Posts Tagged ‘casual game’

« Older Entries

Faunasphere comes to Facebook

Friday, February 19th, 2010

Big Fish Games announced yesterday that they are now offering their free-to-play MMO title, Faunasphere on Facebook. The title stands above the crowd insomuch as it’s now a cross platform title, having the stand alone browser version linked to the Facebook based game so that players can have a seamless experience, regardless of the platform.

faunasphere“As a standalone site, Faunasphere has demonstrated incredible user growth and consistently high average spend per user. We are excited to see it perform at scale on Facebook, the world’s largest social network,” comments VP of Social Games at Big Fish Games Will O’Brien.

According to Big Fish Games, both versions of Faunasphere will operate under the same microtransactions system, whereby users can buy additional virtual goods and items for their fauna and commission scientific tests to learn more about the hidden skills their selected character(s) may exhibit. Big Fish Games is also touting the title as a “real” MMO on the Facebook platform, finally introducing the casual games community outside the normal realm of Mafia Wars, Happy Aquariums, and/or FarmVilles.

“MMOs are the original social game,” said Toby Ragaini, Big Fish Games vice president, MMO. “What’s great about bringing MMOs to Facebook is that you have a built-in network of friends to play with. People who play other social games on Facebook will enjoy the increased immersive experience that Faunasphere offers, thanks to the ability to have real-time, synchronous interactions with friends and fellow players. And because Faunasphere was designed for the casual gamer, it’s a perfect fit for the Facebook audience.”

Big Fish Games raised $83 million in 2008, and is continuing to invest in social games and that Faunasphere is just one of many efforts it has in the pipeline for this year. Obviously, Big Fish Games is taking cues from Zynga, hoping to cash in on the massive success of social gaming on the Facebook platform.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in industry news | No Comments »

 

Ubisoft: we’re 100% committed to social networking

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Ubisoft France CEO Geoffroy Sardin recently sat down with Gamekult to talk about the company’s future plans and how social networking factors into the mix. Sardin confirmed that Ubisoft developers are hard at work, incorporating social networking features into each and every single product in their lineup.

UbisoftTo speed up the process and get in the game, Ubisoft recently acquired casual games developers Nadeo, makers of TrackMania and QuestMania. Sardin said that the idea is to basically let Nadeo do what they do best, and try not to micro-manage the team. “Nadeo is not in the studios of Ubisoft… I, personally, I’ve never met [with the studio since its acquisition]. So it proves the independence they have and we want them to continue their adventure.”

“Nadeo enjoys the support and knowledge of Ubisoft, but mostly we are now experts in the community… that will help us to develop just about anything online,” Sardin continues. “And Nadeo is at the top of this level, especially for communication with their community.”

And while this is a good move for the company, for multiple reasons, Sardin does admit that there’s a bit of a ‘late to the party’ effect already taking place. He admits that Ubisoft’s presence in the social networking domain is, “growing exponentially, but still tiny compared to overall business.”

Addressing the elephant in the room, Sardin acknowledges that Facebook integration is key. He says that everyone across the board has been mandated with getting products rolling under the Facebook banner. “All studios of Ubisoft in the world are working on that subject.”

So if Ubisoft is trailing other competitors efforts in the social networking space, what can they do to up the ante? When asked about further or future acquisitions, Yves Guillemot said that Ubisoft would be interested in working with other companies if the opportunities are right.

An interesting position to be in. As major ‘traditional’ gaming studios stand by and watch social gaming upstarts such as Zynga, some are now scrambling and having to play the catch up game. Some start from scratch and build their social networking integrations from the ground up, while others like Ubisoft acquire outside sources. It should be interesting to see where and how Ubisoft will be able to put it’s own unique fingerprint on the genre.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in industry news | No Comments »

 

Nielsen study finds increase in Seniors using the web – Facebook #3 destination

Monday, December 14th, 2009

A recent study conducted by Nielsen has found that in the past five years the number of seniors (age 65 or older) actively using the internet has increased by over 55 percent. While this demographic still makes up less than 10 percent of the overall internet population, 17.5 million users is still an attractive number to any advertiser.

