Watch out CityVille,
there's another contender coming for your title as top Facebook game!
Luckily, this new kid on the block is in the same staple, as Zynga can lay claim to both CityVille and rising star CastleVille. According to the latest stats on AppData,
CastleVille has rocketed to 37 million monthly active players, passing
FarmVille with its almost 34 million players to become the second most
played game (currently) on Facebook.
But wait - where's EA / Playfish's the Sims Social? The game still sits as the number five game on the service, but it has lost players (around 1.7 million) even since we threw out some advice that Playfish should try to help the game climb back up the ranks. And that was just a week ago!
Either way, does CastleVille have what it takes to finally topple
CityVille as the number one game on Facebook? It still has 12.5 million
more players to go (and that's if CityVille does nothing but lose
between now and then). Still, it will be interesting to watch as the
competition develops further (or doesn't) between these two games, and
you can be sure that we'll let you know if Facebook finally receives a
new king to the castle if and when that does happen.
Thứ Bảy, 18 tháng 2, 2012
Microsoft Studios gets social games savvy, buddies up with Arkadium
The studio that now brings you Halo and the Forza Motorsport racing series for the Xbox 360 just got down with the Facebook. Microsoft Studios announced a strategic partnership with Arkadium for the latter to create cross-platform social games to be launched by the former. According to Arkadium, this multi-year partnership is an evolution of the duo's existing relationship.
"We are very excited to be working with Microsoft Studios to develop casual and social cross-platform experiences," Arkadium CEO Kenny Rosenblatt said in a release. "We have been looking to strategically partner with a company that can help catapult our business and accelerate Arkadium's cross platform game development. Microsoft is the perfect partner to help us realize our growth strategy."
However, what's unclear is just how this partnership will work out. Microsoft Studios acts as both a developer and a publisher to its existing game franchises, namely Halo, which is developed by 343 Industries (formerly Bungie). Is that how the studio will interact with New York-based Arkadium, best known for its Mahjongg Dimensions series on Facebook?
"Arkadium has a ten-year track record of developing entertaining and well-architected casual and social games," GM of Connected Experiences for Microsoft Studios Matt Booty said. "Our team is excited to be partnering with a developer that we believe will help us entertain millions of people as we expand our reach to a broader audience."
Well, that doesn't leave with much more answered. Arkadium has partnered with numerous organizations to increase the reach of its social games, most recently The Los Angeles Times and CNN. This, however, seems as if Microsoft Studios will simply provide Arkadium with more resources to create the game they're already making (and perhaps on new platforms?). Your guess is as good as ours, but we've contacted Arkadium for comment.
"We are very excited to be working with Microsoft Studios to develop casual and social cross-platform experiences," Arkadium CEO Kenny Rosenblatt said in a release. "We have been looking to strategically partner with a company that can help catapult our business and accelerate Arkadium's cross platform game development. Microsoft is the perfect partner to help us realize our growth strategy."
However, what's unclear is just how this partnership will work out. Microsoft Studios acts as both a developer and a publisher to its existing game franchises, namely Halo, which is developed by 343 Industries (formerly Bungie). Is that how the studio will interact with New York-based Arkadium, best known for its Mahjongg Dimensions series on Facebook?
"Arkadium has a ten-year track record of developing entertaining and well-architected casual and social games," GM of Connected Experiences for Microsoft Studios Matt Booty said. "Our team is excited to be partnering with a developer that we believe will help us entertain millions of people as we expand our reach to a broader audience."
Well, that doesn't leave with much more answered. Arkadium has partnered with numerous organizations to increase the reach of its social games, most recently The Los Angeles Times and CNN. This, however, seems as if Microsoft Studios will simply provide Arkadium with more resources to create the game they're already making (and perhaps on new platforms?). Your guess is as good as ours, but we've contacted Arkadium for comment.
Words With Friends turns strangers 2,300 miles away into newlyweds
It's as if social games have become the new Match.com. Megan Lawless, a 32-year-old Chicagoan, and Jasper Jasperse, a 31-year-old reigning from the Netherlands, found love in each other through Zynga's now famous mobile social game, Words With Friends, RedEye reports. The two apparently met through a random match of the Scrabble-esque game over the 2009 Thanksgiving holiday.
