Gree's social mobile game platform launches as open beta

Gree's new self-titled mobile social game platform has launched worldwide as open beta, allowing developers to download and utilize the platform's APIs and services. The platform, unveiled last year, is due to launch fully during the second quarter of 2012, with a focus on helping developers master the creation of free-to-play games for smartphones and tablets. The Gree Platform offers an API suite with built-in social viral tools, plus user invite, request and share services, all in aid of driving installs and reaching higher levels of user engagement. This open beta is available in both English and Japanese, with plans to localize it into 14 other languages by September, while the goal is to have 60 games available to download from the service when it fully launches in the next few months. With the English version, Gree hopes to continue its Western expansion. The company has made numerous moves in past months to secure its place as a mobile gaming competitor worldwide, including the acquisition of Modern War developer Funzio, plus partnerships with CrowdStar, Ubisoft and Mind Candy. Interested developers can now download the open beta of the platform's version 3.0.0 SDK from the official website.