social-gaming
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Nexon invests in social gaming
Nexon, the creator of the action-based MMOs Dragon Nest and Vindictus, recently invested a significant amount of money in the Hong Kong-based social-gaming developer 6waves Lolapps. Gamasutra quotes Nexon CEO Seung-woo Choi as saying, "We made this investment because we believe that 6waves Lolapps places the same value that we do in providing exciting games to our players and driving growth for the company by doing so." There is no direct link between this partnership and Nexon's announcing that its flagship MMO MapleStory will be spun off into a Facebook game called Maplestory Adventures, but 6Waves CEO Rex Ng believes the relationship between the two gaming companies can only benefit the player with great content and adventures in the long run. This news comes on the coattails of another MMO developer, NCSoft, buying a smartphone application developer. The MMO space is expanding well beyond the at-home PC. The MMO gaming industry is integrating itself into more and more aspects of our daily lives, stretching the definition of "living world."
Google slides Prizes into beta, helps you get real paid
Come on down! You can be the next contestant on the Prizes site. That was overkill, we know, but it's a necessary introduction into a new world of online solution-based social gaming pioneered by the Slide team. Acquired by the Goog back in 2010, the low profile entertainment-driven app developer has been hard at work making the web 'more social' and filling its Big Daddy's pockets. Debuting in classic Google beta form, Prizes takes your Twitter or Facebook accounts and signs you up for cash prize-winning, user-created contest shenanigans. In case you missed that fine point, we'll reiterate -- users design the challenges, you post a solution (or vice versa). Like the $40 "Give my Dad a makeover!" competition we're completely unqualified to enter, or the $30 "Comprehensive 'get healthy' plan for living in a large, polluted city" game we're sure Al Gore could win in his sleep. It's a kooky idea, but we can definitely see the service having widespread appeal. Let's be frank here: Google + social gaming + prize money = solid user gold.
Raph Koster on the legacy of Star Wars Galaxies
Amid all the internet commentary sure to be forthcoming over the next few days regarding Star Wars Galaxies and its upcoming swan-song, none of it is really as relevant as the thoughts of the man primarily responsible for designing the original game. Raph Koster offers up a bit of commentary on SWG's demise via his personal website, and despite the brevity, he manages to touch on exactly why the game mattered to so many of us and why it will be sorely missed. "It gave us features that continue to amaze people who don't realize what can be done: Real economies complete with supply chains and wholesalers and shopkeepers, that amazing pet system, the moods and chat bubbles [...], player cities, vehicles, spaceflight," Koster says. It also gave us dancing, and while many progression-focused gamers scoff at SWG's social features, Koster rightly concludes that they may well be the game's legacy since they allowed us to "stop saving the world or killing rats and realize the real scope and potential of the medium." In the end, Koster says that SWG's potential may have overshadowed the final product, but what remained was nonetheless a mold-breaking MMORPG. "I'd rather work on something with great potential than on fulfilling a promise of mediocrity. There's a reason people are passionate about it all these years later," he wrote.
Games at Google revealed in job posting, takes a stab at social gaming
Well, one of the few remaining sectors that Google has yet to conquer, gaming, will be Big G free no longer. The tech giant is looking for a product manager to man a new property called Games at Google. Obviously, with just a job posting to work with, details are scant, but we can tell you that the gaming platform will boast some social features -- an area where the Goog has struggled mightily. What don't we know? Just about anything else. Will it be a Game Center-like feature for Android phones? Or, perhaps, a web-gaming outlet for Chrome built with help from the folks at Zynga, who Google quietly partnered with back in the summer of oh-ten. Regardless, we're waiting with bated breath to find out when and where we'll be able to order hits in Mafia Wars next.
Richard Garriott to deliver Game Developers Conference Europe keynote
Are you planning to venture to the wilds of Europe for the upcoming Game Developers Conference Europe? If so, you're in for a treat, as the father of Ultima will be delivering the keynote speech. That's right, the one and only spacefaring game developer Richard Garriott will give a presentation at the conference discussing social gaming, its future, and what mark it may leave on the gaming industry as a whole. Garriott is perhaps known best for being the creator of the Ultima series (and the victim of assassination in the early days of Ultima Online), but his most recent foray in the industry came in the form of Portalarium, a social gaming company. Frank Sliwka, event director of GDC Europe, notes that "there are few developers with Richard Garriott's history, pedigree and vantage point, having been a defining force in the realm of traditional hardcore games, birthing the RPG and MMORPG genres, to now helping lead the way within the world of social games," so the speech will almost certainly be enlightening for anyone with an interest in the subject. GDC Europe will be taking place from August 15-17, so if you're looking to make the journey to gaming mecca, go ahead and start making plans!
