In 2011, social gaming turned out pretty much the way we thought it would. Mobile devices proved to be a fertile breeding ground for social games, FarmVille maker Zynga continued to get bigger, and we witnessed more than our fair share of advergames this year.
Now it's that time of year that we, once again, reshuffle our tarot decks and see what the next 12 months will hold for games of a social nature. And, even if the Mayan predictions about the world ending in 2012 prove true, that won't happen until December -- so everyone has plenty of time to get this stuff in under the wire.
facebook will be the #1 place to play social gamesFacebook will still be the #1 place to play social games
Facebook may (or may not) be losing users in the US, but it will still be the number one platform for social games this year. Google's social network needs to make its service much more user friendly to convince the change-averse general public (i.e. non-tech-heads) to make the move from Facebook.
Mobile social games suffer from a similar problem -- there are a lot of them out there, but there's not an easy way to play them with other people. Mobiles have three major game-based social networks duking it out for the top spot -- Apple's Game Center, OpenFeint and Mobage -- but it's hard to convince social gamers to join, especially when a majority of them don't consider themselves 'gamers.'
Facebook's strength continues to lie in the fact that its games are integrated into a larger social experience. People are already visiting the social network daily to uploading photos, write zingy status updates and commenting on friends' walls, what's the harm in spending a few minutes playing Bejeweled Blitz or checking in on the farm?
SimCity Social will go toe-to-toe with CityVille
Since launch, Zynga's city building game, CityVille, has maintained its position as the number one game on Facebook. There are several reasons for this: First, the game was simultaneously released in multiple languages, and second, there's something about building virtual cities that crosses any cultural, gender and generational divide. So when we heard reports that Electronic Arts is hard at work on making a Facebook version of its PC gaming mega-hit SimCity, well, we can't think of any other game more likely to topple CityVille from atop its perch. If the success of Sims Social is any indicator, SimCity Social (or whatever it's called) will be sitting pretty this time next year.
amazon kindle firePlay your game of choice on any device
One of the biggest problems in social game-dom is the fact that you have to be on a computer to play your games. Or on a mobile device. But you can't do both. And world that is quickly growing to embrace tablets, from the iPad to the new Kindle Fire, as a secondary computing device, it's annoying that we can't check in on our virtual people in The Sims Social whenever, wherever and on whatever.
2012 will be the year that someone makes this breakthrough. Why? Because it has to be. Companies like Zynga rely far too much on Facebook and must stop doing that for long term success. Technology is the main reason this hasn't happened yet, as in, you can't play Flash games on iOS devices. Flash-creator Adobe says it has come up with a workaround for that problem and many seem to be pinning their hopes on the platform agnostic HTML5 as well.
Social games with video game-quality graphics
Last year, we were certain that social games with 3D graphics, or what I like to call "video game quality" graphics, would be everywhere by the end of 2011. That didn't exactly happen, but we've got plenty good reason to believe that 2012 will -- for real, this time -- be the year of 3D games on Facebook and other social gaming outlets. Social games will continue to look and play better, and the addition of high falutin' 3D graphics is a natural next step. Second the technology to do it made major strides recently (though we're still dubious that Flash 11 can deliver games on par with those on Microsoft's Xbox 360 or Sony's PlayStation 3).
Do you think SimCity Social will beat out CItyVille in '12? What else do you see happening in social games next year?
Thứ Bảy, 18 tháng 2, 2012
Video games' Tim Burton struggles with sales side of social games
You know, the most important part of a social game? Unfortunately, the creator of creepy console game hits like Alice told Gamasutra that his Shanghai-based studio, Spicy Horse, has struggled with adapting to the social games business model. In creating its first-ever game in the genre, BigHead Bash, the developer didn't even consider a business model until later in the game's development.
"The truth is, being a 'traditional' game company, we just started with a gameplay demo built by a two-man prototype team, and left the business model thinking until a much later date," studio head American McGee told Gamasutra. "Part-way into production I started pressuring the team to find a theme and make sure that theme linked into a 'monetization narrative.' To me, the idea that we set the game inside a store made a lot of sense -- and it was the 'toy store' theme that I pressed for that reason,"
McGee went on to say that he and his team of developer are well-versed in traditional games, which focus primarily on game play and art--the business model has always been laid out for them in that regard. This is the first time the designer had to consider ways for his game to make money before it's even been released. And as social gamers are quite aware, a free game without a way to make money somehow--almost always through virtual goods--won't be a game for very long.
