DeNA mobile gaming platform sets sights on 10 million Korean consumers

All 38 million users of Daum's online portal, which boasts 15 billion monthly page views across PC and mobile versions, can sign up for Daum Mobage to enjoy Korean-language games including Ninja Royale, We Rule, and Happy Ocean, as well as avatars, status updates, and the ability to buy Moba-coins, a virtual currency. The platform and gaming apps are available through Android Market. The company has yet to release iOS apps.

"Currently our priority for Daum Mobage is to launch mobile social games and acquire users, and we believe marketing and advertising comes later," a DeNA spokesperson told Campaign. "Mobage in Japan, which already has 35 million users, is used as an ad platform as well. If the Korean service grows to a certain extent we may consider introducing marketing features to the platform."

For its part, Daum operates AD@m, billed as the largest mobile advertising platform in Korea.

DeNA just reported revenue of $448 million for the quarter ended 31 December. The company, which also recently bought a Japanese baseball team for marketing purposes, describes its user base in Japan as 40 per cent female and "increasingly financially able", with 44 per cent of users aged 30 or above. The average user spends $12 per month in the platform, primarily on virtual items purchased with Moba-coins, according to the company.