So, that's what happened to Mafia Wars 2, eh? Let's not jump ahead of ourselves, but that's what Zynga COO John Schappert is telling potential investors as the company begins its IPO (initial public offering) road show. The company posted a video of the same presentation it is putting on for investors across the country--all 30 minutes of 51 mind-numbingly boring slides.
But there are some juicy bits to the talk provided by Zynga CEO Mark Pincus, Schappert and CFO David Wehner. (The video, which you can find here, is worth watching to see Mark Pincus talking to a teleprompter alone.) For one, five of the FarmVille maker's top executives come from second place competitor EA. And that doesn't even include former EA CCO Bing Gordon, who now serves on the social game giant's board.
After Pincus talked up his company's top games, Schappert took the stage and revealed that Zynga's games are only about one-quarter finished before they launch. This may be common knowledge to some players (ahem, FarmVille's beta period), but to hear that releasing technically unfinished games is part of the developer's core strategy is nevertheless surprising.
Later, Schappert dropped this bomb: The company has more people working on new games than existing ones. In other words, the developer has more staff focusing on games like CastleVille and upcoming games like Zynga Casino and Hidden Chronicles than, say, FarmVille and Mafia Wars and Zynga Poker.
Zynga execs
Granted, the company has nearly 3,000 employees, but it's odd to hear that the company is more worried about its new games than it is the games that have historically made it the most money--$1.5 billion in revenue in the past four years, to be exact. With games like Pioneer Trail and Mafia Wars 2 in decline, it makes one wonder exactly where the line between "new game" and "existing game" is drawn within Zynga.
Do you think this is where Zynga should be focusing the majority of its attention? Could this be the reason why games like Pioneer Trail are suffering?
Thứ Ba, 13 tháng 3, 2012
Pocket God players have sacrificed 129,770,223 pygmies on Facebook
To put that into perspective, that's over a third of the population of the United States. Pocket God has welcomed its 1 millionth player, and Canadian social game developer Frima Studio has decided to celebrate by putting together an infographic displaying the game's quirkier milestones. (Though, we're sure the team had a party.) What did you expect from a developer that throws a unicorn that farts destructive rainbows into its game?
Since the game's release around this time last year, one third of all sacrifices in the game ended up with pygmies drowning, while lightning has struck 12,963,796 pygmies. The volcano, however, has only erupted about 3 million times. Considering how fun it is to launch pygmies to their certain, fiery death, we thought that figure would be much larger. At any rate, you people have killed a lot of pygmies.
And the majority of you hail from the good ol' US of A, according to Frima Studio. While the game has opened its realm of pygmy-pulverizing possibilities to 1 million players, Pocket God has just 180,000 monthly players. It strikes us as odd (and infuriating, really), because Frima Studio's take on the hit iOS game is one of the more inventive Facebook games out there. So, to you 20,000 some daily players: Keep on doing what you do, and check out your accomplishments below.
Are you still digging Pocket God a year later? Do you think the game deserves to serve, say, 1 million daily players?
Since the game's release around this time last year, one third of all sacrifices in the game ended up with pygmies drowning, while lightning has struck 12,963,796 pygmies. The volcano, however, has only erupted about 3 million times. Considering how fun it is to launch pygmies to their certain, fiery death, we thought that figure would be much larger. At any rate, you people have killed a lot of pygmies.
And the majority of you hail from the good ol' US of A, according to Frima Studio. While the game has opened its realm of pygmy-pulverizing possibilities to 1 million players, Pocket God has just 180,000 monthly players. It strikes us as odd (and infuriating, really), because Frima Studio's take on the hit iOS game is one of the more inventive Facebook games out there. So, to you 20,000 some daily players: Keep on doing what you do, and check out your accomplishments below.
Are you still digging Pocket God a year later? Do you think the game deserves to serve, say, 1 million daily players?