However, McGee and his crew have come up with several means to make money through BigHead Bash, some of which sound rather clever. For one, the game's central setting is within a toy store, and players will soon be able to buy physical figures based on their in-game avatars through a 3D printing service. Of course, this all comes along with those lovely microtransactions. BigHead Bash is currently in open beta, and plans are to "officially" launch the game in February 2012.
[Image Credit: Spicy Horse]
Have you tried BigHead Bash yet? Do you think a traditional games developer like Spicy Horse like survive in the Facebook games world?
"The truth is, being a 'traditional' game company, we just started with a gameplay demo built by a two-man prototype team, and left the business model thinking until a much later date," studio head American McGee told Gamasutra. "Part-way into production I started pressuring the team to find a theme and make sure that theme linked into a 'monetization narrative.' To me, the idea that we set the game inside a store made a lot of sense -- and it was the 'toy store' theme that I pressed for that reason,"
McGee went on to say that he and his team of developer are well-versed in traditional games, which focus primarily on game play and art--the business model has always been laid out for them in that regard. This is the first time the designer had to consider ways for his game to make money before it's even been released. And as social gamers are quite aware, a free game without a way to make money somehow--almost always through virtual goods--won't be a game for very long.
However, McGee and his crew have come up with several means to make money through BigHead Bash, some of which sound rather clever. For one, the game's central setting is within a toy store, and players will soon be able to buy physical figures based on their in-game avatars through a 3D printing service. Of course, this all comes along with those lovely microtransactions. BigHead Bash is currently in open beta, and plans are to "officially" launch the game in February 2012.
[Image Credit: Spicy Horse]
Have you tried BigHead Bash yet? Do you think a traditional games developer like Spicy Horse like survive in the Facebook games world?
U.S. casino Caesars owned half of Playtika, now it owns the other half
You can almost say U.S. casino giant Caesars and Slotomania maker Playtika were engaged before, and now they've just had their wedding day. (Dawww!) The Israeli social games company is now 100 percent owned by Caesars, which had previously acquired 51 percent of the developer earlier this year in May for between $80 and $90 million, according to Globes.
The majority of social gaming acquisitions this writer has had exposure to usually happen wholesale, and for much cheaper. (Aside from Disney and EA's tendency to make it rain.) According to Globes, the company acquired Playtika with the option to gobble up the rest of it shares within two years, and purchased the rest of its shares for slightly more than their worth back in May.
In other words, Caesars likey. Maybe this had to do with Facebook recently naming Slotomania one of the most popular social games of 2011 on its platform. Well, that and how casino games are looking to be the next big thing on Facebook, with even PopCap (supposedly) and Zynga looking to get in on the action. That said, Caesars has even farther-reaching plans for its new company of 50 staffers and 10 million monthly players.
"2012 is going to be a very big year for Playtika, which will be reflected by, among other things, the hiring of additional employees in Israel. A large portion of the investment that we are making in the company will be for hiring new people," Caesars Interactive CEO Mitch Gerber told Globes. "Next year, we will concentrate on Playtika's competitive advantage and on widening its activity on social networks other than Facebook," Gerber said. "Caesars Interactive and Playtika will be focusing on Asia in the upcoming year."
The majority of social gaming acquisitions this writer has had exposure to usually happen wholesale, and for much cheaper. (Aside from Disney and EA's tendency to make it rain.) According to Globes, the company acquired Playtika with the option to gobble up the rest of it shares within two years, and purchased the rest of its shares for slightly more than their worth back in May.
In other words, Caesars likey. Maybe this had to do with Facebook recently naming Slotomania one of the most popular social games of 2011 on its platform. Well, that and how casino games are looking to be the next big thing on Facebook, with even PopCap (supposedly) and Zynga looking to get in on the action. That said, Caesars has even farther-reaching plans for its new company of 50 staffers and 10 million monthly players.
"2012 is going to be a very big year for Playtika, which will be reflected by, among other things, the hiring of additional employees in Israel. A large portion of the investment that we are making in the company will be for hiring new people," Caesars Interactive CEO Mitch Gerber told Globes. "Next year, we will concentrate on Playtika's competitive advantage and on widening its activity on social networks other than Facebook," Gerber said. "Caesars Interactive and Playtika will be focusing on Asia in the upcoming year."