Richard Garriott talks cross-game platforms and leaving MMOs behind
Even though Richard Garriott has moved on from the days of Ultima Online and the sadly defunct Tabula Rasa, it's hard not to pay some attention to the man behind what's frequently considered the first modern MMO. A recent interview with Gamasutra reveals that the man himself is no longer really invested in MMOs as a genre, however. According to him, "Even the kinds of games that you might think I would make, I don't generally play, because they're often just too much of a hassle to get into them." The bulk of the interview is dedicated to discussing Garriott's social gaming company, Portalarium, and his plans to try to leverage games into a shared network similar to Steam rather than using Facebook's built-in integration. It's a look into the man's latest project, which should prove of interest to those still following him, even if he's no longer interested in MMOs as such.
Capcom forms Beeline mobile brand
Capcom has created its first publishing sub-brand, Beeline, to create social and freemium-based games for the mobile market. The parent company's forays into the space have seen success, with titles in the casual market like Smurfs' Village, Zombie Cafe and Lil' Pirates reaching 15 million downloads. Beeline is meant to keep up the publisher's buzz in the space, capitalizing on its success so far with "a brand and team focused on the mobile casual gamer." Worker bees will be humming along out of four hives set up in LA, Tokyo, Toronto and London. Beeline is expected to publish eight games by next April. As for targeting the "hardcore" mobile gamer, the publisher will continue to develop (and copy) such titles under the familiar "Capcom" name.
Madden creative director departs along with EA Sports CTO [update]
Madden 12 creative director Ian Cummings has announced his departure from EA on the official Madden Blog. His last day with EA Sports and the Central Florida-based Tiburon studio was yesterday, he confirmed in a tweet. He leaves behind a nearly 11-year career with the company to "seek opportunities elsewhere" -- in other words, "a new company." "I leave the Madden NFL 12 development team with confidence that it is in great hands," wrote Cummings in his final Madden Blog post. Apparently, those hands don't belong to Richard Wifall. The EA Sports chief technology officer tweeted today that he had left, too. The pair of high-profile resignations was first hinted at in a report last Sunday by sports game news site pastapadre.com, which suggested that "several high level members" of the Madden development team "may be joining a new studio." That studio is thought to be social gaming startup Row Sham Bow, founded by former EA Tiburon GM Philip Holt (aha!) and conveniently located in nearby Winter Park, Fla. According to the Orlando Business Journal, Row Sham Bow plans to create 60 "high-wage" jobs -- just the thing to lure over a few old friends. Update: Wifall confirmed with Joystiq that he is indeed teaming up with Holt, Cummings, "and some other talented individuals" at Row Sham Bow. "We aren't ready to talk about our plans just yet," he added. "When we are ready to talk, you can expect to find out more at rowshambow.com." [Pictured: Cummings; image credit: EA.com]
Richard Garriott discusses ongoing plans for Portalarium
As much as some may poke fun at Facebook and other social media based games, those games have an enormous market share that's still growing. Let's face it: These games attract not only all manner of gamers but also the most casual of non-gaming users, such as your Great-Aunt Martha or partners who generally dislike video games. With that in mind, Edge caught up with Richard Garriott at DICE Summit recently to catch up on how things are progressing with his foray into the social gaming world: Portalarium. While we knew about Portalarium's initial offerings such as the card game, it appears that the company has much bigger plans in store. Garriott discusses the success of many of the titles in the social gaming space and how that relates to his own personal world-building experiences with Ultima Online. Further, he notes that Portalarium's current main title is "not a game about farming... operating a shop... [or] managing your pets." There is also some discussion of making in-game purchases tie to microlending sites like Kiva to benefit projects in other countries, which is certainly worth reading as well. If you're curious about where Portalarium is going or interested in reading some ideas from an industry vet, then pop over to Edge and check out the full interview with Garriott.
Enter at Your Own Rift: Getting a head start
Dateline: Thursday, February 24th, 12:55 p.m. EST. After having rushed home from work (huzzah for a half-day), I was frantically putting the kids to bed for an afternoon nap and patching up my RIFT client. Twitter was abuzz with gamers sitting at the starting gate and revving their mice. It was here. After seven betas, it was here, and we would be the first in the door. 12:59 p.m. EST. Began checking the server status list, trying to will the dull grey names to light up as they signified activity. 1:00 p.m. EST. Scott Hartsman posts a short message on Twitter: "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to RIFT." Right on cue, the servers came up, and what felt like the entire population of Oregon tried to cram into the game all at once. By 1:01 p.m., when I logged in, my chosen server of Faeblight was already full and had 461 people in the queue. I was 462. It would be another 45 minutes until I was able to play the game proper.
