Since its release, one of my favorite strategy games around has been Outwitters. The fog of war, the thrill of watching your opponent step into the trap you laid three turns ago...it’s all great. Yet there’s something to be said about the frenzy of synchronous multiplayer; of jumping into the fray live and fighting it out tooth and nail. And KIXEYE certainly agrees.

Yesterday we reported that a former contract worker at Kixeye was forced to endure several racist remarks during his time with the company. CEO Will Harbin was quick to state he'd look into the matter, and it looks like he was telling the truth: four employees have been fired, including the team manager at the heart of all these allegations.

It wasn’t long ago that Kixeye took the web by storm with their rather extreme recruitment video, which systematically put down rival developers and built themselves up as an exciting company to work for. As it turns out, that boisterous company culture just might bring with it a few caveats – racism and homophobia, most notably.

KIXEYE CEO Will Harbin has developed something of a reputation for bold statements.  He says what he thinks, regardless of what’s “polite” or “appropriate.”  Like when he released a press release solely to call Kabam a bunch of copycats.  Or when he decided to taunt complaining players in the forums.  And now, this bold man wants to be your boss.

It’s no secret that the primary source of income for social games is in-app purchases. As a model, it works just fine. Sometimes, though, other models work better for certain games – like the subscription model, for example. It’s coming to Facebook soon, and developer KIXEYE’s game Backyard Monsters will be one of the first titles to feature it.

It looks like KIXEYE, the gaming company known for its online combat strategy games such as Backyard Monsters, is making a few strategic moves of its own. Today, KIXEYE dropped two major announcements, each from separate sides of the globe.

When it comes to social game developers, Kixeye is one of the few that knows how to take risks. What many would consider to be their flagship title, Backyard Monsters was a breath of fresh air when it launched on Facebook two years ago. Their Battle Pirates is striving to become the world’s first persistent real time strategy game. And next, they’re bringing a download-quality role playing game to your browser.

Kixeye, the developer behind Backyard Monsters, has announced a new expansion for the real-time strategy game, which will take players underground.

War Commander is a Facebook game developed by Kixeye that puts you in command of your own army base, waging war against players from all over the world. Gamezebo’s War Commander strategy guide and walkthrough will provide you with a quick start guide, tips and tricks, hints, and cheats to help you win the war.

As Facebook pushes forward to secure its place on the Internet as one of the most relevant social infrastructures, its gaming arm is, likewise, continuing to grow up. Kixeye has put together a new real-time-strategy (RTS) game that pushes the envelope in terms of mature content on the platform, but does the hardcore formula of War Commander translate well for this mostly casual audience?