Crosswords' creator made a social game with just an idea and passion
Alright, maybe he had a little bit of cash, but PuzzleSocial founder and Crosswords creator Jeb Balise tells us that he has no previous experience making social games. So, how did Balise go from not knowing the first thing about social games to becoming the CEO of his own social game company with its first game out of the gate? (Hey, Mark Pincus did it.)
A deep love for crossword puzzles, and an idea--a pretty good one, at that. (A recent MBA graduate from Fordham University, Balise has a thing for business, too.) The PuzzleSocial CEO tells us that he's a tournament-level crossword puzzle solver, having competed in the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament for several years. "For the record, compared to most of the people that go to that tournament, I'm average," Balise humbly admits.
It was thanks to his time competing that Balise came up with PuzzleSocial. "[I found that] once you add the social nature of certain games such as multiplayer, they can spread so quickly and people can have a lot of fun playing together," Balise says. "That was a remarkable sort of thing that happened that I was only able to catch on because I was playing the [crosswords]."
Gallery: Crosswords on Facebook
The Fordham graduate soon realized that the world's crossword puzzles were made by a surprisingly small amount of people. That was about 14 months ago, and soon after Balise reached out to professional crossword puzzle constructors behind the puzzles readers of Newsweek, The Onion's A.V. Club and over 200 other newspapers and online news outlets worldwide enjoy. "Once I put two and two together that, 'Hey, we could all get together and put these great crosswords on the most powerful distribution platform ever to exist,' you know, we could make some cool things happen," Balise tell us.
PuzzleSocial CEO Jeb BaliseOf course, not knowing much about game development, the PuzzleSocial founder had to seek out those that did. Balise calls it a lucky break that he found the game developers that he did. The first designer he hired to work on Crosswords has moved into his New York City office. Today, Balise and his team of about 10 developers are working with 50 of the most syndicated crossword puzzle creators in the world. "I haven't taken a day off in 14 months, and I've enjoyed every single second of it."
Now that Crosswords is available to the public, it's initially drawn a crowd reminiscent of the average social gamer: middle-aged to older folks (that likely have experience with crosswords). However, we're told that this is just the beginning. When asked about plans for future growth, Balise says he plans to make its puzzles appeal to younger crowds both through social features like real-time Doubles Play and Celebrity Crosswords chock-full of current events and topics you'd find on TMZ.
"The typical way, just as you said, is that you're solving a crossword puzzle in the paper. How many times have we experience someone looking over someone's shoulder and chiming in with an answer? In this case, you don't have to do that," Balise says. "We want to prove to the world that crosswords are for all ages."
As for the future beyond Crosswords, the PuzzleSocial founder unsurprisingly has little he can talk about. What we do know is that PuzzleSocial has plans to launch two more social games and two mobile games in 2012. However, Balise promises that his company's mission to promote education through social will permeate throughout. "The philosophy behind what we're building lends itself to other games that can be built both in the puzzle world and beyond."
Have you tried Crosswords for Facebook yet? Do you think PuzzleSocial's approach will help it carve out a niche on Facebook?
A deep love for crossword puzzles, and an idea--a pretty good one, at that. (A recent MBA graduate from Fordham University, Balise has a thing for business, too.) The PuzzleSocial CEO tells us that he's a tournament-level crossword puzzle solver, having competed in the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament for several years. "For the record, compared to most of the people that go to that tournament, I'm average," Balise humbly admits.
It was thanks to his time competing that Balise came up with PuzzleSocial. "[I found that] once you add the social nature of certain games such as multiplayer, they can spread so quickly and people can have a lot of fun playing together," Balise says. "That was a remarkable sort of thing that happened that I was only able to catch on because I was playing the [crosswords]."
Gallery: Crosswords on Facebook
The Fordham graduate soon realized that the world's crossword puzzles were made by a surprisingly small amount of people. That was about 14 months ago, and soon after Balise reached out to professional crossword puzzle constructors behind the puzzles readers of Newsweek, The Onion's A.V. Club and over 200 other newspapers and online news outlets worldwide enjoy. "Once I put two and two together that, 'Hey, we could all get together and put these great crosswords on the most powerful distribution platform ever to exist,' you know, we could make some cool things happen," Balise tell us.