The study found that female seniors are more active web users, outpacing male usage3 by 6 percentage points. The amount of time that these users are spending on the web is increasing as well. In November 2004, seniors reported on average 52 hours per month online, whereas November 2009 saw an increase of 11 percent, raising the total time per month to 58 hours.

“The over 65 crowd represents about 13% of the total population and with this increase in online usage, they are beginning to catch up with their offline numbers,” notes Chuck Schilling, research director, agency & media, Nielsen’s online division. “Looking at what they’re doing online, it makes sense they’re engaged in many of the same activities that dominate other age segments – e-mail, sharing photos, social networking, checking out the latest news and weather – and it’s worth noting that a good percentage of them are spending time with age-appropriate pursuits such as leisure travel, personal health care and financial concerns.”

Nielsen

So just where are these seniors heading? It should come as no surprise that the number one destination was Google, with 10.3 million unique senior visitors. In second place, Nielsen reports Windows Media Player with approximately 8.2 million unique visitors, which is slightly odd, as MWP isn’t really a web destination. And in a strong 3rd place, Facebook, with 7.9 million unique senior visitors. This is a major victory for social networking site Facebook, as just one year prior, they ranked number 45 on seniors’ radar. This statistic falls right in line with an overall increase of 53 percent of seniors’ usage of social networking and blog sites. Overall, 8.2 percent of all social network and blog traffic is over the age of 65, only 0.1 percent less than teenage visitors.

This data could be the genesis of a new marketing strategy employed by some advertisers on Facebook. The data reflecting increased female usage seamlessly falls in line with Q Interactive’s study indicating that women are competitive and loyal customers of casual games. While most gaming companies are focused on pulling in the teen and middle aged crowd, who’s to say that if approached correctly, seniors might have the same buying power as the other two? With only a 0.1 percentage less than teens, and the fact that there’s no asking to use the credit card involved, seniors represent a huge untapped market. The question is – who’ll be first on the scene to develop a product that appeals to them, one that they’d be willing to make a financial commitment to?

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in industry news | No Comments »

 

Ohai seeks to make social gaming platform not so casual

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

Game developers Ohai have been working on an unnamed project for quite a while now, and yesterday they announced the official title: City of Eternals. A vampire inspired free-to-play title that incorporates social gaming elements, Twitter and Facebook logins, for example, City of Eternals has been in a closed beta for the past two months, and has seen some pretty impressive figures. On average, beta testers, all 10,000 of them play around 65 minutes per day, and log in approximately 10 times per day.

cityofeternalsSo far, the project sounds like any number of popular Facebook games. However, where Ohai seeks to separate itself from the pack is through synchronous play (something that EA recently started exploring with Spore Islands, as well as Tencent’s ‘market research’ project via synchronous gaming). The goal of Ohai is to create a “real” MMORPG within a social gaming platform read:Facebook in a 2D virtual world where users interact via avatars. Sounds like a “real” MMORPG thus far – only the platform has changed.

Set in the Pacific Northwest, and possibly tapping into the current Vampire driven market – i.e. Twilight, Underworld, True Blood, etc., city of New Valencia, the complex storyline currently features over 20 unique missions for players to engage in. As with any MMORPG, players create their characters, customizing looks and clothing. Battles take place in combat zones, and players level up and gain virtual goods through these battles and quest completions. Check off the “real” MMORPG tenets, and enter the social side. Grabbing elements from other popular social games, City of Eternals also incorporates players’ home base, which of course can be decorated with any number of purchaseable virtual items. Players may also grow items to keep or sell, specialize in a trade, and become a member of one of four vampire houses – aka clans. Another social feature adaptation – players may also recruit their real life friends to join their fight and become a member of the main player’s vampire army.

