Capcom Creates New Subsidiary Centered on Social Gaming

Capcom has entered the mobile/social gaming market after forming Beeline Interactive, a subsidiary of the company that will handle social gaming on smartphones in the Asian marketplace. The move follows up Capcom’s interest in the market, sparked by record figures within the region.

The largest audience for mobile gaming in late 2010 was the Asia-Pacific market, which was worth $1.81 billion, and now Capcom has deemed themselves “extremely committed” to the game space. However, Beeline won’t adopt any of the classic Capcom franchises but will instead operate as a “second brand” for established titles such as Smurfs’ Village and Zombie Cafe.

“Capcom is extremely committed to the smartphone social game space, and the creation of ‘Beeline’ represents a major investment and strategic refocusing of the company’s mobile operations,” said Midori Yuasa, president of Capcom.

Beeline is scheduled to release eight games out of offices in Los Angeles, Toronto, London, and Tokyo by the end of the fiscal year. That’s a sound amount for a company that’s already enjoying success in the smartphone market, headed by Smurfs’ Village, which holds the distinction of being the highest-grossing app in 55 countries.