PuzzleSocial CEO Jeb BaliseOf course, not knowing much about game development, the PuzzleSocial founder had to seek out those that did. Balise calls it a lucky break that he found the game developers that he did. The first designer he hired to work on Crosswords has moved into his New York City office. Today, Balise and his team of about 10 developers are working with 50 of the most syndicated crossword puzzle creators in the world. "I haven't taken a day off in 14 months, and I've enjoyed every single second of it."
Now that Crosswords is available to the public, it's initially drawn a crowd reminiscent of the average social gamer: middle-aged to older folks (that likely have experience with crosswords). However, we're told that this is just the beginning. When asked about plans for future growth, Balise says he plans to make its puzzles appeal to younger crowds both through social features like real-time Doubles Play and Celebrity Crosswords chock-full of current events and topics you'd find on TMZ.
"The typical way, just as you said, is that you're solving a crossword puzzle in the paper. How many times have we experience someone looking over someone's shoulder and chiming in with an answer? In this case, you don't have to do that," Balise says. "We want to prove to the world that crosswords are for all ages."
As for the future beyond Crosswords, the PuzzleSocial founder unsurprisingly has little he can talk about. What we do know is that PuzzleSocial has plans to launch two more social games and two mobile games in 2012. However, Balise promises that his company's mission to promote education through social will permeate throughout. "The philosophy behind what we're building lends itself to other games that can be built both in the puzzle world and beyond."
Have you tried Crosswords for Facebook yet? Do you think PuzzleSocial's approach will help it carve out a niche on Facebook?
Frogger is 30 years old, still bouncin' in Frogger Pinball on Facebook
Alright, so 30 is far from old, but that's ancient in frog years. Konami celebrates the 30th anniversary of gaming's favorite jaywalker with Frogger Pinball on Facebook. The game, created by Silverball Studios, is definitely a departure for Frogger, having the little green guy save his Lily from the clutches of the evil RoboCroc ... as a pinball. We at least hope the villain drives a red sedan.
Frogger Pinball takes cues from games like Bejeweled Blitz with its weekly leaderboards and tournaments, but attempts to add a light storyline to its naturally twitch-reflex play style. Come on, did you expect anything less from a Frogger game, and a pinball-themed one at that? The game's story mode spans three different tables: the Swamp, City and Space Station.
Players can unlock special characters from there to compete with their friends for the high score in Challenge Mode. Of course, unique power-ups and bonuses are rewarded throughout for leveling up, hitting targets and completing loops. We're sure each pinball table features unique obstacles, and you'll have to complete them with both Frogger and Lily to play Challenge Mode with all three characters.
Frogger Pinball in action
Konami has been no slouch when it comes to social gaming, either. The company has already released a few Facebook games, including an original in Viva! Mall. While that game has since shut down, the company has reported that social games helped the company double its profits year-over-year, according to Joystiq. That said, expect way--and we mean way--more where Frogger came from.
Click here to play Frogger Pinball on Facebook Now >
Are you still a Frogger fan after all of these years? Do you think Konami can bring its classic franchises back to life through Facebook?
Frogger Pinball takes cues from games like Bejeweled Blitz with its weekly leaderboards and tournaments, but attempts to add a light storyline to its naturally twitch-reflex play style. Come on, did you expect anything less from a Frogger game, and a pinball-themed one at that? The game's story mode spans three different tables: the Swamp, City and Space Station.
Players can unlock special characters from there to compete with their friends for the high score in Challenge Mode. Of course, unique power-ups and bonuses are rewarded throughout for leveling up, hitting targets and completing loops. We're sure each pinball table features unique obstacles, and you'll have to complete them with both Frogger and Lily to play Challenge Mode with all three characters.
Frogger Pinball in action
Konami has been no slouch when it comes to social gaming, either. The company has already released a few Facebook games, including an original in Viva! Mall. While that game has since shut down, the company has reported that social games helped the company double its profits year-over-year, according to Joystiq. That said, expect way--and we mean way--more where Frogger came from.
Click here to play Frogger Pinball on Facebook Now >
Are you still a Frogger fan after all of these years? Do you think Konami can bring its classic franchises back to life through Facebook?
Đăng ký:
Bài đăng (Atom)