
- GMO Internet Group
February 24, 2010
Press Release
GMO Internet Group
GMO Internet Group to Launch GMO Social Apps Initiative
Tokyo – February 24, 2010—GMO Internet Group today announces the launch of GMO Social Apps Initiative, a 300 million yen project that will offer financing, development, technical, and skill sourcing support to engineers and creators of social applications and games.
GMO Social Apps Initiative - Background
The market for social games and apps is continuing to expand at a rapid pace. The emergence of social applications offers a “borderless platform” and a unique development opportunity for creators and engineers. However, many would-be developers are restricted by a lack of resources including financing and infrastructure. The GMO Internet Group, GMO Social Apps Initiative aims to provide support to engineers and creators in Japan to enable them to develop social apps that resonate with users around the world.
Kick Off Conference
Kicking off the initiative, next month we will invite creators and engineers to an event where they will be and to hear more about the project. We have also invited an exciting lineup of speakers representing companies that have been involved in the social apps since the very early stages of the indusrty.
■ | Date | Thursday March 18, 2010 (7:30pm-9:30pm) |
■ | Address | Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel (26-1 Sakuragaokacho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo) |
■ | Speakers (in alphabetical order) | Breakthrough Partners Yuji Akabane DeNA Co. Ltd. Isao Moriyasu, Portal Business Development Chief and COO Drecom Co. Ltd. Yuki Naito, CEO Exys, Inc. Masahiro, Inatomi, CEO GREE, Inc. Yoshikazu Tanaka, CEO Mixi, Inc. Kasahara Kenji, CEO Unoh, Inc. Shintaro Yamada, CEO GMO Internet Group, Masatoshi Kumagai, Group CEO |
■ | Guests | Around 200 creators and engineers interested social apps (pre-registration required) Media |
■ | Registration | https://app-yarouze.com/form/entry (Japanese language registration form) Please complete the official (Japanese language) conference registration form on the official project site. Please be aware that if registrations exceed places available, participation will be determined by lottery. |
About the GMO Social Apps Initiative
Vision
GMO Internet Group has operated under the mantra “Internet for Everyone”, committed to growing the volume of information available on the Internet ever since its foundation. The social apps market is growing fast, and as part of our commitment to expanding the Internet we are establishing a Social Apps Initiative that will provide support to creators and engineers in Japan for the development of original social apps. We aim to provide the first step for tomorrow's industry leaders and a spark of inspiration to experienced developers.
Project Details
GMO Internet Group is committing 300 million yen to provide creative and technical talent with financing, facilities, technical support, and any required skill matching. The initiative will offer an environment that enables creators and engineers to focus purely on the development of original social apps that are profitable to the developer and aim to reach the upper echelons of mixi and Mobage rankings.
Five Merits of the Initiative
(1) Development costs paid (300,000 yen x no. of dev. staff x development period)
(2) GMO Social App Operation Kit, a package of GMO Internet Group infrastructure services
(3) Office space, staff, and opportunities for technology exchange
(4) Marketing at the time of release through the Social Apps Initiative Network
(5) Negotiation with platforms, management support, future international development
Media Supporting the Social Apps Initiative
Special Cooperation
Famitsu Group
Other Supporting Media (in alphabetical order)
@IT
ASCII.jp
ASCII.technologies
CodeZine
Gihyo.jp
MyCom Journal
Web Designing
Web Site expert
Project Endorsements
Takei Sakamoto, Content Media Chief, Famitsu Media Business Department
Video games were once a special form of entertainment. Loved by users, the framework grew steadily and became a part of everyday life that can now be enjoyed across a range of formats.
The social apps industry is now at the very beginning of that framework building process.
This initiative is an exciting new challenge for creators and we would like to offer our cooperation.
Izumi Miki, Chief Editor, @IT
@IT was created to support and encourage software developers and IT engineers, and we always hope to see the success of people with ideas and technology. We are happy to observe the recent surge of interest in the development of apps for social networks and Smartphones, along with the expansion of related businesses. We sincerely hope that the GMO Social Apps Initiative will provide participants with a chance to be successful worldwide.
Fuon, Tomihisa, Acting Cross Media Department Chief, Gijutsu-Hyohron Co., Ltd.
In each of the magazines produced by Gijutsu-Hyohron, and on gihyo.jp we have continuously kept readers updated with Internet technology. We look forward to the development this new trend and emergence of pioneering technology.
This is a project that we strongly believe will allow engineers and creators to fully realize their “technical” and “creative” potential. We offer our endorsement of the initiative and welcome further growth of the Internet.
Related Links (all links to Japanese language websites unless otherwise indicated)
Official Site: http://app-yarouze.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/appyarouze
Media Inquiries
GMO Internet
E-mail：[email protected]
About GMO Internet Group
GMO Internet Group, headquartered in Japan, is a leading force in the Internet industry offering one of the most comprehensive ranges of Internet services worldwide. The group holds top domestic market share in domain registration, web hosting, and payment processing and provides a host of other Internet services including global online security services, ecommerce solutions, and Internet advertising to both businesses and individuals. At the centre of the group is GMO Internet, Inc. a company listed on the prestigious first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE: 9449).
GMO Internet Inc.
Company Name | GMO Internet Inc. http://www.gmo.jp/en (TSE First Section Code: 9449) |
Address | Cerulean Tower, 26-1 Sakuragaokacho, Shibuya ku, Tokyo, JAPAN |
CEO | Masatoshi Kumagai |
Business Description | - Web Infrastructure & Ecommerce - Internet Media |
Capital | 1.27 billion yen |