How to Catch Butterflies with Your Smartphone

Japanese brand agency Dentsu, Butterfly Corporation, and D2 Communications say iButterfly Plus, a social game for smartphones, is now available in 86 countries and regions. It was announced today, May 30.

The game incorporates four game elements – augmented reality (AR), motion sensors, location information and social gaming. The object of the game is to catch the butterflies seen through a smartphone’s camera viewfinder by swinging the smartphone like a butterfly net, and then put them in a collection.

The butterflies are air tags that are created using the AR and location information elements, and the smartphone’s motion sensor function is used to capture them.

iButterfly Plus also comes with a function that enables players to register other users met through the game as friends, and to disseminate information regarding captured butterflies on Facebook and Twitter.

In order to make the iButterfly Plus game even more enjoyable, players can purchase additional items on a pay-per-item basis. One such item is a flower seed, which the player sows and nurtures. When the flower opens, it will attract rare butterflies, giving the game a unique characteristic and story.

It is an enhanced version of the iButterfly application for the iPhone platform that Dentsu launched in January 2010. The original iButterfly application won an Award for Excellence in the Marketing Category of the 9th Mobile Ad Awards in Japan, says Dentsu.

The three companies also plan to develop iButterfly Plus into a platform for corporate and other advertising campaigns. D2C will create and sell advertising space in the platform.