It has now become easier for players of social games on Mobage for smartphones and Yahoo Mobage to pay for virtual items, at least for Android handset owners subscribed to KDDI au.
DeNA announced that these subscribers can purchase “Mobacoins” (DeNA’s virtual currency) via “KDDI au Kantan Kessai”, a settlement service that makes it possible to pay for virtual items on Mobage via the monthly cell phone bill.
The service has been accessible for KDDI au subscribers using feature phones for years. Frictionless mobile payment in Japan is one of the main reasons for DeNA and GREE’s spectacular financial performance in recent years.
Just a few weeks ago, DeNA made it possible for Yahoo Mobage to pay for virtual items in social games via online banking (see here).
