TOKYO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dentsu Inc. (TOKYO:4324)(ISIN:JP3551520004)(President & CEO: Tatsuyoshi Takashima; Head Office: Tokyo; Capital: 58,967.1 million yen; hereinafter “Dentsu”) and Butterfly Corporation (President & CEO: Katsutoshi Kitamura; Headquarters: Tokyo; hereinafter “Butterfly”) announced today the development of iButterfly Plus, a social game for smartphones. This new social game will be available in Japan initially on the iPhone platform from the end of March, and then subsequently on the “Mobage-town for smartphone” domestic gaming platform and “Mobage” international gaming platform operated by DeNA Co., Ltd. (CEO: Tomoko Namba; Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; hereinafter “DeNA”).
Using the knowledge and expertise gained from field tests of the iButterfly (see Note) iPhone application developed by Dentsu as a new sales promotions model that utilized mobile handsets to link consumers to client companies through the use of content and electronic coupons, Dentsu and Butterfly jointly developed iButterfly Plus in response to requests from consumers who had used the iButterfly application and who were looking for more social gaming experiences.
The global smartphone market is expected to grow rapidly. Looking forward, Dentsu and Butterfly will accelerate further development of the iButterfly application for smartphones on a global scale, and integrate new augmented-reality communication applications into their expanding range of services.
Note
iButterfly is a smartphone application in which virtual butterflies are used to bring information and coupons to the smartphone user. Augmented reality and position information game elements have been added to electronic coupons to give them an entertainment twist. The user swings the iPhone like a butterfly net to capture the butterflies.
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iButterfly Plus |
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| Product name: | iButterfly Plus | |
| Start of service: | March, 2011 | |
| Charge: | Basic play: Free of charge (Pay-per-item system) | |
| Compatible phone models: | iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 iOS 3.1 or later models | |
| Application download: | Download the application from the iPhone unit or from the App Store through iTunes. | |
| Search for iButterfly Plus, and then install it. | ||
| How to play: | Launch the iButterfly Plus application, and then look through the iPhone camera. You will see a butterfly flying around. Swing your iPhone as you would a butterfly net to capture it. If you sow some flower seeds in an area that you like and then raise them, you will be able to capture rare butterflies that can only be found in that area. | |
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Profile of Butterfly Corporation |
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| Company Name: | Butterfly Corporation | |
| Head Office: | 7F, Shinjuku Square, 6-27-56, Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo | |
| Capital: | 85.43 million yen | |
| President & CEO: | Katsutoshi Kitamura | |
| Date of Establishment: | February 1, 2007 | |
| Number of Employees: | 76 (as of December 1, 2010) | |
| Principal Business | Planning, development and operation of entertainment content, particularly mobile content; other contract work | |
About Dentsu Inc.
Founded in 1901, Dentsu Inc. has held the position of the world’s largest single-brand agency for almost 40 years. Through its unique “Integrated Communication Design” approach, Dentsu offers multinational clients the most comprehensive range of advertising and marketing services in the industry. While continuing to pursue innovation in the digital arena, Dentsu is active in the production and marketing of sports movies, anime and other entertainment content on a global scale. The Dentsu Group has more than 6,000 clients and close to 20,000 employees worldwide.
Dentsu News: http://www.dentsu.com/news/index.html
Dentsu Inc.: http://www.dentsu.com/index.html
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