Google is still staying mum on the rumors that it's planning to launch a game-driven social network called 'Google Me' in the near future. However, it's undeniable that the search giant is making a serious play for the social gaming space, having -- in the past months -- invested a big chunk of change in FarmVille-creator Zynga, purchased SuperPoke Pets! creator Slide, and now, has also acquired Jambool, which owns Social Gold, one of several platforms for virtual currency payments in the business. Essentially, if you've developed a social game and are looking to add software that will power the virtual good/payments part of your game -- Social Gold might be one of your go-to guys ... if you haven't already committed to using Facebook Credits, that is.
Google nor Jambool have officially confirmed the purchase yet, but sources tell TechCrunch that Jambool was bought for $55 million, plus another roughly $20 million "in an earnout." It has also been reported that Google has recently been in talks with several social gaming companies, including Playfish and Playdom (which was purchased by Disney weeks ago) to be part of the company's Facebook rival that they've been working on behind the scenes.
Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn playfish. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng
Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn playfish. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng
Thứ Năm, 9 tháng 2, 2012
Thứ Năm, 2 tháng 2, 2012
Pet Society Giveaway: Win a cute free T-Shirt
pet society giveaway
Update: This contest has ended. Head to Blog.Games.com or our Facebook fanpage for more awesome giveaways.
You made it through the Halloween weekend and you're already halfway through the week. Because you've been doing such a good job, I've decided to do a little Pet Society free T-Shirt giveaway.
In the past when we've given away t-shirts, an overwhelming amount of people have responded. So we made sure to have more than one prize this time around. Today, we're giving away two cute Pet Society T-Shirts.
Continue reading to enter to win pet society giveaway
The two gray Pet Society T-Shirts come as a Women's Small size, making them perfect for a child, or a petite Pet Society player. On the front of the shirt is a little blue Pet Society pet with a big red nose, big ears, a viking helmet, and a tuft of green fur on his forehead. That little guy sure looks pleased about something.
What's also great about the shirt is that it doesn't say Pet Society anywhere on it, so only those who play the game will be able to fully appreciate it. To outsiders, this shirt will just look cute and quirky. It'll be like a little inside joke.
So how can you enter to win? Follow the directions below.
To enter:
Step 1: Go to the Games.com Facebook fanpage: (http://www.facebook.com/gamescom).
Step 2: 'Like' the fanpage so you can see the latest Facebook game news, tips, and cheats.
Step 3: Enter the giveaway by heading to the fanpage and leave a comment telling us a bit about your pets in the real world. Do you have a cat or a dog? Or perhaps something more exotic? What are their names? What made you choose your pet? Did you base your Pet Society pet on your real-life pet? If you don't have a pet, why not?
(I have two cats: Jim and Bob II. I also have a dog named Trixy. I'll be honest, I prefer manly dogs, and Trixy is a poodle thing, which is a bit questionable. Jim and Bob are awesome though. They kill birds and pests, lounge around, and are really friendly. We love them all, they're part of the family.)
After a few days, we'll randomly select two winners, message them on Facebook for their addresses, and send them their free Pet Society T-Shirts. Sound easy enough?
Get started by heading to the Games.com fanpage to enter for the free Pet Society T-Shirts.
Update: This contest has ended. Head to Blog.Games.com or our Facebook fanpage for more awesome giveaways.
You made it through the Halloween weekend and you're already halfway through the week. Because you've been doing such a good job, I've decided to do a little Pet Society free T-Shirt giveaway.
In the past when we've given away t-shirts, an overwhelming amount of people have responded. So we made sure to have more than one prize this time around. Today, we're giving away two cute Pet Society T-Shirts.
Continue reading to enter to win pet society giveaway
The two gray Pet Society T-Shirts come as a Women's Small size, making them perfect for a child, or a petite Pet Society player. On the front of the shirt is a little blue Pet Society pet with a big red nose, big ears, a viking helmet, and a tuft of green fur on his forehead. That little guy sure looks pleased about something.
What's also great about the shirt is that it doesn't say Pet Society anywhere on it, so only those who play the game will be able to fully appreciate it. To outsiders, this shirt will just look cute and quirky. It'll be like a little inside joke.
So how can you enter to win? Follow the directions below.
To enter:
Step 1: Go to the Games.com Facebook fanpage: (http://www.facebook.com/gamescom).
Step 2: 'Like' the fanpage so you can see the latest Facebook game news, tips, and cheats.
Step 3: Enter the giveaway by heading to the fanpage and leave a comment telling us a bit about your pets in the real world. Do you have a cat or a dog? Or perhaps something more exotic? What are their names? What made you choose your pet? Did you base your Pet Society pet on your real-life pet? If you don't have a pet, why not?
