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  • Notes from Inside Social Apps
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    Notes from Inside Social Apps

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    Gamification last week, Inside Social Apps this week. No wonder we don't get anything done! As always, Inside Social Apps was a good conference for social games. Though if you didn't know it's impossible for any small games company to make it on Facebook, that the next big thing is mobile social on the iPhone, and the next big thing after that is Android, then you probably being too slow to be in our fast-paced industry to begin with. Personally, I try to skip the panels and talk to the people in the street, or the hallway, in this case. My notes on the conference are below the fold.
  • PlayFirst launches Diner Dash on Facebook
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    PlayFirst launches Diner Dash on Facebook

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    And then there were none. Top casual game brands not on Facebook, that is. PlayFirst has launched Diner Dash on Facebook. Given that Diner Dash has been downloaded over a billion times and is the gold standard and time management games, this is big news indeed.
  • Facebook Credits now mandatory for game companies to play on Facebook
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    Facebook Credits now mandatory for game companies to play on Facebook

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    The goose is in the noose! In a move that everyone could have seen coming from a million miles away, Facebook has announced that starting July 1, every Facebook game will be required to use Facebook Credits as its virtual currency. On Facebook's blog, Deborah Liu writes that Facebook over the next five months will work with its gaming partners to integrate Facebook Credits into their game apps. Facebook will take 30% of the cut on each sale, which is compable to the amount Apple takes through the App Store.
  • Notes from the Gamification Summit
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    • PC
    Notes from the Gamification Summit

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    Last Thursday, I went to the Gamification Summit in San Francisco to answer for myself the question that arises in my head: Is this the next big thing or just a load of hype? The answer, is below the fold. C'mon, if I told you the answer here, what would be your incentive to click on my links and engage on my web site? Hmmm… I guess I did learn a thing or two at the G-Summit after all …
  • Zynga buys Area/Code in quest to own every good social games developer in the world
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    Zynga buys Area/Code in quest to own every good social games developer in the world

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    Zynga has announced today that they have acquired Area/Code, a New York-based game developer responsible for the well-reviewed social game, CSI: Crime City. For those keeping track, that is 9 acquisitions in the past year, 2 of which within the past 3 weeks. Aside from Flock which makes no sense, most of these acquisitions are smart moves. Zynga is not buying companies for market share (remember Playdom, anyone?) but for talent. Basically, Zynga is on the strategic path to not only acquire every game player on Facebook but also any talented social game developer before they get too big. In the words of a famous game company from Japan, for Zynga, all your gamers and game developers belong to us.
  • Google pulls an Apple on Kongregate
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    • PC
    Google pulls an Apple on Kongregate

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    File this story under strange by true. We have heard many stories of how Apple has rejected or not approved apps because they did not meet Apple's terms (code for, not fit with Apple's business requirements), but never Google. With Android, Google has an open system and everything, including adult-entertainment, gets through, until now. And, the first app to get removed from Android by Google is…a flash game app by Kongregate?
  • Kabam raises $30 million to make more core social games
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    Kabam raises $30 million to make more core social games

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    Kabam continues to push forward in its attempt to become the number two biggest social games company, raising $30 million today, in addition to the $9.5 million it has raised previously. The company has been on a bit of a tear lately, growing from 20 to 200 employees in the past years with offices down the road from me (in SF Bay area) and China. It has launched and acquired numerous games such as Dragons of Atlantis and Glory of Rome but bed and butter remains Kingdoms of Camelot.
  • Trouble at CrowdStar?
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    Trouble at CrowdStar?

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    According to VentureBeat, there has been a management shuffle at CrowdStar, one of the top social game companies. Niren Hiro has stepped down as CEO after less than a year on the job, and Executive Chairman Peter Relan is taking over.