Anzu has announced a brand new partnership with Tozai Games which will allow Anzu to expand its in-game advertisement operations into Japan. The partnership was signed between Anzu and the current president of Tozai Games Inc. Takuya Banno. Takuya Banno is an Xbox veteran as he has previously worked as a former manager of Xbox partner relations. With the help of the new partnership, local game developers will get access to Anzu’s new scalable monetization model.
Takuya Banno previously developed key relationships with many Japanese major publishers including Sega, Capcom, Konami, and Bandai Namco during his stay with Microsoft. After his post as the former manager of Xbox Partner Relations, he moved on to becoming the Senior Manager of Marketing where he played a key role in Xbox 360 marketing before moving on to Senior Manager of Strategy at Xbox Japan. His most recent release is the Spelunker Franchise published by Square Enix. With the new partnership, he will represent Anzu in the local Japanese market.
Takuya Banno commented on the partnership:
The Japanese gaming market is bigger and more advanced than ever before. I’m looking forward to introducing our talented pool of publishers to a new revenue stream that can provide them with the financial means to continue their valiant efforts in leading global gaming trends. I am especially pleased that the ads introduced by Anzu are non-invasive, tasteful, and even pleasant for the gamers themselves.
Co-founder and CEO of Anzu, Itamar Benedy also commented:
Japan is such a historically important piece of the gaming puzzle. Long associated with the golden age of video games, a period in which iconic companies such as Nintendo, Sega, and Sony Computer Entertainment cast their wide nets across the world, Japan is an ideal audience for advertisers, one in which 33.1% of gamers fall into the 25-34 age bracket. We’re so thrilled to partner with an industry leader of Takuya Banno’s stature in order to bring our exciting technology to Japanese game developers. Since day one, our priority has been putting gamers first by creating advertising experiences that will naturally fit into the gaming world. I’m honored to work closely with Banno to create new revenue possibilities for developers and new creative possibilities for advertisers!
Anzu’s previous partnerships for in-game advertisements include Lion Castle, Zula, APB Reloaded, Vivid Games and Toplitz Productions. Anzu.io is also the only in-game ad platform with the highest-level security audit ISO 27001 certification.
