tag:,2009:/4 2009-07-03T17:19:35Z Movable Type 3.34 tag:www.worldsinmotion.biz,2009://4.17398 2009-07-03T16:23:24Z 2009-07-03T17:19:35Z

Zynga's Texas Hold'em Poker and Mafia Wars were the two most popular titles on Facebook this past month, according to Inside Social Games' new chart, with the former claiming some 14.2 million active players. Mafia Wars, which yesterday boasted receiving...

Eric Caoili Zynga's Texas Hold'em Poker and Mafia Wars were the two most popular titles on Facebook this past month, according to Inside Social Games' new chart, with the former claiming some 14.2 million active players. Mafia Wars, which yesterday boasted receiving 4 million daily users across multiple social networks and sites despite launching last June, enjoyed 12.4 million actives in the same period. Off to a fruitful start on Facebook, Zynga's FarmVille debuted as the eighth most popular title with over 5 million users, just three spots under Slashkey's Farm Town (10.4 million monthly actives). Other Zynga titles experiencing a significant amount of players include YoVille (7.8 million), Street Racing (2.9 million), and Vampire Wars (2.3 million). You can see a chart of the top 25 most popular games on Facebook for this previous month, provided by social gaming/platforms news blog Inside Social Games, below:]]> MindJolt Games, which includes a collection of titles such as Bouncing Balls and Guitar Geek, earned over 4 million new players and jumped up two spots since the last month's ranking to number four on the list. Playfish's Restaurant City, PopCap's Bejeweled Blitz, and Metrogames' Waka-Waka and Biotronic all gained over 1 million active players over last month. Socialreach.com's Pass A Drink, however, lost 2.2 million of its active audience, now claiming only 4.1 mllion. Newcomers to the Top 25, aside from FarmVille, include The Broth's Barn Buddy (3.2 million) and Shikha's Pillow Fight (2.6 million).]]> tag:www.worldsinmotion.biz,2009://4.17401 2009-07-03T15:41:09Z 2009-07-03T16:41:34Z

In this round-up, we highlight some of the notable jobs posted in big sister site Gamasutra's industry-leading game jobs section this week, including positions from Blizzard, Microsoft Game Studios and more. Each position posted by employers will appear on the...

Simon Carless In this round-up, we highlight some of the notable jobs posted in big sister site Gamasutra's industry-leading game jobs section this week, including positions from Blizzard, Microsoft Game Studios and more. Each position posted by employers will appear on the main Gamasutra job board, and appear in the site's daily and weekly newsletters, reaching our readers directly. It will also be cross-posted for free across its network of submarket sites, which includes content sites focused on online worlds, cellphone games, 'serious games', independent games and more. Some of the notable jobs posted in each market area this week include:]]> Gamasutra.com - Game Industry Jobs Volition Programmer "Volition, Inc., a video game development studio in Champaign, IL, is seeking experienced C/C++ programmers to work on games for the Xbox 360 & PS3. Volition is one of THQ’s premier internal game development studios. We are the creators of such franchises as Saints Row, Red Faction, and the Descent/Freespace series." 2K Sports: UI Artist "At 2K Sports our goal is simple: Make AAA games that are the best in the genre and have fun doing it. 2K Sports is proudly developing the critically acclaimed NHL 2K and MLB 2K series of games. Owned by Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), 2K Games is a successful, stable company that produces high-quality titles every year." Harmonix Music Systems: Senior Producer "Harmonix is seeking an experienced Senior Producer for a large, internally-developed project. We are looking for a creative, flexible, and resourceful project driver who will understand the vision for the game and distill it into a sensible, prioritized schedule, ensuring both title quality and timely delivery." Microsoft Game Studios: Senior Level Designer "No Strings or Controllers Attached. Introducing Project Natal, a revolutionary new way to play: no controller required. See a ball? Kick it, hit it, trap it or catch it. If you know how to move your hands, shake your hips or speak you and your friends can jump into the fun -- the only experience needed is life experience." WorldsInMotion - Online Games Tencent Boston: Environment Artist "We are looking for outstanding individuals with passion, talent and a team focused mindset. We are located in the Boston area and offer competitive salaries, superb benefits and profit sharing. This is your chance to get in on the ground floor of a great new development studio, a studio that can produce top tier quality games and bring them to market worldwide." Blizzard Entertainment: Software Engineer, Tools "Blizzard Entertainment's corporate applications team is currently looking for an experienced software engineer to join our corporate applications engineering team. This person will design and develop internal applications that aid the company and our players. The ideal candidate is a .NET expert, has successfully delivered robust solutions that can handle high-load situations, and isn't scared of ambiguity or tight deadlines." To browse hundreds of similar jobs, and for more information on searching, responding to, or posting game industry-relevant jobs to the top source for jobs in the business, please visit Gamasutra's job board now.]]> tag:www.worldsinmotion.biz,2009://4.17379 2009-07-03T09:18:30Z 2009-07-02T21:19:05Z

The web-based social game Mafia Wars attracts 4 million daily users one year after debuting on social networking sites, developer Zynga said Thursday. The game launched in June 2008, and according to Zynga, doubled the number of daily players...