Due to the recent shakeup of virtual goods offers being a scam, Ohai CEO Susan Wu stated in a TechCrunch interview that City of Eternals will not be incorporating ad offers, but will offer a strict ‘cash-only’ virtual currency purchase plan. Something female gamers might not take to. While Ohais, the company’s proprietary virtual currency, may be purchased while playing directly at the City of Eternals website, since the game in build in Flash, it’s possible to embed the game practically anywhere else on the web, thereby opening the door for potential virtual currency sales from just about anywhere. City of Eternals’ current virtual goods catalogue prices range anywhere from $.02 right through to $20.

While the games does not yet have an official Facebook page, Ohai states that it’s on it’s way very soon. They’ve also stated that an iPhone version of the game is currently in the works. While it won’t be “exactly the same”, Ohai states that the iPhone version will still allow users to interact with other players.

Build over the course of only 9 months with a staff of approximately 12 (including only 3 engineers), City of Eternals has the potential to be a true resounding success story, considering the title’s breakneck speed development, and limited resources. And they’ve already got a lot going for them – tapping into the once highly popular vampire genre of Facebook games, exploring the synchronous gaming method that has recently piqued the interest of two gaming giants, as well as creating a genre that seems to have found a place in recent pop culture.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in industry news | No Comments »

 

New Study: Women competitive, social, brand engaged, loyal casual gamers

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

There was a time when the term ‘gamer’ held a certain negative connotation to it. Past studies have shown that this once held preconception is vastly different today. With the advent and popularity surrounding casual gaming, the gaming landscape has changed dramatically. Just how dramatically? A new report released by Q Interactive and Social Media World Forum has found that female gamers are highly engaged with brands and virtual currency consumption.

QinteractiveWhile the sample size is still relatively small, approximately 2000, the results are enough to make any marketer or developer of casual games jump for joy. The study found that female gamers are passionate and competitive about Green Patches and Happy Aquariums, and often stock up on virtual currency. The study also found that women are highly engaged in branded virtual goods, and are much more likely to acquire virtual currencies through winning more, or accepting a branded offer, as opposed to paying for it with “real world” money.

“As brands seek relevant and natural ways to shake hands with women via social media, the gaming and application marketplace holds tremendous potential to integrate in a consumer-friendly, meaningful way,” said Matt Wise, President, Q Interactive. “Women seek a partner to support their entertainment, which is exceptionally important given their busy lives.”

A closer look at female gamers

  • 85 percent of those surveyed use five or less games and/or apps regularly, indicating an inclination to be loyal to a handful of favorites; approximately 15 percent regularly invest in six or more games/apps at a time
  • More than half (57 percent) are earning/spending virtual currency daily
  • Introduction to new games and apps rest heavily on word-of-mouth: Nearly three-quarters (74 percent) got involved in a game or app due to “a recommendation” by family or friend or because they “noticed a friend or family member’s score”
  • 95 percent utilize virtual currency primarily to “gift” and/or advance games
  • In interacting with games and apps, 57 percent feel virtual gifting – for example, giving a bag of virtual makeup from Sephora – is as meaningful as real life gifting

How Brands and female gamers interact

  • All but six percent (97 percent) of women prefer to earn virtual currency through either winning more or accepting a branded offer – versus paying for it with “real” money
  • While they game and app quite regularly, only one in ten women have actually used “real” money to purchase virtual currency; of that, 85 percent have spent under $100 in their gaming and aping activities – ever
  • Of women who have signed up for branded offers to get more virtual currency, 67 percent found the offer useful
  • 37 percent of those women chose the branded offers based on “content”; 17 percent went for offers with free products or services

“Applications and games are quickly becoming part of everyone’s daily lives,” said Ian Johnson, Director, Social Media World Forum. “This provides a terrific opportunity for brands to serve as a trusted, valued partner to them. By having a presence in the game and app space, brands get the benefit of reaching an influential consumer set. With the support of brands, advance in games and apps and we’re finding also get information from brands they value.”