According to RedEye, their fateful meeting started with a simple "hi" and "hello", but quickly marched into email exchanges, Skype chats and eventually an in-person meeting. Soon after, Jasperse moved to the U.S. for Lawless, the two were engaged and they married in July 2011. Jasperse told RedEye that, while some might think of it as hasty, he disagrees.
"Most people think, when we tell the story, that we right away started a very intimate conversation," the Netherlander said. "It very gradually built up to finally meeting each other ... At one point, I spoke to Megan more than anybody else around me."
Lawless had her own troubles explaining her new found love both to friends and family, but for different reasons. Old folks, like her 75-year-old father, simply don't get this stuff. "I think he still doesn't quite understand how we met," Lawless told RedEye. "I guess I thought people would think it was really geeky or weird."
But as RedEye points out, how could they? Not only has Words With Friends become a celebrity phenomenon, but social games have become quite the romantic catalyst for some. Just look at how games like Bejeweled Blitz and even Mafia Wars have brought people together. Though, we think Lawless and Jasperse might hold the distance record for some time.
According to RedEye, their fateful meeting started with a simple "hi" and "hello", but quickly marched into email exchanges, Skype chats and eventually an in-person meeting. Soon after, Jasperse moved to the U.S. for Lawless, the two were engaged and they married in July 2011. Jasperse told RedEye that, while some might think of it as hasty, he disagrees.
"Most people think, when we tell the story, that we right away started a very intimate conversation," the Netherlander said. "It very gradually built up to finally meeting each other ... At one point, I spoke to Megan more than anybody else around me."
Lawless had her own troubles explaining her new found love both to friends and family, but for different reasons. Old folks, like her 75-year-old father, simply don't get this stuff. "I think he still doesn't quite understand how we met," Lawless told RedEye. "I guess I thought people would think it was really geeky or weird."
But as RedEye points out, how could they? Not only has Words With Friends become a celebrity phenomenon, but social games have become quite the romantic catalyst for some. Just look at how games like Bejeweled Blitz and even Mafia Wars have brought people together. Though, we think Lawless and Jasperse might hold the distance record for some time.
Quote of the Moment: 'Zynga, Kixeye, Kabam try to make the same game'
Those are harsh words coming from a Zynga alumnus, don't you think? John Yoo, lead designer and co-founder of the new social game maker Rumble Games (and formerly of the big red dog), said the words to Business Insider in an in-depth interview. "Zynga, Kixeye and Kabam try to make the same game over and over," Yoo told the website.
Yoo and former BioWare (which has since gotten into social games) CEO Greg Richardson have raised $15 million from investors like Google Ventures on the premise that their games will provide "hardcore" gamers with the Facebook experience they're looking for. Rumble Games plans to release two games in the first half of 2012, using the new Flash Player 11--the latest in the most commonly used tool to create social games--to offer high-quality games "that people would pay for in a boxed game."
"I do think our games will be different, when we have combat in our games we want it to feel like combat," Yoo said to Business Insider, referring to the strategy social games put out by Kabam and Kixeye. "We want you to actively feel like you're taking a punch or swinging a sword. We want players to participate in the actions of controlling a character and battling it out to that effect."
Developers other than Kabam and Kixeye have tried to cater to the hardcore audience on Facebook before, even with full-blown shooters, to tepid results. So, it's uncertain whether Rumble Games can create a commercial hit going after the same crowd. That said, what appears to be the studio's first game does look fairly badass, if a tad familiar.
Yoo and former BioWare (which has since gotten into social games) CEO Greg Richardson have raised $15 million from investors like Google Ventures on the premise that their games will provide "hardcore" gamers with the Facebook experience they're looking for. Rumble Games plans to release two games in the first half of 2012, using the new Flash Player 11--the latest in the most commonly used tool to create social games--to offer high-quality games "that people would pay for in a boxed game."