Simon Carless The web-based social game Mafia Wars attracts 4 million daily users one year after debuting on social networking sites, developer Zynga said Thursday. The game launched in June 2008, and according to Zynga, doubled the number of daily players in the last three months. The game, available on sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Tagged, and Yahoo, also launched in iPhone in April this year. Mafia Wars lets players start a mob family with their friends and run crime businesses. At four million daily users, the game makes up a third of Zynga's daily traffic across all of its games, which totals 12 million daily users. Zynga claims to attract 50 million daily users per month, and the game, which is initially free to play, monetizes itself by allowing players to pay for extra items and resources via micropayments. “Mafia Wars is on its way to becoming a cult classic,” claimed Zynga's Bill Mooney, executive producer. In May, Zynga opened a Baltimore, Maryland-based studio, Zynga East, led by chief designer Brian Reynolds, best known for strategy games including Civilization II, Alpha Centauri, and Rise of Nations.]]> tag:www.worldsinmotion.biz,2009://4.17380 2009-07-02T21:00:37Z 2009-07-02T22:45:03Z

Virtual goods sales and distribution system Virtual Greats has partnered with urban apparel brand Rocawear to offer digital recreations of the latter's products (e.g. jackets, hats, pants) through virtual worlds, social networks, and online games. Outspark's Project Powder, a free-to-play...

Eric Caoili Virtual goods sales and distribution system Virtual Greats has partnered with urban apparel brand Rocawear to offer digital recreations of the latter's products (e.g. jackets, hats, pants) through virtual worlds, social networks, and online games. Outspark's Project Powder, a free-to-play snowboarding MMO, is one of the first titles to offer Rocawear products, selling virtual merchandise based on current and prospective physical pieces through an in-game Project Powder Pro Shop. According to the companies, this deal marks the first time merchandise from Virtual Greats will be available in massively multiplayer online games. They also claim that Rocawear will be the first apparel brand to license its intellectual property for distribution through online communities via Virtual Greats. "Our online games and relevant user base provide great engagement channels for the right celebrities and brands," says Outspark's Business Development VP Wilson Kriegel. "We’re excited about working with Rocawear, one the leading and hippest brands out there. Partnerships like these deliver the types of experiences and unique content we continuously seek to offer our community."]]> tag:www.worldsinmotion.biz,2009://4.17378 2009-07-02T11:13:46Z 2009-07-02T21:17:44Z

Social game maker PlayFish said Wednesday that users have installed 100 million of its games across seven titles in the 18 months since PlayFish's launch. Playfish's games include social games Restaurant City, Minigolf Party, Pet Society, and Bowling Buddies....

Simon Carless Social game maker PlayFish said Wednesday that users have installed 100 million of its games across seven titles in the 18 months since PlayFish's launch. Playfish's games include social games Restaurant City, Minigolf Party, Pet Society, and Bowling Buddies. Users play the games in their web browsers through social networking sites including Bebo, MySpace, and Facebook. In 2008, PlayFish landed $17 million in in a Series B round of funding led by Accel Partners and Index Ventures. The game maker said it would use the money to expand its presence in the social gaming sector. Currently, PlayFish said it has over 30 million monthly active users across its seven titles, all of which have been a top 10 game on Facebook by popularity. Pet Society is PlayFish's most popular title, reaching 12 million people each month, PlayFish said. The company's latest game is Restaurant City, which PlayFish said is performing well. "By putting the emphasis on interaction between friends, social games have expanded the potential reach beyond traditional video games to an entirely new, non-gaming audience," said Atul Bagga, VP of gaming research for ThinkEquity. PlayFish CEO Kristian Segerstrale added, "Reaching 100 million installs in such a short time is clear proof of social gaming’s popularity and how loyal, enthusiastic and deeply engaged the Playfish community is."]]> tag:www.worldsinmotion.biz,2009://4.17377 2009-07-01T20:59:53Z 2009-07-02T21:10:14Z

Scottish developer Realtime Worlds, currently at work on its MMO APB, has hired Joshua Howard as its new program manager. In his new role with the Dundee-based Studio, which developed the 2007 action game Crackdown, Howard will coordinate Realtime...