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in industry news | 1 Comment »

 

USA Network sets stage for casual gaming

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

Major television network USA Network, a division of NBC Universal announced today that they’ve entered into partnership with NeoEdge Networks, Bunchball, and Bigpoint. All three games developers will contribute to USA’s Character Arcade, a casual games portal. Startup GlowPlay was tapped by the network to develope the portal’s interface and social features. Character Arcade features roughly 50 ad-based casual games, free-to-play titles, complete with virtual goods sales via microtransactions, and the obligatory social networking features as the hook.

USA's Character ArcadeNeoEdge will be contributing the ad based games segment to Character Arcade. As part of the agreement, NeoEdge will then in turn wrap ads around a number of USA’s properties and distribute them across their own games distribution network which includes top slots such as MSN Games and Yahoo! Games.

German based Bigpoint will handle the free-to-play, microtransaction based games in the form of MMO’s. While the focus of Character Arcade seems to be pointed in the short-and-sweet casual game, Bigpoint’s contributions are sure to add variety to the lineup, perhaps even drawing in players that have never previously considered an MMO.

Rounding out the deal, Bunchball, responsible for return traffic and community interaction will be kicking off with a rewards and points platform. Bunchball is also planning a full Facebook and Twitter integration packet, as well as supporting interaction on a number of other social media centric destinations. Using their own proprietary SocialLink technology, as well as Facebook Connect, Bunchball’s contribution will allow fans across various networks share scores, set up challenges, and interact via chat as they play together. Another selling point in Bunchball’s corner: USA can then offer further return and interaction incentives through their own virtual goods system.

If “traditional” and/or “old” media stepping up their game (literally) and entering new territories sounds a bit familiar, remember, back in March we reported on the Syfy, ZooKazoo, Acclaim Games partnership deal. As part of this deal, Syfy was/is looking to diversify their offerings and engage an audience that may or may not have ever thought of themselves as “gamers.” It looks like USA is doing just about the same thing here. However, this is a prime example of new meeting old. The USA Network counts 36 years of air play, they’ve tapped four relatively new firms to deliver a package that appeals to both new and old, while delivering a quality and positive end user experience.

In an interview with Dean Takahashi of VentureBeat, USA Network VP Jesse Reniss sums it up, “The intersection of social media and games is the hottest part of the industry now. The projection is that casual games will be a $10 billion to $11 billion business by 2011 and that is something we want to be part of.”

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in industry news | No Comments »

 

GameStop creates new position: General Manager of Digital Media

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

America’s best known brick-and-mortar retailer of all things digital gaming, GameStop has announced that they’ve recently appointed Chris Petrovic to fill the newly created position of General Manager of Digital Media.

gamestopThis new appointment clearly indicates that the retailer can no longer ignore the proliferation of digital downloads and game acquisition, even though the company has downplayed the mechanism previously. Heck, even David Perry has called GameStop COO Dan DeMatteo’s “the era of full digital distribution is 12 to 17 years away,” comment ridiculous, pointing out that the vast majority of the Asian market is dependent on digital distribution. In regards to Petrovic’s appointment, and GameStop’s interest in digital distibution, DeMatteo states that the retailer is well-positioned to “[identify] and effectively [participate] in emerging trends in casual, browser, and mobile gaming.” Sure, there’s no harm in showing up to the party after dinner is served, right? Further to this, DeMatteo stats, “We are … committed to supporting our unique and vast footprint of brick-and-mortar stores and knowledgeable associates with a smart digital business platform.”

Petrovic’s appoint comes on the heals of last Friday’s announcement from GameStop that they’ve launched an online digital casual game store, and revised the overall digital distribution store for the bread and butter PC games market. Direct from GameStop: “Petrovic will be responsible for building on the company’s ongoing efforts to integrate digital media into the company’s multi-channel strategy, as well as overseeing the development and execution of a digital acquisition strategy.”