Sims Medieval for iPhone: Now available for the low price of free
It's time get Medieval, Sims-style, and, today, you can do it for free. The Sims Medieval for iPhone lets you create a virtual hero and then take on a series of medieval era quests, like dueling or... wizardry! The game normally costs $4.99 and until midnight (EST) tonight, you can snag it for free. As in nada, zilch, zip.
This deal is the first of many EA Mobile's new Daily Deals program, which kicks off today through January 2, and iOS and Android games will be offered for free or at a steep discount. Deals change daily and run from 9 a.m. PST 12 p.m. EST, and you can check EA's Daily Deals site, well, daily to see what other deep discounts await.
In addition to this Sims game aimed at renaissance fair regulars, the driving game Shift 2 Unleashed for iPhone and iPad are also free today. Battlefield Bad Company 2 for iPad is 50% off and NBA Jam for iPad is 60% off. It's not a bad way to build your mobile phone gaming library without breaking the bank.
Watch your back, Nintendo: GREE doesn't want just a piece of your pie
The Japan-based mobile social games company wants all of it. That's essentially what the company's founder and CEO, Yoshikazu Tanaka, told TechCrunch during its Disrupt event in Tokyo recently. The GREE chief told TechCrunch that most of the company's revenue comes from its Japanese audience, but that it hopes to follow Nintendo's example in creating a massive global audience.
But Tanaka isn't happy with just following Nintendo, he looks to displace the veteran games maker. He told the news outlet that he wouldn't surprised to see GREE's revenue in the West jump to four to five times of what it is in Asian within the next five years. "We definitely feel positive, and our goal is to make sure our brand is just as successful, if not better than Nintendo."
Nintendo is infamous for its unwillingness to enter the mobile games market through iOS or Android. While the company does plan to release an iOS version of its eShop (the downloadable games store on the 3DS), it simply refuses to create games for mobile phones. This is despite numerous studies suggesting otherwise and even investors clamoring for Nintendo games on iPhone.
Nintendo did, however, manage to sell more 3DS consoles in its first eight months on the market than the original DS system sold in one year. Perhaps there's still interest in a handheld device dedicated to gaming, but you could also chalk these immense sales up to the devices' price cut over the summer and a terribly strong Black Friday. Regardless, the mobile gaming world is after Nintendo, which leaves us wondering whether its stern strategy can withstand the onslaught.
Could GREE eventually overtake Nintendo through its mobile social games network? Can Nintendo continue to dominate the mobile gaming space with its current strategy?
But Tanaka isn't happy with just following Nintendo, he looks to displace the veteran games maker. He told the news outlet that he wouldn't surprised to see GREE's revenue in the West jump to four to five times of what it is in Asian within the next five years. "We definitely feel positive, and our goal is to make sure our brand is just as successful, if not better than Nintendo."
Nintendo is infamous for its unwillingness to enter the mobile games market through iOS or Android. While the company does plan to release an iOS version of its eShop (the downloadable games store on the 3DS), it simply refuses to create games for mobile phones. This is despite numerous studies suggesting otherwise and even investors clamoring for Nintendo games on iPhone.
Nintendo did, however, manage to sell more 3DS consoles in its first eight months on the market than the original DS system sold in one year. Perhaps there's still interest in a handheld device dedicated to gaming, but you could also chalk these immense sales up to the devices' price cut over the summer and a terribly strong Black Friday. Regardless, the mobile gaming world is after Nintendo, which leaves us wondering whether its stern strategy can withstand the onslaught.
Could GREE eventually overtake Nintendo through its mobile social games network? Can Nintendo continue to dominate the mobile gaming space with its current strategy?
Poll: Would you pay a subscription fee to boost your Tetris game?
EA seems to have done the impossible: make Tetris, one of the most iconic, beautifully simple games of all time, better. It's true--at least according to some news outlets, like TouchArcade--but could the publisher have just taken two steps back? The brand new Tetris is available now on the App Store, and despite costing players a buck, EA wants to milk Tetris for all it's worth.
