Casual News – Nov. 13, 2009

EA buys Playfish for $300 million; PlayFirst announces Hotel Dash: Suite Success; and the developers of Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor challenges the idea that selling games for cheap is the only way to be competitive on the Apple App Store. These headlines and more below.

News

• PlayFirst announces latest Dash game, Hotel Dash: Suite Success
• EA buys Playfish for $300 million
• Playdom acquires two companies; raises $43 million
• Class action suit in the works for victims of social gaming scams
• ohai develops and publishes world’s first true massively multiplayer game for social networks
• 2BeeGames announces finalists of 2nd Indie Game Competition
• Disney Interactive Studios releases first downloadable mission for Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force
• PopCap launches free "Blitz" update for Bejeweled 2 for iPhone and iPod Touch
• eGames to distribute The Lost Inca Prophecy at retail stores

Features

• Worst week ever for Zynga
• Busted! "Verified" Facebook app caught scamming users
• Jewel Quest challenge for Facebook: Exclusive First Look!
• Interview with Andrew Lum, Fugazo
• Spider devs on rock-bottom iPhone pricing: "You Don’t Have To Do It"
• The minds behind some of the most addictive games around
• Space of Possibility and Pacing in Casual Game Design – A PopCap Case Study
• Can virtual currencies help bridge the gap between free and paid content?

Erin Bell