If there’s one consistent theme I’ve noticed over the course of this year’s Game Developers Conference is the heavy push on Facebook gaming. Last year, the overwhelming theme was free-to-play/microtransactions. This year, the gaming community seems to have found it’s darling where it can successfully implement these microtransactions: Facebook.
Not to be left in the dust, San Francisco/Berlin based Frogster announced yesterday that they’re jumping in the Facebook game, and will be bringing a slimmed down version of their popular “Runes of Magic” free-to-play MMO. The Facebook version, titled, “Runes of Magic – The Challenge” will be the companies first foray into the rapidly growing casual games on social networks.
Set in the same world as the full version, Runes of Magic – The Challenge, will features adventure, exploration, and strategy elements. The Challenge is slated to take full advantage of networking gaming and viral communications, with the ultimate goal of igniting interest in the full version. Runes of Magic – The Challenge will also attempt to increase the pull-and-convert method through rewarding special cards with codes that may then be redeemed in the full client based version of the game.
“Runes of Magic is the first free-to-play MMO game ever to expand into the social networks sphere with a rich, full, social gaming experience that will appeal to fantasy fans of all ages – independently of whether they play the full client game or not”, comments Lars Koschin, CEO of Frogster America, Inc. “With the success of Runes of Magic among core MMO players, it was a natural decision to build upon the franchise by taking it to a genre with mass market appeal and the powerful viral approach of the rapidly evolving social networks. The result is ‘Runes of Magic – The Challenge’ for Facebook.”
“Runes of Magic – The Challenge” is being produced by Frogster America and developed by Mothership Interactive, Inc. Frogster’s first social game is scheduled to be launched in the second quarter of 2010 in Europe and America .
As the final cherry atop the proverbial sundae, Frogster will soon implement the Facebook Connect interface, allowing current and future Runes of Magic players to find other RoM players within Facebook, as well as invite their existing contacts to join them in the full version of the game.