Prior to coming to GameStop, Chris Petrovic served as VP of digital media at Playboy enterprises, where he was responsible for leading online and mobile projects. He’s also filled executive shoes at the interactive division of greeting cards firm American Greetings, as well as theglobe.com and Prime Ventures.

Is it just me, or does it sound like all the cards are not on the table here? On one hand we’ve got a COO stating that full digital distribution isn’t going to happen for another 12 to 17 years, and that the company is confident in it’s market stance to remain right where they are. On the other hand, GameStop opens an online digital casual games store, only to be followed by the creation of the position of Head of Digital Media. Granted, in today’s market, diversifying your offerings and methods is the smartest way to stay competitive, so why not get the messaging straight here folks? Either GameStop is committed to a digital distribution method, and will put the same type of support behind it that they do with their brick-and-mortar retail divisions, or just leave it alone. The conflicting messages aren’t exactly demonstrating the “We’re all on the same page” message one would like to see from a major retailer. I’m all for GameStop providing a digital distribution service. It certainly saves me a trip to the store, and puts the product in my hands in a matter of minutes, not hours or days – but can’t we all just agree to agree?

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in industry news | No Comments »

 

Blizzard takes one step closer to casual gaming?

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

One of the most respected and well know names in casual gaming, Greg Canessa is calling it a day as Vice President of Video Game Platforms with PopCap.  Prior to his current position, Canessa was the man in charge who launched a thousand ships with the business model he rolled out for Microsoft’s XBLA service.  He left this position and joined PopCap in February of 2007, and is now moving on again – this time to the 800-pound gorilla in the room, aka Blizzard.

wow_bejeweledAt this point, I think we’re pretty justified in letting the wild speculation run free.  Granted, Blizzard has been showing more and more interest in casual gaming over the past few months, with not only PopCap’s Bejeweled showing up on gamers’ radar’s back in September, but just a few weeks ago, Blizzard also tossed PopCap’s Peggle into the World of Warcraft mini-games selection.  Three guesses, the first two don’t count on who was spearheading this project?

So what’s really the dilly Blizz?  While Kotaku broke the news, Joystiq raises some very interesting points, and questions whether or not Canessa has nabbed one of the open positions Blizzard is currently advertising in the “Unannounced” section, or perhaps the elusive “Next-Gen MMO” category?  According to Joystiq’s inside source, Canessa will be working on an “unannounced project in the online space”.

wow_peggleAnother point to keep in mind here is that Blizzard’s COO Paul Sams has repeatedly made statements about the company’s interest in starting up an entirely new franchise.  Could Canessa’s appointment be the first signal in Blizzard’s interest in starting up a casual gaming platform?  Maybe browser based gaming?  Maybe social networking based play?  iPhone/mobile gaming?  Again, the speculation doors have been flung wide open by Blizzard’s highest profile move in this direction to date.

If Blizzard has in fact brought in Canessa for the purpose of fleshing out a casual games division, does this mean that they’re also interested in having a look at microtransactions?  While the producer of the #1 game worldwide certainly doesn’t need any more money, they might be foolish to not at least visit and review the concept.  With relative newcomer (in relation to Blizzard) casual game publisher Zynga reportedly pulling down nine figure revenues from microtransactions, just have a think for a moment what Blizzard and their mighty army of employees could tackle?

I’m quite certain Canessa’s departure is a blow for PopCap, but that’s not to say they don’t have a thriving business going as it is, and I’ll be interested to see where they take things from here.  On the flipside, PopCap now has a former high-level executive inside the mighty Blizzard citadel.  More PopCap casual titles to be implemented within WoW?  Plants vs. Orcs?  Zombies vs. Night Elves?  Let’s hold fire and wait and see.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in industry news | 2 Comments »

 

Ntreev revamps and relaunches free-to-play casual golf game

Friday, April 24th, 2009

Previously known as Albatross 18, Ntreev USA has recently revamped and is preparing to relaunch their casual golf game, Pangya.  Now in beta at pangya.ntreev.net, the new version includes full game play from Pangya’s Season 3.  Ntreev plans on pumping the game full of Season 4 content just before the summer (May).  This new season 4 content will feature new characters, locations, and a number of new customization options.

pangyaFormer Albatross 18 players will be able to transfer their accounts to Pangya, as well as all accounts setup during this beta phase.

