We are pleased to announce that Fanplus, Inc. (Fanplus) has chosen Authlete to implement OpenID Connect (OIDC) in its common identity infrastructure, supporting the introduction of “bubble for Japan,” a fan communication app.
As a subsidiary of m-up holdings, Inc., Fanplus specializes in planning, developing and operating fan clubs and fan sites for music artists, as well as developing and operating e-commerce systems for artist merchandise.
In its effort to become the “No. 1 fandom company,” Fanplus seeks to strengthen fan engagement and enhance the fan experience by not only providing content on its fan sites but also offering value-added services that leverage IT technology.
As part of this initiative, Fanplus launched bubble for Japan, the Japanese version of the global fan communication app that originated in Korea, "Dear U bubble (commonly known as "bubble")," on June 4, 2024. Artists such as Mrs. GREEN APPLE and SKE48 are participating in bubble for Japan.
bubble, which is not a chatbot, allows fans to experience what feels like private messaging with artists. The app’s standout feature is that fans can receive casual, everyday messages directly from the artists, and respond to them. With a user-friendly interface that mirrors traditional chat apps, bubble delivers an experience where fans feel connected to the artists as though they were friends, deepening their sense of immersion and intimacy with the service.
In launching bubble for JAPAN, Fanplus adopted Authlete to implement the OIDC functionality in its “Plus member ID,” the common ID for the company’s multiple services, including its fan club and e-commerce sites. Masato Saito, CTO of Fanplus, said the following:
To enable the use of our Plus member ID for logging into the bubble for JAPAN system, we needed to add the OIDC identity provider functionality to the identity infrastructure. However, implementing the OIDC standards, including signature processing and token management, from scratch was not an easy task, especially given the requirement to release the system within a few months.
Against this backdrop, we considered implementing an OIDC solution and ultimately chose Authlete. Authlete is a component-based service specializing in OIDC/OAuth protocol processing and token management and can be introduced simply by calling the API. This allowed us to newly add the OIDC functionality while continuing to use the existing member data and login interfaces of Plus member ID. Development using Laravel also went smoothly, thanks to Authlete’s extensive documentation.
Looking ahead, we will further leverage the OIDC functionality of Plus member ID to provide fans with a seamless environment, allowing them to access a variety of services with a single ID.
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