(I have two cats: Jim and Bob II. I also have a dog named Trixy. I'll be honest, I prefer manly dogs, and Trixy is a poodle thing, which is a bit questionable. Jim and Bob are awesome though. They kill birds and pests, lounge around, and are really friendly. We love them all, they're part of the family.)
After a few days, we'll randomly select two winners, message them on Facebook for their addresses, and send them their free Pet Society T-Shirts. Sound easy enough?
Get started by heading to the Games.com fanpage to enter for the free Pet Society T-Shirts.
Thứ Năm, 12 tháng 1, 2012
Playfish Boss Explains EA Buyout: Exclusive Interview!
Following this morning's dramatic announcement that game giant Electronic Arts is buying casual gamer maker Playfish for a reported $400 million, Playfish COO Sebastien de Halleux talked to Games.com first about the implications for the social gaming industry, and for hit games such as Pet Society and Restaurant City.
"The basics is that this is not going to change anything much for users, specifically -- only that some of the franchises in the hardcore space will be looked at more seriously [in terms of social gaming]," de Halleux says.
de Halleux hesitated to tell us any specific EA franchises (like Madden, Burnout, Tiger Woods) that he'd like to turn into social games ("I'd like to turn that question back to you," he says), but he did namecheck Scrabble and Spore specifically during the conversation.
Even though Playfish will be working closely with EA to bring some of its 'hardcore' games to the social gaming world, Playfish will still operate independently (for now) and de Halleux and the other founders will stay with the company post-sale.
"When we started two years ago in a small room in London, we never imagined that this would go so quickly," he says.
As for Electronic Arts tolerance on upselling offers (some considered 'scammy') to consumers in exchange for free virtual currency, de Halleux says the transactions in Pet Society, et al will move forward status quo. "There's no plan to change any of the games or any motivation or techniques that we use, which are all very respectful of the users," he says, adding that a small portion of Playfish's total revenue comes from these offers.
"We are strong believers that the game industry is changing," he says, "and now [with EA behind them] we will be able to affect that change faster than before."
"The basics is that this is not going to change anything much for users, specifically -- only that some of the franchises in the hardcore space will be looked at more seriously [in terms of social gaming]," de Halleux says.
de Halleux hesitated to tell us any specific EA franchises (like Madden, Burnout, Tiger Woods) that he'd like to turn into social games ("I'd like to turn that question back to you," he says), but he did namecheck Scrabble and Spore specifically during the conversation.
Even though Playfish will be working closely with EA to bring some of its 'hardcore' games to the social gaming world, Playfish will still operate independently (for now) and de Halleux and the other founders will stay with the company post-sale.
"When we started two years ago in a small room in London, we never imagined that this would go so quickly," he says.
As for Electronic Arts tolerance on upselling offers (some considered 'scammy') to consumers in exchange for free virtual currency, de Halleux says the transactions in Pet Society, et al will move forward status quo. "There's no plan to change any of the games or any motivation or techniques that we use, which are all very respectful of the users," he says, adding that a small portion of Playfish's total revenue comes from these offers.
"We are strong believers that the game industry is changing," he says, "and now [with EA behind them] we will be able to affect that change faster than before."
Thứ Hai, 9 tháng 1, 2012
Facebook games partnerships gig given to former LiveJournal CEO
Sean Ryan (pictured), who previously worked for News Corp. creating an online games division, is now director of games partnerships at Facebook, VentureBeat reports. The position had been open since August before the decision was finally made to take Ryan on, who also previously served as CEO for Meez, a virtual world for teenagers and LiveJournal, a once popular blogging service before the turn of the decade.
Now, don't get too excited--Facebook will not be making its own games anytime soon if ever. Ryan will purely foster the social network's relationships with developers like Zynga, Playdom, Playfish and more. In other words, it's this guy's job to keep dudes like Zynga CEO Mark Pincus peachy keen.
This is a smart move by Facebook, which hasn't had a stellar track record of catering both to gamers and non-gamers alike. Though, the company did recently create a new development division solely for improving the gaming experience on the site. It seems as if Facebook is finally serious about the half of its users that enjoy these games, which aren't going away anytime soon.
Now, don't get too excited--Facebook will not be making its own games anytime soon if ever. Ryan will purely foster the social network's relationships with developers like Zynga, Playdom, Playfish and more. In other words, it's this guy's job to keep dudes like Zynga CEO Mark Pincus peachy keen.
This is a smart move by Facebook, which hasn't had a stellar track record of catering both to gamers and non-gamers alike. Though, the company did recently create a new development division solely for improving the gaming experience on the site. It seems as if Facebook is finally serious about the half of its users that enjoy these games, which aren't going away anytime soon.
Thứ Sáu, 9 tháng 12, 2011
The Sims Social Winter Garden Mystery Box: Everything you need to know
For the twelve days of Christmas, The Sims Social has unleashed a dozen Winter Garden Mystery Boxes with a random item hiding in each one.
