Gree closes another office, this time in the UK

Just months after Japanese mobile gaming giant Gree closed its Chinese studio, and laid off staffers in the U.S., the company has now also shut down its UK office. The social games company saw profits dip for the last fiscal year, with virtual currency consumption in particular falling short of company targets. In a statement to TechCrunch, Gree's UK business development director Lynn Daniel said that the company's UK branch will soon close, in order to focus on Gree's content development in the U.S. Daniel said that "the challenging economic climate and on-going changes within the interactive industry" played a big factor in the closing of the UK office. "GREE has seen significant growth since it was founded in December 2004," Daniel added, "but during 2013 the GREE board have found it necessary to re-assess and streamline the global business with a view to consolidating certain functions." Gree believes that these restructuring efforts as a whole will ensure the company's future amidst the changing digital games industry.