SWTOR's loss is Playdom's gain -- Gordon Walton
It's always a sad thing to see a developer leave your favorite game, especially when the game has yet to be released like Star Wars: The Old Republic. Last month, Gordon Walton stepped down as General Manager at BioWare Austin to take a job at the social gaming company Playdom. SWTOR media site Darth Hater quoted Community Manager Stephen Reid as saying, "With great thanks and appreciation, we say goodbye to Gordon Walton for helping bring the game to the phenomenal state it is in today [...] It is business as usual at all BioWare studios, where we remain committed to creating, delivering and evolving the most emotionally engaging games in the world." Gordon Walton spoke quite frequently about MMOs as a business. He was not afraid to speak frankly to other developers. You may remember his GDC 2007 quote about "the grind" in most MMOs. He explained that the "object is not to keep people as long as humanly possible, but to provide entertainment. [The players] will do it, but they will hate you." Walton was at BioWare for five years, and we at Massively look forward to seeing his work at Playdom. Good Luck, Gordon! [Thank you Justin for the tip!]
Zynga buys Newtoy, studio rebranded as Zynga With Friends
Well how about this -- Facebook and social game giant Zynga has bought up iPhone developer Newtoy, makers of the popular Games with Friends apps, including Words with Friends and Chess with Friends. Newtoy has now been rebranded as Zynga With Friends, and will apparently be working on new titles for Zynga in their own style. There's no word on what kind of money changed hands, unfortunately, but Zynga is worth around $5.6 billion, so it has plenty to spend. This is that company's seventh such deal in as many months. As deals for iPhone devs go, this is a big one -- Newtoy previously also worked on the We Rule title for Ngmoco, so the studio has extensive experience in social mobile gaming and monetizing those experiences. Zynga is the company behind Farmville, the most successful social game out there, with its own deep roots in the social gaming field. So this will be an interesting combination to be sure. We just chatted with Newtoy's David Bettner at the Austin GDC a little while ago, and he'll be stepping into the position of studio director, with his brother Paul Bettner becoming a Zynga VP and GM of the new studio. Bettner also told us that the company was working on "at least three prototypes that were up and playable," but it's not clear whether those titles will continue to be made or whether Zynga will have their own products for the former Newtoy devs to work on. If nothing else, this is a big vote of confidence in the App Store yet again -- Words with Friends has been a runaway hit for Newtoy, and clearly Zynga sees potential in the "with Friends" brand.
Facebook Credits coming to Walmart and Best Buy
Feel like taking your hard-earned capital and turning it into ones and zeros? Stocking up Farmville "cash" just got easier as Zuckerberg and Co. have announced that they're bringing pre-pay Facebook Credits cards to the impulse racks at Best Buy and Walmart. In Target stores since September, they'll be available in denominations anywhere from $5 to $50, and as for the credits themselves, they're redeemable within over 200 games and apps on the site, but sadly they're utterly useless for that one need we have above all others: stopping people from tagging really unflattering pictures of us. [Thanks, Jeff]
Zynga sued over Facebook privacy breaches
Zynga and its stable of Facebook games have never exactly won the hearts of MMO fans, but they've managed to avoid a lawsuit up until now. Unfortunately for them, a class-action lawsuit has been filed today seeking monetary relief for the unwarranted and undesirable release of private information. Filed by Nancy Graf of St. Paul, MN, the suit also seeks an injunction to prevent a similar incident from occurring in the future, in a direct response to Monday's news that several games and applications have been leaking private information. Although Zynga was listed among the companies sending out private information, the company is claiming that the lawsuit is wholly without merit and will be fought accordingly. The full details on the suit are available from Gamasutra, with the security breaches still apparently being labeled as unintentional results as they were on Monday. We'll have more on the story as it develops, although it seems to be a definite black eye for one of the largest social gaming companies on the web.