Simon Carless Scottish developer Realtime Worlds, currently at work on its MMO APB, has hired Joshua Howard as its new program manager. In his new role with the Dundee-based Studio, which developed the 2007 action game Crackdown, Howard will coordinate Realtime Worlds' various internal and external operations surrounding APB. He has previously served at Bella Sara publisher Hidden City Games, and over the course of more than a decade at Microsoft he became studio head of Microsoft's now-defunct casual studio Carbonated Games. Said Howard of his new position, "I was drawn to Realtime Worlds because they had the expertise and experience to deliver on their ambitious goals. "I am very pleased at the chance to be a part of Realtime Worlds, to help ship APB, and to be working with the tremendously talented people here focused on the vision of creating great games."]]> tag:www.worldsinmotion.biz,2009://4.17352 2009-07-01T14:42:00Z 2009-07-01T00:48:06Z

The strategy gaming faithful owe something to Brian Reynolds. The longtime game designer is responsible for such notable games as Alpha Centauri and Civilization II. Most recently, Reynolds, who co-founded strategy mainstay Firaxis Games, was with another respected strategy game...

Simon Carless The strategy gaming faithful owe something to Brian Reynolds. The longtime game designer is responsible for such notable games as Alpha Centauri and Civilization II. Most recently, Reynolds, who co-founded strategy mainstay Firaxis Games, was with another respected strategy game maker, Rise of Nations and Catan house Big Huge Games, which he also co-founded. But with Big Huge's former parent THQ falling on financial hardship, the publisher had to sell off the studio, or close it down completely. Upstart online game developer 38 Studios managed to save Big Huge from closure by acquiring the company in May. But Reynolds didn't come with it. After leaving Big Huge that month, he is now with Zynga East, a new branch of the social game developer based in the Baltimore, Maryland area that opened on May 23. So instead of creating complex strategy games with long development cycles to sell at retail, Reynolds will be working with Zynga on mass market-focused strategy games that will show up on networking sites such as Facebook. Reynolds told WorldsInMotion sister site Gamasutra that his new job isn't so displaced from his previous design work. "The game design fit is a lot sweeter than you’d think," he said. "My approach to game design has always been to iterate rapidly – try something out, play it, revise the game based on feedback, lather, rinse, repeat." "But in the 'retail videogame business' it has been getting harder and harder to really iterate on a game design, because the production times, technology development, and asset expenses have become so onerous – and you certainly can’t iterate after the game has been released." Now, he said, Zynga allows him to both move a new game idea or mechanic to market very rapidly, and continually tweak it while users play the game. Reynolds said he's been a "huge Facebook addict" for a couple of years, and that piqued his interest in the possibilities of integrating games with social sites. But if it weren't for THQ's financial shortfalls -- ones that led THQ to drop Big Huge as work continued on an unnamed RPG -- would Reynolds have considered following this supposed lure of social gaming? "If you’ve been following the company for the last few months you probably already know that something had to change one way or another, and it’s hard to know what the hypotheticals would be for other flavors of change," he said. "The biggest one being that I probably couldn’t have pursued the Zynga opportunity if the detachment from THQ hadn’t freed me of non-compete obligations." What counts now for Reynolds is that he's feeling "happiness, joy, and constant productive activity", as the new territory has given him fresh perspective and opportunities. As for his old chums at Big Huge, he still has an ongoing consulting relationship with the studio. There is no apparent animosity between the two parties, and he's on very good terms with Big Huge, or as Reynolds put it, "Twenty-year-old-single-malt-scotch-drinking terms."]]> tag:www.worldsinmotion.biz,2009://4.17351 2009-07-01T00:40:24Z 2009-07-01T00:40:35Z

GDC organizer Think Services announced that Klaas Kersting, CEO of German browser game pioneer Gameforge, will keynote the business track at the 2009 Game Developers Conference Europe. Gameforge is best known for free browser-based RPG Ikariam, and at GDC...

