Tokyo, Japan – April 10, 2014 – LINE Corporation, owner and operator of the free call and messaging app LINE, today announced the release of a major update for LINE PLAY, a free avatar-based virtual community for iOS and Android devices. The version update features a new large-scale chat function called the “Square” that allows multiple avatars to chat with one another at the same time.

LINE PLAY is an avatar community for smartphones that allows the user to create their own customizable character known as an avatar. Users can also decorate their own personal “Rooms” and make friends with other avatars from around the globe. Since beginning service on November 21, 2012, this virtual world has expanded to include not only users from Japan, but also a strong international community that includes members from 210 countries and regions. The service now boasts over 14 million users, having grown into one of the largest avatar communities in the world.

The Square feature being released in this update is a virtual town commons that allows LINE PLAY users to communicate with up to 20 other avatars in the same space. Players can also use “Potions” to temporarily change the size or walking speed of their avatars, and exchange “High Fives”. This new feature also allows users sharing the same space to view one another’s facial expressions and gestures while talking, offering a new form of casual communication that moves beyond traditional text and emoticons.

Since its inception, LINE PLAY has opened up new avenues of interactivity that move beyond the closed communication centered on family and friends offered by the free call and messaging app LINE. The virtual avatar community has poured much of its time and resources into offering a more open form of communication that connects people based on common interests, and the new Square feature will play an important part in this goal.

The Square will begin by offering two virtual meeting places, the Cafe and the Park, for avatars to mingle. LINE PLAY plans to expand on this by adding an amusement park, a sports stadium, and other themed areas in the future. 

LINE PLAY will also be holding a “Square Grand Opening Event” to commemorate the new feature on Monday, April 14.*

LINE PLAY

Cost: Free-to-play (offers in-app purchases)

Supported devices: iPhone 4, iOS 4.3 and above, Android OS 2.2 and above

LINE PLAY website: http://lp.play.line.me/

App Store download link

Google Play download link