Within the game, players will find the option to subscribe to a service known as "T-Club". For either a silly $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year, players will earn 15 percent more T-Coins to buy power-ups with when they play and gain access to vague "exclusive discounts and content," according to EA. Of course, players can also buy more T-Coins directly for $.99 to $99.99.
This type of money-making scheme is common in free-to-play iPhone and Android games, but for a game that already costs money to download it's a little more bold rare. TouchArcade seems to have a problem with the mere fact that things like "T-Coins" and "leveling up" exist in this take on the classic game.
While that seems a bit "get off my lawn," it's easy to see the point. Our only question is: How could a game as beautifully simple as Tetris benefit from a subscription service? Would even the most hardcore of Tetris fan benefit from such a thing? Well, tell us what you think:
Would you subscribe to boost your Tetris game?
If it means more Tetris stuff, then count me in!What could this possibly bring to the table? Never!It depends on what that "content" is exactly.I'm still baffled by the thought of "T-Coins".
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Within the game, players will find the option to subscribe to a service known as "T-Club". For either a silly $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year, players will earn 15 percent more T-Coins to buy power-ups with when they play and gain access to vague "exclusive discounts and content," according to EA. Of course, players can also buy more T-Coins directly for $.99 to $99.99.
This type of money-making scheme is common in free-to-play iPhone and Android games, but for a game that already costs money to download it's a little more bold rare. TouchArcade seems to have a problem with the mere fact that things like "T-Coins" and "leveling up" exist in this take on the classic game.
While that seems a bit "get off my lawn," it's easy to see the point. Our only question is: How could a game as beautifully simple as Tetris benefit from a subscription service? Would even the most hardcore of Tetris fan benefit from such a thing? Well, tell us what you think:
Would you subscribe to boost your Tetris game?
If it means more Tetris stuff, then count me in!What could this possibly bring to the table? Never!It depends on what that "content" is exactly.I'm still baffled by the thought of "T-Coins".
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
Have something unique to add to the discussion?
Chủ Nhật, 11 tháng 3, 2012
Humane Society enlists Fluff Friends on the iOS to save real pets
Back in 2008, Mike Sego's Fluff Friends was one of the most popular games on Facebook. It changed hands several times, passing to Social Gaming Network, and then Mindjolt when the latter acquired SGN last April. It was Mindjolt SGN's decision to finally close Fluff Friends last month, citing technical issues with Facebook code changes that made it impossible for the game to run without "an entire rebuild from the ground up."
Before they shut it down, however, Inside Social Games reported that Mindjolt SGN planned to port Fluff Friends to the iOS. Now the popular Facebook game is back from the dead, but with a makeover and a new purpose -- to aid the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) in their fight for animal welfare as "Fluff Friends Rescue".
This isn't the first time an animal advocacy group is enabling charity with a social game. Australia's Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) commissioned a game called RSPCA Animal Shelter last May with a very similar concept. In Fluff Friends Rescue, if you buy a HSUS-branded item with real money, you can guarantee that all of it will go towards HSUS' Animal Rescue Team.
You can grab Fluff Friends Rescue for free at the App Store, and according to AppAdvice, it's a lot of fun. (The only downside is there's a major bug that can cause the game to crash every 30 seconds for the 4th generation iPod Touch.) Mindjolt SGN also plans to make the game available on the Android and other social networks, which means Fluff Friends Rescue might just appear on Facebook. Final plans for the game will include Petfinder, a feature that will allow players to search for pet adoptions and buy real world pet merchandise.
Are you one of hundreds mad that Mindjolt SGN gave up on Fluff Friends on Facebook to focus on an iOS version? Does it make you feel better to hear that this new iOS game promotes a good cause?
Before they shut it down, however, Inside Social Games reported that Mindjolt SGN planned to port Fluff Friends to the iOS. Now the popular Facebook game is back from the dead, but with a makeover and a new purpose -- to aid the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) in their fight for animal welfare as "Fluff Friends Rescue".