Simon Carless GDC organizer Think Services announced that Klaas Kersting, CEO of German browser game pioneer Gameforge, will keynote the business track at the 2009 Game Developers Conference Europe. Gameforge is best known for free browser-based RPG Ikariam, and at GDC Europe, he'll give a talk entitled "Changes in the Games Industry - Free-to-play vs. Payment Models," where he'll share his thoughts on the success of the revolutionary free-to-play model Gameforge uses. In his keynote, Kersting also present the history of Gameforge, the advantages of different payment models, and the differences between Europe and Asia in terms of attitudes toward gaming and cultural backgrounds. Kersting and Alexander Rosner founded Gameforge in 2003. In addition to Ikariam, the company's responsible for OGame and Metin2 have attracted more than 75 million gamers worldwide. "Gameforge develops pioneering and groundbreaking technologies in the browser-based game sector, which is driving the whole industry," said event director Frank Sliwka. "GDC Europe is focused on delivering content that appeals to a global audience, while presenting content that represents and showcases the European development community."]]> tag:www.worldsinmotion.biz,2009://4.17350 2009-06-30T14:38:17Z 2009-07-01T00:39:51Z

China's Ministry of Commerce has extended its governing reach into online realms, limiting in several ways the trade and conversion of virtual currency. According to a press release issued by the ministry, virtual currency may now only be used to...

Simon Carless China's Ministry of Commerce has extended its governing reach into online realms, limiting in several ways the trade and conversion of virtual currency. According to a press release issued by the ministry, virtual currency may now only be used to purchase virtual goods and services, and may not be used to buy real-world goods. Furthermore, minors are prohibited from buying virtual currency, and virtual currency gambling is a punishable offense. The measure is most significantly aimed at QQ coins, units of virtual currency issued by Tencent, which have become not only the most widespread online currency China, but are even increasingly used for the purchase of real-world items. As a result, QQ coins are frequently converted to Chinese yuan, and vice versa. They are also used for purposes of money laundering -- an activity against which the Chinese government says it will become increasingly vigilant in the wake of the new regulations. The ministry cites online industry expert Cui Ran, who it claims predicted "an impact on the financial system" if the continuing trends were not averted. While the primary goal of the new rules is to curb the growth in currencies that heavily cross over into the real world, like QQ coins, it may also have an effect on "gold farming" in more traditional MMOs, as that practice relies greatly on the conversion between virtual and real-world moneys.]]> tag:www.worldsinmotion.biz,2009://4.17330 2009-06-29T18:13:32Z 2009-06-29T18:20:12Z

[We're pleased to announce another set of confirmed lectures for September's GDC Austin, which WorldsInMotion.biz is closely involved in helping with - we hope you'll consider joining us in Austin this September for six tracks of online game learning and...

Simon Carless [We're pleased to announce another set of confirmed lectures for September's GDC Austin, which WorldsInMotion.biz is closely involved in helping with - we hope you'll consider joining us in Austin this September for six tracks of online game learning and inspiration.] After debuting initial free-to-play online game lectures from Sony Online (Free Realms), Gaia Online and Rebel Monkey (CampFu), September's GDC Austin 2009 event has revealed subscription MMO-specific talks spanning Star Wars: The Old Republic, DC Universe Online, EVE Online, and more. The first set of lectures announced for GDC Austin span the gamut of 'connected games', from traditional high-profile subscription MMOs through free-to-play online games, social network games, and even online components to console games. The event, to be held September 15th-18th, 2009 at the Austin Convention Center in Texas, now includes six online-centric 'tracks' for the Main Conference, which takes place Wednesday 16th to Friday 18th. These tracks, which span design, business & marketing, social networking & community, services, programming and production, have a number of lectures focused on the core, AAA subscription-MMO space. Initial highlights from these include: - BioWare Austin's 'Come and See the Elephant - Challenges Encountered Growing an MMO' will talk about strategies "pertaining to process and technology" that the much-vaunted firm's technical director Bill Dalton utilized in helping to make the upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic.]]> 'Why We Need Heroes And Villains In Games', some of the key creators of the upcoming DC Universe Online MMO, including SOE Austin's Chris Cao and Jens Andersen, alongside noted comic book artist and game contributor Jim Lee and DC Comics writer Marv Wolfman, discuss "why... tension between good and evil is so critical -- not only for telling a good story, but for making a video game." - CCP Games' Petur Johannes Oskarsson is presenting a lecture called 'EVE Online's Player Elected Council Case Study', explaining that the space trading and combat MMO "uses a democratically elected council of 9 community members to get a feel for what the whole wants, where they want EVE to go in the future and how we, players and developers, can get there together." The study will analyze the Council's failures and successes for the past, present and future. - In 'MMOs to Consoles – Challenges, Opportunities and Emerging Trends', Turbine VP Craig Alexander will talk about the Lord Of The Rings Online creator's view on the console market for major MMOs, with market analysis, commenting that "given the processing power and connectivity of console game systems, the opportunity to transition massively multiplayer online games to the console platform is enormous." Further announcements and details on lectures for this September's GDC Austin, as well as multiple keynote addresses, will be debuting over the next few weeks. In addition, GDC Austin will also include its long-running Game Audio and Game Writer Summits, alongside an iteration of the breakout successful Independent Games Summit and the newly introduced iPhone Game Summit, all debuting on September 15-16, 2009 at the same venue. Full listings of announced lectures, registration information, and other specifics are now available at the official GDC Austin website.]]> tag:www.worldsinmotion.biz,2009://4.17297 2009-06-26T18:53:44Z 2009-06-26T18:54:07Z

In this round-up, we highlight some of the notable jobs posted in big sister site Gamasutra's industry-leading game jobs section this week, including positions from Crystal Dynamics, Trion and more. Each position posted by employers will appear on the...

