DeNA Co., Ltd. and leading Japanese game developer Level-5 Inc. have forged a comprehensive global business alliance concerning the development of social games, including for DeNA’s mobile social games platform, Mobage (pronounced "mo-ba-geh"). The companies’ first offering will be a jointly developed title, Professor Layton Royale, based on Level-5’s internationally popular Professor Layton videogame series and DeNA’s flagship Royale social game series. Professor Layton Royale initially will launch on Mobage in Japan, with plans to roll out to players worldwide thereafter.

The adventure RPG title will be free-to-play with optional virtual items on offer for purchase as well. The Japanese-language version of Professor Layton Royale is scheduled to become available in Japan this Fall, first for feature phones, and then for smartphones. DeNA and Level-5 also plan to provide soon localized versions to international users on the highly anticipated global Mobage service. Level-5’s Professor Layton is one of the world’s most popular adventure game series, having sold more than 12 million units around the world. Kaito Royale, the most popular title in DeNA’s Royale series, already has more than 10 million players in Japan. With Professor Layton Royale, the companies hope to bring together the franchises’ huge combined fan base to the delight of a wide range of Mobage players.

DeNA and Level-5’s alliance will be a long-term strategic one aimed at adapting popular videogame titles to social games. The two companies will leverage mutual strengths to design and develop new games for an ever expanding audience.