Mystery Boxes are always a pain when you don't know what you're going to get. They're an even greater pain when you have to shell out real money for them. Playfish is charging 15 Sim Cash for one box, 75 for five boxes, and 150 for ten boxes. Obviously, the best deal is to grab the ten boxes for 150 Sim Cash, but that would cost you $20.00 USD overall, and you're still left short of a dozen.
This is obviously deliberate, but Playfish aren't being complete jerks here, because they're giving away 2 FREE Winter Garden Mystery Boxes to everyone. You can find the first box here, and the second box here. This ensures you get a dozen, but it doesn't guarantee you'll get the item you want. Your chances at each item are divided as follows:
Six are Common, and these are Winter Lights Holiday Tree, Pine Cone with Holly, Winter Lights Bare Tree, Simple Winter Tree, Snowy Winter Berry Bush, and Blue Winter Bush.
Sims Social Winter Garden Mystery Box Common
Three are Uncommon -- Mr Robin's Mailbox Home, SparkleBear, and SparkleDeer.
Sim Social Winter Garden Mystery Box Uncommon
And the final three are Super Rare -- SparkleTree, Winter Lights Luxury Gazebo Bed, and Winter Lights Garden Bench.
Sims Social Winter Garden Mystery Box Super Rare
Each item can be sold for Simoleons, and the amount of Simoleons you get seems to correspond to its listed Sim Cash price. For example, the SparkleDeer costs 35 Sim Cash, so if you sell it, you'll earn 350 Simoleons. It's not a great exchange rate, but with the two free boxes offered by Playfish, you're actually getting free Simoleons.
Sims Social Winter Garden Mystery Box wall post
Also, each time you open a box, you get the chance to announce it on your Facebook wall, and your friends can claim a reward. And for my final heads-up, I know it says "Head in now and claim FREE simoleons, too!", but I clicked on four wall posts and I've only been able to grab 15 Social Points each time. Let us know if you manage to get something different.
[Items Screenshots Credit: The Sims Social Fansite]
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2011 coverage right here.
Do you think ten boxes are worth the twenty bucks? Are you happy with Playfish's compromise of 2 free Winter Garden Mystery Boxes
Mystery Boxes are always a pain when you don't know what you're going to get. They're an even greater pain when you have to shell out real money for them. Playfish is charging 15 Sim Cash for one box, 75 for five boxes, and 150 for ten boxes. Obviously, the best deal is to grab the ten boxes for 150 Sim Cash, but that would cost you $20.00 USD overall, and you're still left short of a dozen.
This is obviously deliberate, but Playfish aren't being complete jerks here, because they're giving away 2 FREE Winter Garden Mystery Boxes to everyone. You can find the first box here, and the second box here. This ensures you get a dozen, but it doesn't guarantee you'll get the item you want. Your chances at each item are divided as follows:
Six are Common, and these are Winter Lights Holiday Tree, Pine Cone with Holly, Winter Lights Bare Tree, Simple Winter Tree, Snowy Winter Berry Bush, and Blue Winter Bush.
Sims Social Winter Garden Mystery Box Common
Three are Uncommon -- Mr Robin's Mailbox Home, SparkleBear, and SparkleDeer.
Sim Social Winter Garden Mystery Box Uncommon
And the final three are Super Rare -- SparkleTree, Winter Lights Luxury Gazebo Bed, and Winter Lights Garden Bench.
Sims Social Winter Garden Mystery Box Super Rare
Each item can be sold for Simoleons, and the amount of Simoleons you get seems to correspond to its listed Sim Cash price. For example, the SparkleDeer costs 35 Sim Cash, so if you sell it, you'll earn 350 Simoleons. It's not a great exchange rate, but with the two free boxes offered by Playfish, you're actually getting free Simoleons.
Sims Social Winter Garden Mystery Box wall post
Also, each time you open a box, you get the chance to announce it on your Facebook wall, and your friends can claim a reward. And for my final heads-up, I know it says "Head in now and claim FREE simoleons, too!", but I clicked on four wall posts and I've only been able to grab 15 Social Points each time. Let us know if you manage to get something different.
[Items Screenshots Credit: The Sims Social Fansite]
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2011 coverage right here.
Do you think ten boxes are worth the twenty bucks? Are you happy with Playfish's compromise of 2 free Winter Garden Mystery Boxes
Thứ Ba, 4 tháng 10, 2011
Want exclusive freebies in The Sims Social? Register on the forums
I'd put away that credit card, if I were you, at least for the moment. I know, it's burning a hole and blah, blah, blah, but Playfish recently announced that it will give The Sims Social players exclusive freebies on a regular basis, but under one condition: You have to register on the Playfish forums. In fact, the game's community team created a new forum category just for this purpose.