Simon Carless In this round-up, we highlight some of the notable jobs posted in big sister site Gamasutra's industry-leading game jobs section this week, including positions from Crystal Dynamics, Trion and more. Each position posted by employers will appear on the main Gamasutra job board, and appear in the site's daily and weekly newsletters, reaching our readers directly. It will also be cross-posted for free across its network of submarket sites, which includes content sites focused on online worlds, cellphone games, 'serious games', independent games and more. Some of the notable jobs posted in each market area this week include:]]> Gamasutra.com - Game Industry Jobs Crystal Dynamics Senior Art Director "Crystal Dynamics has a rare opening for a Senior Art Director on one of the most prestigious AAA franchises in the industry. We are looking for an exceptional talent to bring onto the team and continue the long tradition of visually stunning and award winning titles from Crystal Dynamics." Propaganda Games: Sr. Environment Artist/Worldbuilder "From our state of the art game development studio in Downtown Vancouver, we combine an independent spirit with the resources of one of the world's largest entertainment companies. We know what makes games great - stunning visuals, innovative gameplay and most importantly... people. We are looking for a World Class Environment Artist / world Builder to join the team!" Treyarch/Activision: Technical Director "Treyarch is looking for a Technical Director for a high profile title with a substantial and ambitious online component. The Technical Director will be responsible for all technical decisions for their title. As a Technical Director, their opinion will carry substantial weight for any decision that is made on the project. The Technical Director will ultimately be responsible for the successful completion of the project." Rainbow Studios: Executive Producer "The Executive Producer is the visionary for the product and the person who builds the team and motivates them to accomplish their goals of shipping a high quality, entertaining experience on time and on budget. The Executive Producer also provides the link between the studio and the THQ marketing and sales departments." WorldsInMotion - Online Games Tencent Boston: Senior MMO Engine Programmer "We are looking for outstanding individuals with passion, talent and a team focused mindset. We are located in the Boston area and offer competitive salaries, superb benefits and profit sharing. This is your chance to get in on the ground floor of a great new development studio, a studio that can produce top tier quality games and bring them to market worldwide." Trion San Diego: Senior Audio Programmer "The Senior Audio Programmer is responsible for development of audio tools and technologies for the next generation of server-based gaming. This is a software development position rather than sound design or composition role." To browse hundreds of similar jobs, and for more information on searching, responding to, or posting game industry-relevant jobs to the top source for jobs in the business, please visit Gamasutra's job board now.]]> tag:www.worldsinmotion.biz,2009://4.17300 2009-06-26T15:59:19Z 2009-06-26T19:00:39Z

To find out what's required for a successful social gaming platform, the 2009 Social Gaming Summit brought together four panelists from four of the biggest social networks, including Facebook, to find out what they consider to be the key...

