Alibaba boosts reach with deal for Travel Frog

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd on Monday announced a strategic partnership with Japanese game developer Hit-Point, granting Alibaba exclusive rights to publish the free-roaming mobile game Travel Frog in the Chinese mainland.

It marks the company's latest move to charge into the gaming business to keep its growth momentum strong.

Dong Zhen, a Beijing-based independent gaming analyst, said as a late comer to the market, Alibaba would need to pour a massive amount of money and resources into gaming.