“Pangya has enjoyed worldwide success and popularity, including its tremendous mainstream popularity in the U.S. market,” said Chris Lee, CEO at Ntreev USA. “Pangya offers a unique golf experience that is easy to pick-up-and-play, and appeals to a wide variety of skilled and casual players alike. We are excited that we could bring it back to the North American players who love it.”

The free-to-play casual game takes players out onto the green in an easy to pick up and play golf experience, suited for players of all levels.  Featuring simple and intuitive controls, players that are familiar with windows are already familiar with Pangya game controls.  The game also allows players a high level of customization, featuring 8 unique playable characters with thousands of possible character costume, accessories, equipment, club, power boosts, combinations.  These character upgrades will be made available via an in game shop for microtransaction purchase.

Pangya’s microtransaction purchased are made via the in game cash system known as Pang.  Players earn pang by finishing a hole at par or better, and by showcasing powerful shots.

An interesting and unique approach to free-to-play gaming, and a possible casual play alternative to EA’s popular Tiger Woods golf, Pangya is now open for beta at pangya.ntreev.net.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in industry news | 1 Comment »

 

Survey says – In-Game Advertising trumps Traditional TV Advertising

Wednesday, March 25th, 2009

Mountain View, CA based casual gaming advertising network NeoEdge Networks has released preliminary data that suggests that video advertising within games is more effective than traditional TV advertising.  The study is not yet complete and ready for publication, but reports are indicating that online gaming audiences are more likely to remember brands that are experimenting with pre, mid and post roll video ads inside web based games.  Whether or not this recollection is positive or not remains to be seen, but according to NeoEdge, it’s all good.

ingameadvertising1NeoEdge is conducting the study together with research agency Frank Magid Associates, and explain their reasoning:

The research goal was to determine both the value of online video advertising inside of casual games and the most efficient use of video advertising in casual games. In partnership with advertiser Zappos.com, casual game players across the NeoEdge Network were intercepted with a survey request after game play. Consumers saw one of ten different online video advertising scenarios, which varied number of ads seen, frequency of ads and additional ad products. Over 2,000 consumers participated in the research study and over 1 million ad impressions were used to conduct the comprehensive research.

EVP at Frank Magid Associates Vicki Cohen explains that the preliminary numbers indicate a quintuple increase in unaided brand awareness over TV advertising where a game included a zappos.com ad.  Over 80% of all those surveyed identified Zappos.com as the ad provider that “allowed them to play the game for free”, and 56% had a more favorable impression of Zappos.com due to the trade off of watching an ad – play the game for free.

Granted, in-game advertising surveys conducted by an in-game advertising agency must be taken with a grain of salt.  Regardless of the possible (read: keep it in mind) bias of the survey, the numbers and results speak for themselves and are interesting to note.  After all, both Google and Sony are eyeballing in-game advertising in a big way, and depending on which data you’re looking at, projections in this segment range anywhere from $732 million to $1.8 billion by 2010.

Now this study seems to paint a bright and rosy picture for the in-game advertising industry, but lest we forget, in-game advertising provider IGA is on rocky ground, and just recently, VentureBeat’s survey indicated that microtransactions, and not in-game ads were the ones to watch over the coming year.  Given the current economic conditions, and the online advertising rate freefall, I’m not completely convinced that the NeoEdge Networks survey will serve as anything more than an optimistic outlook in troubled waters.

Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in industry news | No Comments »

 
« Older Entries