Simon Carless To find out what's required for a successful social gaming platform, the 2009 Social Gaming Summit brought together four panelists from four of the biggest social networks, including Facebook, to find out what they consider to be the key to their platforms and the success of social gaming. The discussion took place after a panel of social game-makers, including Zynga and Playfish reps, debated making games for social networks. It included Jason Oberfest of MySpace, Gareth Davis of Facebook, Andrew Sheppard of Hi5, and James Liu of Chinese company OPI -- which operates the Xiaonei social network. The panel was moderated by Michael Arrington of TechCrunch. The discussion was particularly relevant to game developers because, with games such as Restaurant City and Farm Town grabbing millions of unique users on social networks -- users that can then be monetized using microtransactions -- it's an increasingly fertile area for game creators to play in.]]> The Foundation of a Platform The first question is probably the most relevant -- and easily the most basic: "What is needed for a successful gaming platform?" Davis addressed the question in light of Facebook's area of superiority: "I think it all starts with audience. The larger the audience, the more successful the platform." But to access that audience, APIs are also required, and to protect that audience, policies from the platform holder are also important, he says. Davis also proposed another Facebook advantage: its reliance on a real-world identity. Sheppard, appealing to developers on behalf of the U.S.-based and increasingly gaming-focused Hi5 -- which is much more popular in Latin America than its home territory -- suggested three key elements: "You have to be able to deliver the audience to the games that people care about. You have to make the business sustainable. Our payment solutions, or third-party payment solutions, are critical to the mix." The audience was then asked if implementing an in-house, official payment system such as Hi5's solution is necessary for gaming to take off on a platform. Few raised their hands, to apparent surprise from Sheppard. Said Davis, "We don't believe that a Facebook payment system would be something that would help the ecosystem. The ecosystem is doing fine." However, Sheppard countered, "Companies have had great success monetizing audiences that people in the U.S. aren't even considering," using its localization and payment tools. Of course, MySpace allows ambiguous or anonymous identities -- and as Oberfest said, what's required is merely tech and policies which "allow natural user behavior to occur;" giving users the freedom to play what they what they want to, how and when they want to, is the key. To that end, Hi5 monitors clickthrough rates on games and advertisements in an effort to cut down on spam -- low clickthrough implies spam problems. Facebook Connect: The Next Big Thing? Unsurprisingly, Davis began to turn the panel into a platform to promote Facebook Connect, a solution the company has implemented which allows outside applications to draw on Facebook account data and publish updates to users' pages. This will be implemented on Xbox 360 and Nintendo DSi this fall, and is already in iPhone titles. To that end, Davis believes in the power of "multi-device gaming." "If I have an iPhone and you're on Facebook, we can game together," he said. "I think E3 was very much an inflection point for me... Not just Xbox and DSi Facebook Connect technology... I think we are seeing a lot of talent transition from the traditional games industry to the social games industry. "The second thing is that the console companies really get social now," he continued. "I think this really changes everything. I think we're at the beginning and it's going to take a few years. There's a lot to learn as both industries converge, and they're both complimentary." When quizzed about what titles show this advanced learning from console companies, Davis demurred. "It's still very early and I don't think any of these projects are announced, but I'm very impressed," he explained. Davis said such projects from big game companies are "fundamentally social" and take advantage of the "multi-device" paradigm. He later described the future of games as "device-based and hooked into a social network," and it's clear that iPhone and Xbox 360 are both "devices" in this context. Sheppard, instead, turned the discussion to one of the most basic concepts: fun. He said, "We're now focusing on fun and defining the social graph around that. It's an important nuance but it's a very key thing to call out. Specifically, when you're focused on fun, real-world identities are less relevant. It's more focused on aspirational identities" -- a concept with which online gamers will all be familiar, but one which is in direct contrast to Facebook's fundamental paradigm. However, Oberfest, despite MySpace's semi-anonymity, said, "There's no doubt that authenticity in relationships drives engagement in [social networking] games." What We Might Learn From China James Liu works for Oak Pacific Interactive, a very large Chinese internet company that owns the social network Xiaonei -- which, with over 40 million users, is often compared to Facebook. "China is a very unique market in the world," he observed. In the view of OPI's chairman Joe Chen, as quoted by Liu, "Communities are becoming more gaming-like, and games are becoming more community-like." To that end, said Liu, "One of the things we do differently from any of the companies in this panel. We're one of the very few companies in the world who has a social gaming platform and close to 400 people dedicated to MMO development in-house." This MMO is integrated directly into the social network via API. Other concepts OPI works with are more familiar to U.S. social networking companies, though the situation is slightly different in that the company itself operates the games. OPI monitors user behavior and suggests new games in the users' newsfeed, and its user base is also integrated across multiple OPI platforms; none of the U.S. companies currently operate multiple networks. One notable observation Liu made was about the reading material the OPI engineers have by their desks. "These guys are [engineering] PhDs from top-notch schools, but they study economy right now," as well as psychology, he said: all the better to understand and motivate user behavior in social networks. ]]> tag:www.worldsinmotion.biz,2009://4.17298 2009-06-25T15:54:38Z 2009-06-26T18:55:33Z

As Electronic Arts gathers both its Mythic and BioWare studios into a single group, Mythic GM and co-founder Mark Jacobs is leaving the company. "EA is restructuring its RPG and MMO games development into a new group that includes...

