 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2024) |
 Logo used since 2013 | |
 DeNA's headquarters at Shibuya Scramble Square in Shibuya, Tokyo | |
Native name | 株式会社ディー・エヌ・エー |
|---|---|
| Company type | Public (K.K) |
| TYO: 2432 | |
| Industry |
|
| Founded | 4 March 1999 Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan |
| Founder | Tomoko Namba |
| Headquarters | Shibuya, Tokyo , Japan |
Key people | Tomoko Namba (founder and executive chairman) Shingo Okamura (president and CEO) Shuhei Kawasaki (CTO) |
| Revenue | US$1.8 billion (FY 2012)[1] |
| Owner | Tomoko Namba (16.70%) The Master Trust Bank of Japan, Ltd. (14.61%) Nintendo (12.72%) Custody Bank of Japan, Ltd. (5.20%)[2] |
Number of employees | 2,572 (2025)[3] |
| Subsidiaries | Yokohama DeNA BayStars (2012–) |
| Website | Official website |
DeNA Co., Ltd. (Japanese: 株式会社ディー・エヌ・エー, Hepburn: Kabushikigaisha Dī-Enu-Ē; pronounced "DNA") is a Japanese provider of mobile portal and e-commerce websites headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. It owns the Mobage cell phone platform and also operates other services, including the e-commerce website DeNA Shopping (formerly: Bidders).
History
DeNA was founded in 1999 in Tokyo, Japan. The same year, it launched the online auction site Bidders.[4] In 2004, it partnered with Index Corporation to launch the mobile auction site Mobaoku. A year later, the company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
In 2006, DeNA established the subsidiary Mobakore and launched the mobile gaming site Mobage Town as well as the mobile shopping site AU Shopping Mall. In 2009, DeNA saw $517 million in revenue, an increase of 28%. Among its biggest hits were Pirate Treasure, Hoshi-tsuku, and Kaito Royal. DeNA opened Mobage Town to third-party developers at the beginning of 2010, adding 59 partners and 148 game titles.[5] It also partnered with Yahoo! Japan to launch a branded PC-based social game platform.[6] By October 2010, Mobage had 20.5 million users and boasted 48 billion yen in sales of digital goods.[7]
Despite the company's success in Japan, it had yet to make an impact on the global market. DeNA attempted to enter the Western market by acquiring a 20% share of the social gaming platform OpenFeint in 2009.[8][9] In May 2010, it introduced MiniNation, a social games app consisting of four mini-games for iPhones and iPods, powered by OpenFeint.[10] In October, it acquired the American game developer ngmoco for $400 million.[7] Six months later, DeNA announced its intention to launch Mobage in the United States.[11][12] A year later, it consolidated the latter's Plus+ with Mobage Town, which became known as Mobage.[13][14][15] It also signed a deal with Samsung to be the default social network app on its mobile devices beginning in 2011.[16]
In 2011, the Japan Fair Trade Commission issued a cease and desist order against DeNA, finding that it had violated Article 19 of the Antimonopoly Act by pressuring or forcing game developers to release titles only for the Mobage platform. GREE and KDDI subsequently filed suits against the company. In May, CEO and founder Tomoko Namba announced that she would step down in order to take care of her sick husband.[17] In July, the company announced it would be working with industry legends Keiji Inafune, Suda 51, Yuji Naka, Noritaka Funamizu, and Yoshifumi Hashimoto to develop games for its Mobage platform.[18]
During the 2010s, DeNA expanded as a global company. It brought Mobage to China in 2011, releasing it on Android in July[19] and iOS in November. The platform had 20 games to start.[20] The company entered into deals with Alibaba, Baidu, and Huawei to get Mobage on their mobile devices.[19][21][22]