Starting last week, Playfish gave away some free Relaxation--an ingredient used in crafting Fun Potions--in a short 24-hour window. So, it looks like, if you do decide to partake in the freebie-fest, you'll have to visit the Playfish forums on a regular basis to catch the next free giveaway that pops up. Perhaps eventually the developer will start to dole some beefier prizes like decorations for your Sim's house or straight-up Simoleons and Social Points.
EA and Playfish have been on a freebie frenzy as of late for all The Sims Social players. Just recently, the developer announced a week-long event in which it will post even more handouts on its Facebook page. At this point, we can't help but ask: Why? Well, considering just how close The Sims Social is to overtaking Zynga's CityVille as the number one game on Facebook in daily players, we're not surprised that Playfish would be pulling all the stops. To register on the Playfish forums, click right here.
Have you been reaping the rewards from Playfish on the forums and on The Sims Social Facebook page? What do you think of the game so far? Share with us in the comments. 1 Comment
Starting last week, Playfish gave away some free Relaxation--an ingredient used in crafting Fun Potions--in a short 24-hour window. So, it looks like, if you do decide to partake in the freebie-fest, you'll have to visit the Playfish forums on a regular basis to catch the next free giveaway that pops up. Perhaps eventually the developer will start to dole some beefier prizes like decorations for your Sim's house or straight-up Simoleons and Social Points.
EA and Playfish have been on a freebie frenzy as of late for all The Sims Social players. Just recently, the developer announced a week-long event in which it will post even more handouts on its Facebook page. At this point, we can't help but ask: Why? Well, considering just how close The Sims Social is to overtaking Zynga's CityVille as the number one game on Facebook in daily players, we're not surprised that Playfish would be pulling all the stops. To register on the Playfish forums, click right here.
Have you been reaping the rewards from Playfish on the forums and on The Sims Social Facebook page? What do you think of the game so far? Share with us in the comments. 1 Comment
Thứ Tư, 21 tháng 9, 2011
FIFA Superstars on iPhone yanked from App Store due to 'server issues'
EA is sitting pretty on Facebook at the moment, but on smartphones ... not so much. Mobile Entertainment reports that that the publisher has been forced to remove its recently-released iPhone version of Facebook soccer (football) hit FIFA Superstars from the App Store due to "server issues."
The game, released in late August, provides the 2.8 million monthly players of the Facebook version of FIFA Superstars a near-identical representation of what they're used to seeing in their browsers. However, the game suffered login issues from the get-go, it seems. Players have been unable to access the game after logging into the company's new Origin service.
"We are currently experiencing server issues with FIFA Superstars mobile that have required us to temporarily take the game down," EA told Mobile Entertainment. "This is not a data security-related issue. We are implementing a solution that will ensure users have the best gameplay experience, and will provide an update soon as to when the game will be live again."
According to Mobile Entertainment, EA stresses that this issue does not affect the Facebook version of the game, and that players can still enjoy the game there for now. (When we tried to log into the game, we didn't encounter any issues either.) It's comforting to see that EA is more vocal with the issues it has encountered in this game than it has been with social games in the past.
When its hyper popular Facebook version of The Sims, The Sims Social, suffered launch issues, the company was mum on the details for days before it released a message to its players with an explanation (and later threw them a bone). Since then, the game has enjoyed incredible growth, so hopefully FIFA Superstars for iPhone can bounce back from these hiccups just as well.
[Via Pocket Gamer]
Did you have trouble logging into FIFA Superstars for iPhone, too? What are you doing to scratch the social soccer itch while you wait for the game to return to the App Store? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
The game, released in late August, provides the 2.8 million monthly players of the Facebook version of FIFA Superstars a near-identical representation of what they're used to seeing in their browsers. However, the game suffered login issues from the get-go, it seems. Players have been unable to access the game after logging into the company's new Origin service.
"We are currently experiencing server issues with FIFA Superstars mobile that have required us to temporarily take the game down," EA told Mobile Entertainment. "This is not a data security-related issue. We are implementing a solution that will ensure users have the best gameplay experience, and will provide an update soon as to when the game will be live again."
According to Mobile Entertainment, EA stresses that this issue does not affect the Facebook version of the game, and that players can still enjoy the game there for now. (When we tried to log into the game, we didn't encounter any issues either.) It's comforting to see that EA is more vocal with the issues it has encountered in this game than it has been with social games in the past.
When its hyper popular Facebook version of The Sims, The Sims Social, suffered launch issues, the company was mum on the details for days before it released a message to its players with an explanation (and later threw them a bone). Since then, the game has enjoyed incredible growth, so hopefully FIFA Superstars for iPhone can bounce back from these hiccups just as well.
[Via Pocket Gamer]
Did you have trouble logging into FIFA Superstars for iPhone, too? What are you doing to scratch the social soccer itch while you wait for the game to return to the App Store? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
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