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Delivered on February 3, 2025

Momotetsu WALKING @ Aeon Mall Ibaraki <Location Information Award 2024 Grand Prize>

Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. / Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.

Noriaki Okamura

Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. Senior Producer

Katsuya Ihara

Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. Project Headquarters under the direct control of the president PNT Promotion Department Technology Division Manager

Tatsuya Kogami

Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. Project Headquarters under the direct control of the president PNT Promotion Department Sales Division Manager

 

Momotetsu WALKING@Aeon Mall Ibaraki was selected as the grand prize in LBMA Japan's Location Information Awards.

Konami Digital Entertainment's "Momotaro Electric Railway" is loved by a wide range of generations.

A new game experience where you can enjoy "real life" at a shopping mall.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries' location information solution mapxus Driven by Kawasaki™ has made this possible.

Various possibilities presented by merging location information and Momotetsu, real and virtual.

We asked him about the details of his efforts and his plans for the future.

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Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ solution that realizes “realistic peach iron work”

Momotetsu WALKING@Aeon Mall Ibaraki received the Location Information Award.

Momotaro Dentetsu is a very popular game that continues to be loved by generations since its creation in 1988.

Noriaki Okamura of Konami Digital Entertainment, who is the producer of the series, said: While developing the "Momo Tetsu" series so far, we have been able to enjoy it more realistically in more familiar places.

It is said that he was searching for a new form of entertainment.

 

The origin of this project is ``Momotaro Dentetsu ~Showa, Heisei, and Reiwa are also classics!~'', which is a game based on Japan. Another reason is the development of the game ``Momotaro Dentetsu World ~The Earth Rotates with Hope!'' which is based on a world map. From the idea of ​​``trying it in a smaller space'', The idea of ​​``playing peach iron in real life'' at a shopping mall was born, This project was made possible with the cooperation of Aeon Mall Ibaraki.

The Momotetsu map will become an AEON mall, stations will become stores, and Momotetsu steam locomotives will run on your smartphone screen. When you arrive at a store at your destination, you can purchase ``products'' and enjoy them, but the God of Poverty also comes along with you. However, to make this idea a reality, technology was needed to accurately determine the player's position indoors. While GPS is effective outdoors, its accuracy decreases indoors, requiring alternative technologies. This is where Kawasaki Heavy Industries' indoor location information solution mapxus Driven by Kawasaki™, which uses Wi-Fi, came into play.

This technology uses existing Wi-Fi radio waves to obtain location information without installing additional equipment. At shopping centers such as Aeon Mall, Another major feature is that many Wi-Fi access points are already installed, so you can install them without making any new equipment investment.

By utilizing this technology, each area within the mall can be set as a "property" or "destination", Players were able to progress through the game while actually moving. For example, by treating a food court as an ``ekiben shop,'' or an apparel shop as a ``clothing store,'' It is now possible to incorporate the worldview of the game into the mall.

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Possibilities expand with location information x entertainment

It is said that the project progressed in a relatively short period of time, taking about two months from when it actually started moving until it became operational. The system itself is very complete, and the basic function of acquiring and plotting position information is The reason for this is that it was able to be implemented in a relatively short period of time. However, once we started actual operation, there were many situations where adjustments were required on the app side. For example, we considered how to take advantage of Momotetsu's unique gameplay and whether the movement mechanism was appropriate, and continued to make improvements.

It is said that the reactions of users who have actually experienced it have been very positive. The system that allows users to visit stores they don't normally visit has been well-received, and there are expectations that it could be implemented at commercial facilities to attract customers.

On the other hand, various issues also emerged. In particular, he felt that the high hurdle of getting general visitors to install the app on the spot was a big challenge. This initiative has many possibilities, such as creating a system where users can shop at the store they visit. In the future, he would like to resolve the issues and aim for a better implementation.

Mr. Okamura of Konami Digital Entertainment said, Through this project, he was once again convinced that Momotaro Dentetsu is a game that bridges the gap between the real and the virtual. I felt that the combination of location information and Momotetsu had many possibilities, and the same system could be used for walking in parks and He said that various ways of using the system could be considered, such as expanding it across Japan.

Location information and entertainment will continue to bring us new experiences.

Related keywords:

#Wi-Fi #Indoor positioning #Entertainment #App

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