In July 2011, it set up a studio in Stockholm, Sweden.[23] By August, the company set up DeNA Asia Pacific Holdings to manage its studios in South Korea and China.[24] DeNA employed 400 developers by this time.[25] It also made significant efforts to expand into Vietnam, acquiring Punch Entertainment's affiliate in the country in September[26] and partnering with VNG Corporation to produce three social games for Mobage.[27]
In February 2012, the company announced the formation of DeNA Canada in Vancouver to provide support to its Gameview subsidiary and other endeavors.[28] DeNA moved its company headquarters to the Shibuya Hikarie skyscraper in Tokyo's Shibuya district in April.[29] In June, it announced a partnership with Disney to develop and promote social network games, including the tower defense player Star Wars: Galactic Defense. It also created a partnership with the Chinese social network Renren to bring Mobage games to Chinese smartphones.[30] In October, the company partnered with Yahoo! Kimo to bring Mobage to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.[31] DeNA also acquired 20% of Cygames for 7.4 billion yen from CyberAgent.[32][33] In November, the company announced it would be partnering with ten independent social and mobile game developers from China, New Zealand, Finland, France, Brazil, Canada, and the US to bring their games to Mobage on mobile devices.[14]
DeNA joined the Entertainment Software Association trade group in January 2013.[34] It also announced a partnership with Nexon to develop new games for Mobage.[35] In March, Nomura Securities acquired 17.7 million shares of DeNA from Sony.[36] The company shut down five of its Mobage titles in May: Ninja Royal, Infinity Blade Cross, We Rule, Aqua Collection, and Bokujou Hokkorina.[37] In 2013, DeNA launched the Showroom app and browser, a live-streaming service primarily for Japanese idols and voice actors. In December, it created the Manga Box app.
In March 2015, Nintendo entered into a partnership with DeNA to develop mobile games based on its intellectual property.[38][39] In July, DeNA announced it had acquired ownership of MyAnimeList.[40] In December 2015, the company laid off a number of the 50-person staff at its Singapore office. Many others were transferred to its Vietnam office.[41]
In 2016, the company closed its U.S. subsidiary, DeNA Global, Inc., due to lagging market interest.[42]
In 2017, DeNA established an automotive division and created the ride-hailing app Takuberu, which operated in Kanagawa Prefecture and the city of Yokohama.[43] A year later, it expanded the service nationwide and renamed the app MOV.[44]
In 2019, Media Do Holdings Co., Ltd. acquired MyAnimeList from DeNA.[45] On 31 August 2019, the company released Pokémon Masters on iOS and Android. It amassed $26 million in revenue in its first week[46] and $33 million for the entire month.[47]
In 2020, DeNA's automotive division merged with JapanTaxi Co., Ltd. and was renamed Mobility Technologies, Inc. The company had been working on its own ride-hailing app, and this was combined with "MOV" and subsequently named "GO".[48]
In 2022, Nintendo and DeNA established a joint venture called Nintendo Systems to focus on the research and development of Nintendo accounts, with Nintendo owning 80% of the shares and DeNA owning 20%.[49][50]
Subsidiaries and products
In 2011, DeNA reached an agreement with TBS Holdings to purchase the professional baseball team Yokohama BayStars, which was eventually renamed Yokohama DeNA BayStars.[51][52][53]
Sports
- SC Sagamihara (football team, acquired in 2008)
- Yokohama DeNA BayStars (baseball team, acquired in 2012)
- Kawasaki Brave Thunders (basketball team, acquired in 2018)
Entertainment
- SHOWROOM – live-streaming service primarily for Japanese idols and voice actors.
