DOCOMO to Support 5G Game Streaming in Japan

NTT DOCOMO, INC. announced that it made an investment in cloud gaming pioneer Hatch Entertainment Ltd, provider of the world’s first made-for-5G game streaming service in Finland, on February 4. The investment was made through NTT DOCOMO Ventures, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of DOCOMO. Also, DOCOMO has begun supporting Hatch’s game streaming service in Japan, effective February 13.

Hatch currently streams rich, full-featured games over Wi-Fi or 4G networks in the Nordic countries plus the UK and Ireland. Hatch offers more than 100 games that are ready to play instantly, requiring no download, in-game paywall or costly specialized hardware. Users simply download Hatch’s application from Google Play to their device to use the service for a flat monthly fee of JPY 550 (tax included).

Under the DOCOMO-Hatch partnership, customers in Japan will log into Hatch with their DOCOMO d ACCOUNTTM to play games and challenge other gamers on global leaderboards. Hatch games will also be available via the DOCOMO TV Terminal set-top box device that customers control with their smartphones.

Customers in Japan were invited to experience Hatch’s gaming service at Evolution Championship Series: Japan 2019 (EVO Japan), a major eSports tournament held in Fukuoka from February 15 to 17.

Going forward, DOCOMO and Hatch will collaborate with a growing range of game companies to maximize gaming opportunities for customers, and they will leverage the extra-high-speed, large-capacity, low-latency and massive-device connectivity of 5G when DOCOMO launches its commercial 5G service in 2020.

• “Wi-Fi” is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance.

NTT DOCOMO, Japan’s leading mobile operator with over 77 million subscriptions, is one of the world’s foremost contributors to 3G, 4G and 5G mobile network technologies. Beyond core communications services, DOCOMO is challenging new frontiers in collaboration with a growing number of entities (“+d” partners), creating exciting and convenient value-added services that change the way people live and work. Under a medium-term plan toward 2020 and beyond, DOCOMO is pioneering a leading-edge 5G network to facilitate innovative services that will amaze and inspire customers beyond their expectations. DOCOMO is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (9437). https://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/.