Simon Carless As Electronic Arts gathers both its Mythic and BioWare studios into a single group, Mythic GM and co-founder Mark Jacobs is leaving the company. "EA is restructuring its RPG and MMO games development into a new group that includes both Mythic and BioWare," said the company in a statement. BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka will head the new unit as Group General Manager, while fellow co-founder Greg Zeschuk will take the role of chief creative officer. The Mythic team will see co-founder and COO Rob Denton take the role of general manager. According to the announcement, not much will change for the BioWare group as it works on Dragon Age, Mass Effect 2 and Star Wars MMO The Old Republic, and its teams will continue to maintain the same structure, reporting to Muzyka. As for Jacobs, who co-founded the studio with Denton in 1995 and most recently led Warhammer: Age of Reckoning, his last day at EA was yesterday, June 23. He has not yet commented on his current plans, but his out-of-office message indicates he is "on sabbatical."]]> tag:www.worldsinmotion.biz,2009://4.17302 2009-06-25T07:53:02Z 2009-06-26T20:43:35Z

In many ways, Realtime Worlds' All Points Bulletin is paving brand-new territory for MMOs in terms of theme, content and gameplay. And as great as the challenge of defining a genre for itself may be, the team's vision for...

Simon Carless In many ways, Realtime Worlds' All Points Bulletin is paving brand-new territory for MMOs in terms of theme, content and gameplay. And as great as the challenge of defining a genre for itself may be, the team's vision for the project is even greater. APB lead designer EJ Moreland tells WiM.biz sister site Gamasutra that the game's wide-ranging framework, which combines MMO and action elements with player customization, is just the beginning, and that the concept is set to grow and shift based on player feedback -- and the possibilities are endless. "What we've done is we've said, 'We want to use this to support this great action game -- this really different online type of game -- and then, once the game releases, based on what the players' feedback is, we're going to go in every direction we can,'" says Moreland, speaking in an in-depth Gamasutra feature interview about the game. "We're looking at much more horizontal expansion than reproducing the same content," he says. "So APB is the action district; the conflict of the city is one part that we'll continue to support after release. But we're looking at things like racing districts, fashion shows, private housing -- you know, everything in between." "It's just which way the player base wants us to take it, and which bases we want to attract after that." Moreland recognizes that APB lies at the junction of two very specific demographics: the MMO audience, and fans of open-world crime-spree action games. "We realize that the game has -- it's not what I would call a 'narrow' focus, but it has a very narrow initial potential. But we want to make sure people understand that there's much more to it." Those drawn to the social and customization elements will be initial "early adopters," Moreland suggests, and then the team can adjust the scope and focus of the game even further based on what player groups are attracted to. You can now read the full feature at Gamasutra, where Moreland discusses the challenges and opportunities in opening new roads within the MMO genre (no registration required, please feel free to link to this feature from other websites).]]> tag:www.worldsinmotion.biz,2009://4.17299 2009-06-25T00:57:20Z 2009-06-26T19:01:04Z

Social gaming is in a rapid phase of growth and upheaval, with a variety of platforms and companies competing for significance. The first panel at the 2009 Social Gaming Summit in San Francisco featured several notable figures in the...