Atari launches Atari GO, with plans to 'reinvent' classics for social gaming
Atari today launched a new initiative called "Atari GO" (short for "Atari Games Online"), which is designed to leverage the company's current and future catalog across a number of platforms, including consoles, mobile, social and online gaming. Joystiq spoke with Atari Executive VP of Online and Mobile Gaming Thom Kozik, who said that the new program aims to use Atari's catalog and partnered indie developers to "not only move Atari more aggressively into providing casual online and social games, but leverage that well of experience and creativity that all of these independent developers have." Kozik reiterated that Atari has slowly built and acquired a large infrastructure for online and social gaming, and the company is now opening up that infrastructure to both developers interested in creating new Atari titles and online affiliates that can embed and host Atari's games. Through Atari GO, Kozik said he hopes to turn sites that are currently hosting unofficial versions of Atari's oldies into new sources of income. "Take that unofficial version down, replace it with our official version," he suggested, "and you'll be able to share in the revenue." Kozik revealed that some of the Atari GO games will be tied into the company's core games. For example, a Facebook tie-in game might unlock extra content in the upcoming console racer Test Drive Unlimited 2. "So we're able to wire together, for a particular player, their virtual goods, their experiences and what they'll be able to share, back and forth," he explained. Additionally, Atari plans to "reinvent" some of its historic games within a social gaming context. Both Asteroids Online and Deer Hunter Online are due out by the end of the year and serve as "new reimaginings of those IPs in a socialized context," according to Kozik, "with microtransactions and a broader narrative."
THQ partners with Joyent for 'rapid prototyping and deployment' of social games
THQ and its core games VP Danny Bilson have been touting the publisher's dedication to making properties flexible across multiple mediums ("transmedia") -- for instance, Red Faction is getting a movie, a downloadable game, and a retail game (we're unceremoniously awaiting the inevitable book or comic tie-in). One area the publisher has yet to tap into with its core games IPs is social gaming, though that may no longer be the case. This morning, THQ announced a partnership with digital infrastructure company Joyent for the "rapid prototyping and deployment of online games." We spoke with VP of online publishing and operations Mike Hogan just late last week about the partnership and what it means for THQ. Will we see Red FactionVille anytime soon on Facebook? "We have a pretty strong online strategy right now -- next week we're launching Company of Heroes Online, it's been in open beta for some time now and we've had great results on that," he told us. "If you take a look at the social applications, it is a part of what we do but it's certainly not all of it. As far as the actual games, I really can't tell you specifically what we have in development, but if you take a look at our license -- THQ has a great portfolio of licenses -- it wouldn't be too far of a stretch to think that some of those are involved."
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.
Social gaming numbers on the rise, Farmville likely to go down in history
We've seen console gaming numbers as a whole dip somewhat over the past few months, but gaming numbers on the social networking side have been anything but down. A new report on the matter from the NPD Group asserts that a full 20 percent (that's 1 in 5, if you're counting) of Americans ages 6 and older have played a social networking game of some sort, and we're guessing that number would be far higher if people weren't embarrassed to admit the truth. Unfortunately, the report doesn't dig deep into what exactly they were playing (our Monopoly bucks are on Farmville), but we are told that "10 percent of social network gamers have spent real money playing these games and 11 percent indicate that they are likely to make a future purchase." Curiously enough, the gender split is just about even, with 47 percent of social networking gamers being female, 53 being male and 2.4 percent being unidentified beings from District 9. You heard it here first, folks: the console is dead.
Gen Con 2010: Massively's interview with Wizard101
Wizard101, the free-to-play game from Kingsisle, has been gaining a bit more attention lately. The announcement of the upcoming Celestia expansion turned a few heads with its promise of a new level cap, a pet system, and new content, and as the release date approaches, the Kingsisle team has plenty to say about the game. We had the opportunity to chat with the developers last week at Gen Con, and if you're curious as to what the fuss is all about, you're in luck. We discussed the the game's past, present and future, and gained a great overview of what Kingsisle hopes to accomplish in the coming months. Follow along after the jump to see what we discussed!
Game Center not supported on iPhone 3G and second gen iPod touch
There's bad news for those of you with old iPhones. Apple has confirmed that the latest beta of Game Center is a no-go for anything older than an iPhone 4. That means that iPhone 3Gs and second generation iPod touches are out for Apple's social gaming app. It's probably for the best; you've likely already heard about all of the issues that 3G iPhones are having with iOS 4.0, and freeing itself from the requirements of the older hardware means that Apple should be able to make Game Center as good as it can be. But if you have an iPhone 3G and were looking forward to trying the new app from Apple, you'll have to change plans. Either go grab yourself an iPhone 4 (which is what I'm still planning to do -- my original iPhone is looking super old at this point), or stick with the social gaming networks that you've already got access to.
