Japan Consumer Affairs Agency Eyes Chance Item Sales

MAY 6, 2012 ● According to Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, the Japan Consumer Affairs Agency found a virtual item model used social networking service (SNS) websites constitutes a violation of a law that banning onerous sales methods. Players of the online games can obtain a a rare virtual item after purchasing a certain number of other less rare items. The catch is users usually must purchase many items before the item they need is ac.....

Barnes and Noble Spins Off Nook Tablet

APRIL 30, 2012 ● Barns & Noble plans to spinoff its Nook tablet business into a separate company in order to better compete with Amazon.com’s Kindle products. To that end, Microsoft Corp. is investing $300 million into the new company, and will own 17.6%. The partners hope to speed up of the launch of the Nook bookstore worldwide, as well as intoducing more Nook e-readers and tablets on a faster basis.  In related news, Target Stores.....

Nintendo Operating Loss First Ever

APRIL 27, 2012 ● Nintendo Co. Ltd.  reported its first ever Nintendo operating loss, ¥37.3 billion ($460 million) for the fiscal year ending March 31. Although its Wii system has been a big hit in recent years past, the move by consumers to embrace smartphones and tablets as mobile game devices has hit the gamemaker’s business. Instead of selling 13 million Wiis Last year as originally expected, Nintendo saw only 9.8 million sold. Similarly, 13.5 million.....

Zynga Games Are 11% of Facebook’s Revenue

APRIL 23, 2012 ● For the three months ending March 31st, Facebook recorded $1.06 billion in first quarter revenue. More interestingly, virtual item sales from Zynga games, and Zynga advertising, accounted for 11%, or $116.6 million of Facebook’s first-quarter revenue. Impact: Facebook and Zynga go hand and hand.  No other company comes close in the games on Facebook and.....

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