Where will social gaming be in 2015?

Five years can be an awfully long time in the world of technology. Back in 2005 the term ‘social gaming’ didn’t even exist yet. MySpace had barely gotten off the ground and Facebook was a tiny project exclusively available to Boston-area university students. Now in 2010, the concept of social gaming has exploded. So where will it be in 2015?

It’s a tough question, but it’s not one that Facebook games developer LOLapps wasn’t willing to tackle. In a recent sit-down with Games.com, the developer behind Diva Life and Band of Heroes discussed five ways that they believe social gaming will change in the next five years. Thoughts include government attempts to regulate virtual currency, social companies competing directly with home consoles, and cash-strapped traditional gamers turning to Facebook.

For the full run-down of predictions complete with supporting evidence, check out the complete article on Games.com.

News
October 1, 2013
Clash of Clans: Now on Android (in Canada and Finland)
By Jim Squires
It seems like only a few weeks since we were musing on the inevitability of Clash of Clans making the jump to Android, and now the inevitable has come to pass. Android gamers, get ready for the genuine article: Supercell's Clash of Clans is now available to download from Google Play.If you've just clicked that link and decided to call me a liar, I won't blame you. While the game is officially on Android now, it's only available in Canada and Finland. Don't panic though - this is the same sort of soft launch we see all the time in mobile games. "The global release of Clash of Clans on Android will come as soon as we are confident that the Android version is of the highest quality," said a moderator on the Supercell forums. "We hope that will be very soon!"In the meantime, sit tight Android users. There are still plenty of clones out there to cut your teeth on, and you'll want all the practice you can before the worldwide launch. iOS gamers have had a year to get ready, and they're just itchin' to raid the competition.
News
February 27, 2012
The Facebook gaming gold rush may be drying out
By Brad Hilderbrand
If you happen to work for a company who believes their upcoming Facebook game is going to be a huge success, then you may want to pump the brakes. A new report from IHS Screen Digest Media Research seems to indicate that the party may be over for Facebook games. According to the report, Facebook gaming has taken a nosedive from its heyday in 2009 and 2010. Last year the percentage of Facebook users who were there for the games dropped precipitously from 50 percent to 25 percent, and things don't look to be turning around anytime soon.

Jim Squires

Jim Squires is the Editor-in-Chief of Gamezebo. Everything you see passes his eyes first, so we like to think of him as "the gatekeeper of cool stuff." He likes good games, great writing, and just can't say no to a hamburger. Also, he is not a bear.