Mobile games and products
| This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2024) |
2006–2011
- Mobage – Mobile game platform
- Kaitō Royale
2012
- Blood Brothers
- Rage of Bahamut
- Marvel: War of Heroes
- HellFire: The Summoning
- Defender of Texel
2013
- Boney the Runner
- Transformers: Legends
- The Powerful: NYC
- NFL: Matchups
- G.I. Joe Battleground
- Monster Match
- Blood Battalion
- The Drowning
- Princess Slash And Dash
- Lawless
- The Gate (with Spicy Horse)
- Battle Quest: Rise of Heroes
- Final Fantasy Record Keeper
2014
- Engines of War
- Isolani
- Godus
- Super Battle Tactics
- Star Wars: Galactic Defense
- Cheese Guardians
- Hell Marys
- Cupcake Carnival
- Qube Kingdom
- Pirate Bash
- The Collectables (with Crytek)
- Shadow Wars
- Money Run
- Totem Warriors
- Transformers: Age of Extinction
2015
- One Piece Setting Sail![54]
- Blood Brothers 2
- Crash UFO
- Transformers: Battle Tactics
- Military Masters
- Rob and Roll
- Marvel Mighty Heroes
- Legend Borne
- Go Go Ghost
- HellFire: The Summoning
2016
- Miitomo (service infrastructure, My Nintendo integration, and development cooperation with Nintendo EPD)
- Super Mario Run (service infrastructure, My Nintendo integration, and development cooperation with Nintendo EPD)
2017
- Fire Emblem Heroes (service infrastructure, My Nintendo integration, and development cooperation with Intelligent Systems)
- Uta Macross Sma-Pho De-Culture
- Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp (service infrastructure, My Nintendo integration, and development cooperation with Nintendo EPD and NDcube)
- Megido 72
- PROGRAMMING ZEMI
2018
- Arena of Valor (service infrastructure, publishing cooperation with Tencent Games and TiMi Studios)
- SLAM DUNK from TV Animation
2019
- Pokémon Masters (development cooperation with the Pokémon Company)
- Mario Kart Tour (service infrastructure, My Nintendo integration, and development cooperation with Nintendo EPD)
- Attack on Titan: TACTICS
- Duel Masters PLAY'S
2021
- Argonavis from BanG Dream! AAside
- Touhou Danmaku Kagura
- Dragon Quest – The Adventure of Dai: A Hero's Bonds
2024
References
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- ^ "Nintendo and DeNA to establish joint venture company". 8 November 2022. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ "Overview". Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ "DeNA's History of Taking on Challenges". DeNA. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ Jordan, Jon (30 April 2010). "Japanese social gaming company DeNA sees sales up 28% to $517 million". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ "Yahoo! JAPAN/DeNA deal". GamesIndustry.biz. 28 April 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ a b Tabuchi, Hiroko (12 October 2010). "Japanese Game Maker on a Buying Spree". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ Spencer, Spanner (30 October 2009). "Japanese mobile firm DeNA selects OpenFeint for multi-million dollar investment". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ Jordan, Jon (10 November 2009). "DeNA investment will fuel OpenFeint expansion into global smartphone market". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ Andrew, Keith (11 May 2010). "DeNA launches iPhone social network MiniNation". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ Milian, Mark. "Ngmoco to launch social network for smartphone games". cnn.com. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ Brown, Richard (24 November 2010). "Ngmoco preparing to release Mobage social gaming network in the west for iOS and Android". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ "モバゲータウンが「Mobage」に サービス名・ロゴ一新して世界展開加速" [Mobage Town becomes "Mobage" with new service name and logo, accelerating global expansion]. ITmedia NEWS (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ a b Peterson, Steve (1 November 2012). "DeNA: "Coming out of hibernation"". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ Jordan, Jon (15 December 2010). "Ngmoco launches JavaScript-based ngCore Game Tech framework for iOS and Android". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ Jordan, Jon (15 December 2010). "Samsung signs up to embed DeNA's Mobage social platform in millions of Android phones". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ Sanchanta, Mariko; Osawa, Juro (6 July 2011). "DeNA Founder Tomoko Namba Explains Resignation From Games Site". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ Handrahan, Matthew (25 July 2011). "DeNA signs Inafune, Naka, Suda 51 for Mobage platform". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ a b Sakuraoka-Gilman, Matt (1 February 2012). "DeNA partners with Baidu to bring Mobage to Android in China". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ Andrew, Keith (4 November 2011). "DeNA rolls out Mobage on iOS in China, with 20 games at launch". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ Andrew, Keith (15 December 2011). "DeNA partners with Alibaba to take Mobage to cloud-based OS Aliyun in China". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ Jordan, Jon (23 February 2012). "DeNA builds out Chinese Android distribution for Mobage with Huawei deal". