DeNA Rebrands MobageTown To Prepare For Global Expansion

Japanese mobile social network operator and game developer DeNA announced a rebranding for its popular MobageTown service to just "Mobage", and unveiled a new logo with English text. Though unknown to most U.S. consumers, Mobage is one of the world's most popular mobile social networks. Since its launch in Japan in 2006, Mobage has managed to attract more than 20.5 million registered users -- not far behind rival Japanese mobile social network Gree, which has 22 million users. It intends to switch Mobage's name and logo on March 28, according to a report from Japanese gaming news site Andriasang. Plus+ Network, the mobile social network created by the operator's recently acquired subsidiary Ngmoco, will also be rebranded as Mobage. The change signals DeNA's expanding international focus -- with its absorption of San Francisco-based Ngmoco complete, it's launching a global Mobage platform for Android devices in the coming months, and has manufacturer bundling deals with major firms like Samsung. Expanding its international userbase is key, as DeNA generates much of its revenues from virtual goods sales in Mobage games. The Tokyo-based company says with its "market-expanding strategies", it's poised to double revenues to A¥113 billion ($1.3 billion) and triple profits to A¥30.7 billion in the current fiscal year.