Gree secures CrowdStar, iWin deals for upcoming global mobile platform

Mobile social game developer and network operator Gree has secured exclusive partnerships with two major casual game studios, CrowdStar and iWin, for its upcoming global platform. Gree has made aggressive efforts to build early support for its self-titled mobile social game platform, which launches in the second quarter of 2012. In the last year, it's acquired mobile social game network OpenFeint, set up a studio in San Francisco, and invested in Vancouver-based developer IUGO Mobile Entertainment. As the Japanese company aims to repeat the success it enjoyed with its current mobile social network -- which has more than 190 million registered users -- Gree has secured Western exclusives for Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed series and Gameloft's Gangster franchise to headline its next platform. With these newest partnerships, Crowdstar will release the next entry of its popular Top Girl franchise exclusively on Gree's new platform. iWin will put out mobile titles based on TV game shows Deal or no Deal and 1 vs 100 on Gree's new mobile social game service, too. Gree is in competition with another Japanese mobile social game network operator, DeNA, to establish a presence in the West. DeNA has picked up its own share of notable partnerships for its Mobage service recently, including deals with Nimblebit (Tiny Tower), Kabam (Camelot: Battle for the North), and Disney.