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ Andrew, Keith (21 June 2011). "Former EA Easy head Ben Cousins joins ngmoco for Mobage push". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ Jordan, Jon (19 August 2011). "DeNA adds to Chinese and Korean operations, setting up DeNA Asia in Singapore". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ Jordan, Jon (1 August 2011). "Despite investing more than $120m in expansion, DeNA sees FY11 Q1 net income up 45% to $123m". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ Weber, Rachel (12 September 2011). "DeNA in talks to acquire Punch Entertainment Vietnam". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ Handrahan, Matthew (23 November 2011). "DeNA partners with Vietnamese dev VNG Corp". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ Weber, Rachel (3 February 2012). "DeNA Studios Canada opens in Vancouver". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ Jordan, Jon (17 April 2012). "No tiny tower for DeNA as it moves its Tokyo HQ into a 34-storey skyscraper". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ "DeNA and Renren Form Alliance to Bring Mobage to Smartphone Users in China". 株式会社ディ・エヌ・エー. 5 June 2012. Archived from the original on 10 June 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- ^ "DeNA and Yahoo!Kimo Partner to Bring Mobile Social Games to Taiwan". DeNA. 24 October 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ "DeNA to Form Capital and Business Alliance with Rage of Bahamut Developer Cygames". DeNA. 7 September 2012. Archived from the original on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
- ^ Martin, Matt (7 November 2012). "DeNA buys 20% stake in Rage of Bahamut developer". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ Sinclair, Brendan (23 January 2013). "DeNA joins ESA". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ Nouch, James (18 January 2013). "Nexon partners with DeNA to launch games through Mobage". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ Handrahan, Matthew (4 March 2013). "Sony to sell DeNA shares for $440m". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ Bisset, Lisa (1 May 2013). "Infinity Blade Cross culled as DeNA quietly shelves 5 first-party games in Japan". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ Byford, Sam (17 March 2015). "Nintendo is making smartphone games with Japanese mobile giant DeNA". The Verge. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ Byford, Sam (17 March 2015). "Nintendo is making smartphone games with Japanese mobile giant DeNA". The Verge. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 17 March 2015.
- ^ Hale, Daryl Lee (18 July 2015). "DeNA Confirms MyAnimeList Buyout". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- ^ Handrahan, Matthew (2 December 2015). "DeNA cuts staff in Singapore". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ Grubb, Jeff (18 October 2016). "DeNA shutters U.S. offices as the early leader in mobile gaming retreats to Japan". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
- ^ "DeNAのAIを活用したタクシー配車アプリ「タクベル」 神奈川県タクシー協会と共同で9月12日から横浜市の限定エリアで実用実験開始" [DeNA's AI-based taxi dispatch app "Takuberu" begins practical testing in limited areas of Yokohama City from September 12th in collaboration with the Kanagawa Prefecture Taxi Association]. dena.com (in Japanese). 4 September 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
- ^ "次世代タクシー配車アプリ「タクベル」を新名称「MOV」に変更 全国展開を機にリブランディング" [Next-generation taxi dispatch app "Takuberu" changes name to "MOV" Rebranding to coincide with nationwide expansion]. dena.com (in Japanese). 15 November 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
- ^ "Acquisition Announcement of MyAnimeList by US Subsidiary" (PDF) (Press release). Media Do Holdings Co., Ltd. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Handrahan, Matthew (9 September 2019). "Pokémon Masters made $26m in its first week". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ Taylor, Ivy (1 October 2019). "Pokémon Masters generates $33m revenue in first month". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ "新アプリ「GO」をリリースしました" [We have released a new app called "GO"]. go.goinc.jp (in Japanese). 1 September 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
- ^ Romano, Sal (8 November 2022). "Nintendo and DeNA to establish joint venture company". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ Kerr, Chris (8 November 2022). "Nintendo forms joint venture company with Dena in pursuit of "digitalization"". Game Developer. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ "DeNAが横浜球団買収へ TBSと大筋で合意" [DeNA and TBS reach agreement in principle to acquire Yokohama Baseball Club] (in Japanese). 共同通信. 19 October 2011. Archived from the original on 20 October 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
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External links
- DeNA
- Japanese companies established in 1999
- Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange
- Entertainment companies of Japan
- Internet properties established in 1999
- Japanese brands
- Nintendo
- Software companies based in Tokyo
- Video game companies established in 1999
- Video game companies of Japan
- Video game development companies
- Video game publishers
- Internet technology companies of Japan