This isn't the first time an animal advocacy group is enabling charity with a social game. Australia's Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) commissioned a game called RSPCA Animal Shelter last May with a very similar concept. In Fluff Friends Rescue, if you buy a HSUS-branded item with real money, you can guarantee that all of it will go towards HSUS' Animal Rescue Team.
You can grab Fluff Friends Rescue for free at the App Store, and according to AppAdvice, it's a lot of fun. (The only downside is there's a major bug that can cause the game to crash every 30 seconds for the 4th generation iPod Touch.) Mindjolt SGN also plans to make the game available on the Android and other social networks, which means Fluff Friends Rescue might just appear on Facebook. Final plans for the game will include Petfinder, a feature that will allow players to search for pet adoptions and buy real world pet merchandise.
Are you one of hundreds mad that Mindjolt SGN gave up on Fluff Friends on Facebook to focus on an iOS version? Does it make you feel better to hear that this new iOS game promotes a good cause?
Will copycats run the Facebook games industry into the ground?
We sure as hell hope not. (We like having a job, thank you very much.) It's a common complaint lobbed at the social games industry: It's all the same games. If you ask this writer, the complaint isn't entirely unfounded, but does it spell the end of what would be a short-lived genre? Gamasutra posed that question to a few notables in the social games world recently.
"Part of why we're not attracting the hearts and minds of the core gamer on Facebook is that a lot of these games are kind of the same," Kixeye founder and CEO Will Harbin told Gamasutra. "There are a ton of strategy games, there are a lot of city building games, there are now a ton of mafia games again. It's just kind of more and more of the same."
Harbin recently defended his company from accusations by new studio Rumble Games that all of Kixeye's games are the same as well as Kabam and Zynga's. "You criticize us for that, then you can criticize EA, Blizzard, Activision and all of the guys for the same thing," Harbin told us. "There are only so many genres that have proven to work time and time again, and it's based on what consumers want."
Other executives echoed Harbin's sentiments, like Pocket Gems COO Ben Liu, but said that there's only one way to prevent copycatting from effectively destroying the industry. "Emotionally it bothers us [when we see copycats] but we feel like our best defense is to continue to be innovative," Liu said to Gamasutra.
A number of start-ups have promised a new era, a renaissance of Facebook games in 2012 that will not only bring new types of games to the social network, but new types of gamers, to boot. The question is, however, when the most guilty culprits are those with the most pull, how much good will that do? Check out the in-depth feature in full right here.
Are you tired of seeing copycat social games on Facebook and elsewhere? Do you think, if it continues, that it could mean the end for the industry?
"Part of why we're not attracting the hearts and minds of the core gamer on Facebook is that a lot of these games are kind of the same," Kixeye founder and CEO Will Harbin told Gamasutra. "There are a ton of strategy games, there are a lot of city building games, there are now a ton of mafia games again. It's just kind of more and more of the same."
Harbin recently defended his company from accusations by new studio Rumble Games that all of Kixeye's games are the same as well as Kabam and Zynga's. "You criticize us for that, then you can criticize EA, Blizzard, Activision and all of the guys for the same thing," Harbin told us. "There are only so many genres that have proven to work time and time again, and it's based on what consumers want."
Other executives echoed Harbin's sentiments, like Pocket Gems COO Ben Liu, but said that there's only one way to prevent copycatting from effectively destroying the industry. "Emotionally it bothers us [when we see copycats] but we feel like our best defense is to continue to be innovative," Liu said to Gamasutra.
A number of start-ups have promised a new era, a renaissance of Facebook games in 2012 that will not only bring new types of games to the social network, but new types of gamers, to boot. The question is, however, when the most guilty culprits are those with the most pull, how much good will that do? Check out the in-depth feature in full right here.
Are you tired of seeing copycat social games on Facebook and elsewhere? Do you think, if it continues, that it could mean the end for the industry?
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