Free-To-Play Version Of Infinity Blade Heading To Japan Via Mobage

Ngmoco parent DeNA announced it will be offering a free-to-play version of Epic and Chair's iOS hit Infinity Blade for Japanese iPhones through its Mobage social network this Fall. The new version of the game, tentatively titled Infinity Blade X, will play similarly to the original iOS hack-and-slasher while "adding the ability for players to fight or collaborate with each other via the Mobage network," according to the announcement. Infinity Blade X will be the the first Mobage title to use Epic's Unreal Engine 3, and will make money from in-app purchases of social goods, DeNA said. The original Infinity Blade, which sells for $5.99 on the iOS App Store, has earned over $10 million for developer Epic since its release last December, and over a third of that revenue came from in-app purchases. Mobage claims over 1,000 titles and 20.5 million subscribers, helping drive annual sales over over $1.3 billion for parent company DeNA. The company is currently planning a major international expansion for the Mobage network, after purchasing Ngmoco and its Plus+ mobile social network for $400 million last year.