Apple Otaku

An MMORPG has made it to the Japanese mobile phone. Lisa Katayama wrote about this in a recent blog post.

Second Life on the go? It’s a reality for Japanese gals. Mobile tech company Media Groove just launched Chipuya Town, a virtual world accessible on any Flash-enabled keitai. Users create a custom avatar, then step into a cute-ified version of Tokyo’s Shibuya shopping district that’s accurate right down to the advertising overload. (Companies pay up to $4,000 a month for ads on in-world billboards.) Players socialize with other avatars and rack up currency — called Grooves — by recruiting friends, going on treasure hunts, and attending sponsored events.

With news that a 3g iPhone could be coming out next year, it will be interesting to see if any apps are released that take advantage of the extra bandwidth.

I can see Blizzard releasing an iPhone version of World of Warcraft. Not a full version, but more of a simple 2D client that allows players the opportunity to keep tabs on their characters and maybe do things like chatting, auction house transactions and crafting. More ways for Blizzard to sink their hooks into the player base and keep them thinking of WoW even when they’re away from their computers.

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[Tokyo Mango]
[Wired]