Up 9 million since January

GungHo Online's cash cow Puzzle & Dragons has been downloaded more than 50 million times w??orldwide since the  role-playing puzzle game's launch i??n 2012, the company just announced.

The figure has risen by more than 9 million since January, when global numbers totaled 41 million, 6 ??million of which came out of North America. In August 2014, GungHo reported 37 million downloads internationally, with 4 million o?f those spread across the United States and Canada.

Earlier this year, GungHo and Nintendo released Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition for Nintendo 3DS. a two-in-one package also containing the more RPG-heavy Puzzle & Dragons Z.

The mobile version of Puzzle & Dragons is available for free via iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon.

全世界5000万DL達成記念イベント(前半)!! [GungHo Online via Dr. Serkan Toto]

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HNNNNNNNNG!

GungHo is now collaborating with Square Enix to unite the worlds of Final Fantasy and Puzzle & Dragons. That's about all we know at the moment, but we'll update yo??u when there's more to tell.

Final Fantasy x Puzzle & Dragons [GungHo Online via 4Gamer]

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Yes, please!

Puzzle & Dragons, the drug-laced mobile mashup of Pokémon and Bejeweled, is joining forces with classic 80s anime Fist of the North Star, GungHo Online has announced.

The publisher didn't pass along many other?? details, let alone any relea??se date. Just know that you're already dead. ATATATATATA!

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GungHo's puzzle RPG is popular -- really, really popular.

Puzzle & Dragons has now surpassed 30 million downloads in Japan, GungHo Online Entertainment has announced. While that's a pretty impressive figure by an?y measure, it's especially remarkable when considering the country has roughly 100 million mobile users. 

The puzzle RPG also can boast over 4 million downloads across the United States and Canada, 2 million in South Korea, and another 1 million betwe??en Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Kantan Games consultant Dr. Serkan Toto notes the title is still not available in many languages, including Spanish, German and ?Chinese. Oddly enough, the version on offer in Chinese-speaking countries features Japanese text. A few localizations could likely go a long way ?in expanding the game's reach.

ガンホー、大人気パズル RPG『パズル＆ドラゴンズ』 ついに累計3000 万ダウンロードを突破 [GungHo]

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Nana nana nana nana more Dragons

A second in-game collaboration between Batman: Arkham Origins and Puzzles & Dragons is set to burst, beginning tomorrow, December 23. Like the previous event, 11 characters -- from the world of Arkham Origins -- will invade GungHo Online's?? addictive free-to-play puzzler in a special themed dungeon.

Taking place Blackgate Prison, players will take ?pit their crews up against -- and with the chance of adding to their teams -- heinous villains such as The Joker, Bane, Solomon Grundy, and Deathstroke. Additionally, heroes like Batman, Robin, and Catwoman can be obtained in a special in-game Rare Egg Mac?hine. 

The first tim??e Warner Bros. and GungHo teamed up, I though it was pretty amusing -- even amid the strangeness of t?he pairing. The dungeons were pretty challenging for my team at the time, and I only ended up with two -- albeit useful -- boy wonders. 

I've let a little metaphorical dust settle on my team as of late in Puzzles & Dragons, but these little event??s always seem like a good enough reason if any to hop back in to t??he action. 

The Batman: Arkham Origins and Puzzles & Dragons event concludes January 5, 2014.

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A published soundtrack album comes with rockin' remixes

So what’s the big stink about Puzzle & Dragons? I was fascinated by the title before it blew up into a huge success for Japanese publisher GungHo, mainly because of Romancing SaGa/Culdcept composer Kenji Ito’s involvement. He provided a number of trac?ks for the game, and?, in fact, is the only artist to put out music related to the blockbuster title.

The album comes from his own label, gentle echo, with a number of arrangements in tow. But is the soundtrack worth pick???ing up off iTunes Japan?

PUZZLE & DRAGONS ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK -itoken limited-
Release Date:  April 29, 2013
Price: 2,100 Yen ($21)
Availability: Limited (iTunes Japan)
Artist(s): Kenji Ito

Kenji Ito has been into lots of rock lately, as heard in his Romancing SaGa arrangement albums, but it’s obvious that Ito was tasked with providing something more upbeat with his entry theme, “Departure,” and the electronic-infused ballad, “A New Journey.” The short but bumping ele??ctronic track, “Walking Through the Towers,” and the rock-heavy “The Orb Festival” and &ldq?uo;Dragon’s Den” are more where Ito shines, however.

In addition to the five compositions, Ito invites Nobuyoshi Sano and Kohta Takahashi to create their o??wn arrangements, with Sano’s “Departure” adding a whole new dimension to the track with pulsing synths and pumping percussion and Takahashi’s “Walking Through the Towers” adding thick bass and blaring synths to the mix. Ito himself takes on “Dragon’s Den” with a “MORE ROCK!” arrangement, falling in line with his aforementioned rock efforts.