Simon Carless Social gaming is in a rapid phase of growth and upheaval, with a variety of platforms and companies competing for significance. The first panel at the 2009 Social Gaming Summit in San Francisco featured several notable figures in the arena: Sebastian de Halleux, COO of developer Playfish; John Pleasants, new CEO of Playdom; and Mark Pincus, CEO of Zynga; with Jeremy Liew, managing director of Lightspeed Venture Partners, moderating. These companies all have hugely successful Facebook applications -- but Liew pointed out that newcomer Farm Town has hit the big time seemingly out of nowhere, and is approaching 10 million users: "Three months ago you guys were clearly the three biggest social gaming entities but then Farm Town came out of nowhere." The rapidity of the shift highlights the volatility of the platform for even its "biggest" players. ]]> Not A Zero-Sum Game So is the market hit-driven, as in the console game space? Not according to Pincus. "There are more things about social gaming that are different than similar," he said. "I think the number one thing we should keep in mind that this is new... The console business is mature and not really expanding, so for your game to win, another one has to lose." When Pincus said Zynga "welcomes" newcomers to the market, as it helps expand audiences, Liew retorted, "I think you guys welcomed Farm Town with FarmVille, yesterday," referring to Zynga's own casual farming game -- and drawing big laughs from the audience. An Open Market De Halleux sees the market as inherently superior to the console game space, because distribution is not controlled by consoles or by publishers. "Quality drives distribution because it's up to the users," he said. But Playfish's philosophy is more nuanced than spamming out games to entire friends lists. "We generally disagree with cross-promotion of an existing install base being important," he said. Even so, the company's Restaurant City hit five million users in five weeks. How? "We [want to] ensure that only people who are deeply engaged with the content invite their friends," explained de Halleux. There's no automatic spam; users have to choose to invite their pals because they like the game: "It goes against common sense." According to de Halleux, "each [Playfish game] attracts a slightly different audience" -- which he considers key to the company's business model. Matching the right audience to the right game allows Playfish to flourish. To Pleasants, "a lot of the attractiveness is not the game itself... but how it interacts," which brought the discussion back to the social element key to the conference and the genre. To that end, Pincus believes platform support is the crucial element for growth. "We think that iPhone and other smart phones represent a really important platform for social gaming, because it's going to make social gaming accessible to a lot of people who would never get it," he said. "We've made a big commitment to iPhone and mobile far ahead of the business opportunity." Liew thinks, however, that the current state of the Apple app store works counter to the natural growth of social gaming on platforms like Facebook: "I think this is a really important difference between social and iPhone games... It's a lot more like retail because there can only be top 25 games on the shelf." Pincus suggests that a concerted effort from developers might change things. "If we all went and talked to Apple, or to Palm, and we all tried to put out what we think are the best requirements to an open social gaming network," there could be a meaningful change. But that's of less concern to de Halleux. "I would like to make a distinction between 'device' and 'platform,'" he offered. "For us, the next-generation platform is Facebook. The iPhone is a nice device." "Our new application [interfaces with] Facebook and is really the same game with the same scoring," he continued. It's worth noting that the Facebook Connect API, of which more in later panel discussions, allows Facebook friends to interact via iPhone apps (and will also drive the solutions debuting on Nintendo DSi and Xbox 360 later in the year). The Greenlighting Process Figuring out which games to make can be vastly different processes, even at two of the most successful companies. Zynga takes a marketing-driven approach; Playfish concentrates on design. Said Pincus of his firm's process, "We look at success metrics around virality and retention before we launch." The company, according to Pincus, spent $2 million developing a game called Guild of Heroes, but never launched it because "it didn't drive the right metrics." De Halleux contrasted that with his company's approach: "The idea is that games are not a science. Building a successful game is something you cannot model. We keep our studio teams quite small and separate from each other and give them full creative freedom." He addresses the fact that the word "viral" has become all-consuming in the dialogue about social networking. "The core metric I hear a lot of people talk about 'virality.' The Playfish approach is to focus on something quite different, which is fun," he argued. "This puts game design as the core metric of game distribution. "We're trying to push the boundaries... We try to create a title that goes after a specific niche and see how the niche responds. The most exciting thing about this space is that there's no middleman and you can engage with your audience directly." 
 Said de Halleux, "Creating a game is about creating a product or service that creates emotions. When we put a new product together we try and create these emotions. Suddenly by involving your friends creates another spectrum of emotions, that are fed between two individuals." On that front, he gave credit to Nintendo's Wii. Old-School Influence De Halleux sees board games, rather than video games, as the model for social gaming. "It's one thing to be beaten by a random guy on the internet; it's another to be beaten by your little sister," he pointed out. When playing board games, "You never remember the strategy that made the night, but you remember the social interaction. "Most of our users have never played a video game in their life," he continued. "When they talk about our games, they do not talk about them as games. They talk about them as a social experience they had with their friends." The Nature Of Social Gaming To find its audience, Zynga looks to fill the gap of boredom with what social networks offer intrinsically. Pincus explained, "People get fatigued on the news feeds and they want another experience they can share with their friends." Social games have three core tenets, said Pincus: They "have to have a feeling of playing with your friends; they have to give you a way to express yourself... a playground for personalities; [and they] have to give players an opportunity to invest in the game over time and a sense they own something of value." Social capital, the meaningfulness of interactions building towards something greater, is what sets social gaming apart, according to Pincus: "If we all double down on social capital I think that social gaming can become a cultural phenomenon." He pointed out that the proportion of people playing any casual or social games on any platform has not reached the proportion of people using social networking -- but he thinks it can. New Revenue Sources An interesting statistic that de Halleux shared is that the company sold 20 million virtual Christmas trees at a theoretical value of $2 each last holiday season -- though many were bought with currency earned through attention rather than real money transactions (many online and social games offer both forms). This surprised Playfish, so it went to its users. "Previously, Christmas trees, we'd put in our flats and it'd be something to share," explained de Halleux. Now, "we've become disconnected, and maybe three or four friends would see the real Christmas tree -- on Facebook, all of their friends would see it." Pincus noted that, in the past, people wouldn't spend on the internet. But as free time becomes more valuable, "people are shifting from economic value to time value." They'll pay, because the games offer interaction with people they know. "Now you're playing a game, and you manage to touch some friends, maybe in a more meaningful way." This serves two purposes -- "keeping the plate spinning" on personal relationships, as well as providing entertainment. ]]>