To battle! Gameloft sees DeNA, GREE with mobile social game network

Look, it's tough enough to keep up with both Facebook and Twitter, so can't we all just make one network like a happy family? French mobile (and social) game maker Gameloft revealed to Inside Mobile Apps (ISA) that it's working on a mobile social games network set to launch in 2012. And whadd'ya know, so are Japanese game companies DeNA and GREE.

"We are indeed working on the development of a mobile social gaming network," Gameloft senior VP of marketing and sales Gonzague de Vallois told ISA in an interview. "The target is to launch it first half of 2012. The goal is to keep enriching our fans' gaming experience through new innovative features."

According to de Vallois, the plan is to diversify Gameloft's offering of games as much as possible with new releases for both core and casual game players, meaning both more free-to-play and premium-priced games are in Gameloft's future. However, while de Vallois foresees harmony between the two schools of mobile gaming, he predicts challenges, too.

"In terms of business model, we think a balance will happen between premium and freemium as we see that consumers have different tastes and games have different monetization logics," he told ISA. "2012 will also be the emergence of mobile gaming social networks and there will certainly be a fierce competition on this field." The Gameloft exec is certainly right in saying that, but the question is, will there be room for yet another place for mobile gamers to socialize? Read the full interview here.

What's your mobile social game network of choice right now, if any? Do you think there's room for yet another in the mix between Mobage, OpenFeint, Game Center and possibly even Zynga's zTags? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.