In all, I can’t say that there’s a melody from this album that has stuck in my head, but I think Ito fans who loved his recent Romancing SaGa albums will probably love this album too. Now, to the bad news: the album unfortunately isn’t widely available in a physical format, and is only available on iTunes Japan at the moment. My advice to you if you want this is to find a friend in Japan to lend you their address and pick you up some iTunes credit so you can get a Japanese iTunes account (game music fans should?? have done this ages ago!).

Let us know what you think if you've managed to play Puzzle & Dragons. Is the music any good, and ?does Kenji Ito's music play a big part? 

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And I hate everything

The plague that is Angry Birds is infecting everything. Even the cocaine-coated fusion of Pokemon and Bejeweled that is Puzzle & Dragons cannot resist the avian epidemic. The feverishly popular role-playing puzzle game now features ephemeral Angry Birds-themed content, GungHo Online has confessed.

Puzzle & Dragons now includes a dungeon called Piggy Island, where players can fight and capture Rovio's contagious creations until December 1. Also, as previously reported, the Finnish developer is holding a contest ask?ing fans to submit illustr??ations of the mobile game crossover. Should you wish to enter an image of monsters doing horribly violent things to the cartoon birds, the deadline is this Wednesday, November 20.

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This collaboration makes a little more sense

Hot off their Batman: Arkham Origins crossover, GungHo Online Entertainment has landed another collaboration that makes a little more sense for their addictive dungeon-crawling puzzler. Beginning November 18, till December 1, those pesky (read annoying) Angry Birds are invading the world of, the two million strong and growing, Puzzles & Dragons. 

"We are excited ??to announce the collaboration of Puzzle & Dragon?s and the Angry Birds ga??mes from Rovio Entertainment," said Daisuke Yamamoto, GungHo Online Entertainment Producer and creator of Puzzle & Dragons. "Angry Birds is one of the most recognizable entertainment franchises in the world, and we are thrille??d to be working alongside Rovio to give our fans a look at what it would be like if&nbs??p;Angry Birds ?;characters invaded the world of Puzzle & Dragons."

Additionally, the folks over at Rovio are currently running a themed-illustration contest that asks Angry Birds' fans "What if Angry Birds showed up in the world of Puzzle & Dra??gons?" The contest runs till the 20th of this month, which also is the deadline for entries.

My thought: They'll all end up as lunch. 

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GungHo's puzzle role-player gaining traction in the West

Puzzle & Dragons has eclipsed the two million download mark in North America, GungHo Online Entertainment has announced. The opium-infused synthesis of Pokémon and Bejeweled has now ??claimed the souls of more than 23 million mobile users across Japan, North America, and Korea.

As one of the afflicted, I fully expect all society to ground to a halt when the impending Nintendo 3DS version, Puzzle & Dragons Z, befells Japan this winter a?nd the ?rest of the world shortly thereafter.

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Nana nana nana nana Dragons

GungHo Online Entertainment and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment have teamed up to unleash one of the wildest collaborations in recent memory. Joining the Puzzles & Dragons fold, until November 12, is none other than your favorite icons from Batman: Arkham Origins.

Taking place in a special themed event dungeon, players will be able to collect legendary villains such as the Joker for their monster boxes. In addition to battling certain Arkham Origins villains, heroes like Batman, Robin, and Catwoman can be collected? and added?????????????????????????? to ones roster from a special in-game egg machine.

If you haven't downloaded Puzzles & Dragons yet, on either iOS or Android, do yourself a favor and grab this free-to-play puzzler. It has easily become my go-to mobile game of choice lately, thanks to its casual match three puzzle gameplay mixed with the delicious addictiveness?? of monster collecting and breeding.

I can't tell you how many times it's gotten me through some pretty mundane moments at my weekday job. Now if only I hadn't wasted all my magic s??tones continuing in boss?? battles.

Word to the wise... just say no.

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Puzzle & Dragons publisher certainly is ambitious

GungHo Online is feeling pretty high and mighty lately, and with good reason -- the publisher made $118 million last month and more than ten percent of Japan is playing Puzzle & Dragons. GungHo isn't looking to rest on its laurels though.?? The company has set its sights on Nintendo, endeavoring to dethrone the platform holder and become the world's premier publishing house.

“I want to top Nintendo’s sales by the time I retire,” GungHo boss Kazuki Morishita told Bloomberg. “I respect Nintendo,” he added, saying he wants to emulate ?them and "make people think whatever GungHo ??does is fun.”

GungHo's shares have risen dramatically this year; the company's market value even managed to eclipse that of Nintendo for a couple days this month. However, the publisher's stock has fallen 27 percent since recording record highs on May 14. Whether GungHo's recent success with Puzzle & Dragons is a sign of things to come or merely a flash in the pan remains to be seen, but Morishita ??will need to deliver consistently if he hopes to turn his ambitions of world domination into a reality.

GungHo Targets Overtakin?g Nintendo as World’s Top Game Maker [Bloomberg]

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