Dr. Serkan Toto mapped out some of the pitfalls in the Japanese mobile games market during his Casual Connect Asia lecture. “The first myth is that Japan is not much different from Korea or China or from Southeast Asia.” Serkan says. “It’s an intellectual mistake to think like that.”
Everyone wants to be able to say that their hobby and their work are the same thing. Dr. Serkan Toto can actually boast that, though.
As the founder and CEO of Kantan Games Inc., Serkan has been able to merge his passions in life — business and gaming — and make a living doing what he loves. Kantan Games, a game industry consultancy based in Tokyo, provides expertise on the Japanese mobile games market.
Whether it’s inquiring about trends, competitive landscape, potential and risk analysis, data, or any number of other things, Kantan Games can help. The company’s clients include game developers, advertising companies, financial firms and others from all over the world.
The Path to Kantan
Serkan first came to Japan around 2004 to study economics at Keio University in Tokyo. At the time, mobile gaming in Japan wasn’t nearly as popular. However, around the time he graduated the market started exploding.
“Suddenly developers started popping up everywhere,” he says. “People talked about monetization, free-to-play and the best game mechanics for cell phones. Japanese startups doing social networks or e-commerce pivoted to making games.”
He notes that foreign developers began taking note of the action going on in Japan and Japanese mobile game developers began looking outward. There were a lot of questions about Japan’s mobile game space. As someone with a distinct advantage as a Japanese foreigner who knew the language and breathed games, Serkan decided to create Kantan Games.
Not only did this allow him to pursue his love of gaming, he says, but “there was a certain continuation from university to work” that he found very satisfying. “I haven’t looked back since.”
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In the Business
Part of consulting is, invariably, looking to the future and preparing for what’s to come. Serkan sees a continued rise in mobile gaming and emerging game experiences such as cloud and VR gaming. He notes that, while he believes there will be a convergence of platforms and a consolidation of the video game space, overall the game industry will expand.
And he can’t wait to share these insights and much more with anyone who steps through his door. “The most fun part of my job is being able to help my clients by opening their eyes to the possibilities, risks, and myths the Japanese gaming market offers.”
