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Mobile is the fastest-growing segment of social games
The iPad, iPhone and other mobile devices are a growing source of revenue for those selling virtual goods, says a report from Inside Virtual Goods. The report looks at the virtual goods market and tracks sales from mobile devices and social games like those on Facebook. Though social games will remain the leader with US$2.9 billion in sales expected this year, mobile gaming is on the rise. Mobile virtual good sales are expected to climb to $500 million in 2012, up from $350 million in 2011. And this is just the beginning. "Mobile gaming is still hitting its stride," said Justin Smith, the founder of Inside Network, in an interview with Venture Beat. While social games tend to attract older females, the Inside Virtual Goods report claims mobile gaming attracts a different audience. Being on Facebook is important, but the social network shouldn't be a games-only outlet. The winner in this market will be the company that can target both demographics by launching on Facebook and mobile devices at the same time. [Via Venture Beat]
Booyah releases InCrowd for iPhone and iPod touch
Booyah has released an iPhone and iPod touch version of its Facebook game, InCrowd, and it's now available on the App Store. The app, like the very popular MyTown, uses location check-ins to create a game around social networking. But unlike MyTown, this app was originally released as a Facebook game. Booyah originally started InCrowd as its first Facebook venture, but it's now bringing the game back to the iPhone, where it's presumably more comfortable at development. But the Facebook and iPhone versions work together (in fact, you need a Facebook account to play it), so check-ins on either platform can be seen in the app. As for the game itself, it's exactly the kind of thing that's very popular among the huge tween audience for Facebook games -- there's a cartoonish avatar that can interact with friends socially, and checking-in to certain places earns the avatars popularity and status. There's a microtransaction element as well -- interacting uses energy, and if you don't want to wait for a refresh, you can spend 99 cents to get more. Standard social gaming stuff, although Booyah is pretty good at putting it together by now. Booyah remains a company to watch in the social gaming space -- it doesn't seem to have had quite the success it wanted on Facebook, but the company is flexible enough to switch a game like this over to Apple's platform without skipping a beat. We'll have to wait and see whether or not the free app gains MyTown's level of adoption, however.
Google launches social networking initiative, more Farmville than Facebook
It looks like there is a social networking initiative in the works at Google, which will presumably start with social gaming (think Farmville) and move outward from there. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company's been in talks with game developers, including Playdom, EA's Playfish, and Zynga (which Google's recently invested in). While sure to incorporate Buzz (remember that?), one thing Google does not want to do is come across as just another Facebook, with Schmidt addressing the possibility thusly: "the world doesn't need a copy of the same thing." OK, then. How about Google Match? We already have an idea for your homepage design. One thing is certain, however: expect the service to be in beta until early 2037.