"I do think our games will be different, when we have combat in our games we want it to feel like combat," Yoo said to Business Insider, referring to the strategy social games put out by Kabam and Kixeye. "We want you to actively feel like you're taking a punch or swinging a sword. We want players to participate in the actions of controlling a character and battling it out to that effect."
Developers other than Kabam and Kixeye have tried to cater to the hardcore audience on Facebook before, even with full-blown shooters, to tepid results. So, it's uncertain whether Rumble Games can create a commercial hit going after the same crowd. That said, what appears to be the studio's first game does look fairly badass, if a tad familiar.
Here's what you read last year: Games.com's Top Articles of 2011
2011 is officially history, but there's one thing that never changes when it comes to reading stuff about games -- almost everyone wants tips (and cheats) to maximize the experience. This past year was no exception, as every single one of our most popular articles had one central theme -- help me! On second thought, maybe instead of the most popular articles, we should just call them the most helpful articles. Well, whatever you want to label them, here are the 11 Games.com Blog articles that you read the most in the past 365 days.
> Pawn Stars: The Game on Facebook: Buy and flip your way to riches
> CityVille Collections Guide: Where to find items, and the rewards you'll receive
> CityVille Cheats and Tips: Energy Guide
> Adventure World Cheats & Tips Guide
> Gardens of Time on Facebook: A getting started guide
> FrontierVille Cheats and Tips Guide
> March Madness Facebook Game Showdown: FINALS
> Moshi Monsters: Get Dustbin Bieber and three more exclusive in-game items right here
> Empires & Allies Cheats and Tips Guide
> CityVille Cheats and Tips Guide
> CityVille Cheats & Tips: Getting Started Guide a
New hardcore social games studio hopes to 'shake up the status quo'
In other words, the brand new Seismic Games wants to create social games for the unicorn of the social gaming world: "hardcore" gamers. Los Angeles, Calif.-based Seismic Games was founded in 2011 by industry veterans like CEO Greg Borrud (who founded and sold Pandemic Games to EA), Eric Gewirtz, CCO and known for work on the Star Wars: Battlefront series and president Chris Miller of Vivendi Universal fame.
After raising $2 million in funding from over a dozen investors, Seismic Games looks to spin the idea of social games on its head. The studio's first game, set to launch in the first quarter of 2012 on Facebook and elsewhere, will focus heavily on a sophisticated narrative, character development and "deeper engagement." The game will also feature both user-generated and real-time content as well as opportunities for branding. In short, we know next to nothing about this game.
"Seismic is focused on bringing the next wave of social games to consumers who are getting tired of 'me too' products," Seismic Games CEO and co-founder Greg Borrud said in a release. "In blending the best of the analytics-based game model with the quality of entertainment in traditional video games, we're developing an entirely new social games experience with a goal of taking this market to the next level."
Seismic Games is far from the only company that looks to blow away hardcore game enthusiasts with robust, compelling social games. Rumble Games looks to do exactly that, also complaining of fatigue from the current crop of games on Facebook. So to do start-up studios like Row Sham Bow and U4iA. Let's hope 2012 is as interesting as these folks make it out to be.
After raising $2 million in funding from over a dozen investors, Seismic Games looks to spin the idea of social games on its head. The studio's first game, set to launch in the first quarter of 2012 on Facebook and elsewhere, will focus heavily on a sophisticated narrative, character development and "deeper engagement." The game will also feature both user-generated and real-time content as well as opportunities for branding. In short, we know next to nothing about this game.
"Seismic is focused on bringing the next wave of social games to consumers who are getting tired of 'me too' products," Seismic Games CEO and co-founder Greg Borrud said in a release. "In blending the best of the analytics-based game model with the quality of entertainment in traditional video games, we're developing an entirely new social games experience with a goal of taking this market to the next level."
Seismic Games is far from the only company that looks to blow away hardcore game enthusiasts with robust, compelling social games. Rumble Games looks to do exactly that, also complaining of fatigue from the current crop of games on Facebook. So to do start-up studios like Row Sham Bow and U4iA. Let's hope 2012 is as interesting as these folks make it out to be.
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