The next Facebook MMO will take social gamers to 'A Mystical Land'

And like brave adventurers to yet another randomly placed, dark and dank dungeon, here come the MMOs. Oregon-based developer Mad Otter Games and Berlin games publishers Neonga announced today the fruit of their recent partnership is a 3D Facebook MMO. Titled "A Mystical Land", the game is a traditional fantasy-MMO through and through, but with a social twist. For instance, it will include several common class archetypes like Wizards, Warriors and Healers while infusing social and sharing mechanics throughout. And what would a traditional fantasy MMO be without monsters to slay, quests to complete and loot to collect? Well, Mad Otter claims to have that and more in spades.

However, Neonga claims that the game will be much more approachable than traditional MMOs have been in the past with casual gaming elements like crafting, fishing and gardening. (They had to fit it in somewhere, didn't they?) "Mad Otter has strived to keep 'A Mystical Land' easy to play and understand for players, while layering the deeper gameplay so that players discover it as they become familiar with the game," Mad Otter CEO Damon Slye says.

While the game will be playable on multiple platforms aside from Facebook including mobile devices, players will be able to publish their achievements and find their Facebook friends through Facebook Connect. And although this certainly isn't the first 3D MMO announced for Facebook, it could very well be the first designed specifically around the platform from scratch. Mad Otter is accepting beta test applications right now for next year, so trek on over if you want to journey to A Mystical Land in 2011.

Facebook Discover New Games Sidebar: Viral games discovery returns

The Facebook teams have been hard at work developing a way to bring games discovery back to Facebook since November, if not farther back than that. Finally, the fruits of their labor have surfaced with the Discover New Games sidebar, which Inside Facebook has a sneak peek of. The new sidebar module is currently in beta testing, but what it does is show you when your friends are playing a game that you've yet to install. This is essentially what we've awaited for months.

For example, say you're friends with a whole lot of CityVille players and you have yet to try it out (fat chance). A message will appear in your sidebar informing you that a number of your friends are playing CityVille along with images of their faces. Underneath, a link to the game's install page will appear. In other words, you're friends will tell you about that hot new Facebook game without doing anything--in theory.

This is the desired effect of the new sidebar module, but since it's still in beta we won't know how effective it is until it formally releases. While this won't restore the rampant viral growth that games enjoyed last year (which Facebook promptly stomped on), it will bring some of that back in a way that appears to be unobtrusive. A way to find new games that isn't going to piss off half of my friends? Where do I sign up?

[Image Credit: Inside Facebook]

Do you happen to be part of this beta test for the new Games Bar? Do you think this will be effective in bringing new games into the mix?

Future Zynga Facebook, mobile games could be more sequels

At least Zynga chief creative officer Brian Reynolds is thinking about it. The design head of the company recently spoke with IndustryGamers and, when whether FarmVille English Countryside has sparked a trend within the company, Reynolds replied, "Well, it's so early in our industry, is it time to have sequels? I don't know. It sounds like something we might do." In fact, Reynolds appears to be a big fan of the sequel--just look at his previous work.

"It's never too late to do a sequel, by the way," Reynolds said to IndustryGamers. "It's not like we need to be quickly running for the sequels because you can do sequels even 10 years after the original game. The first Civilization sequel came out 5 years after the first one and the next one was 5 years after that. And we've only even been a company for 3 years."

And he has a point. Civilization still sells like hotcakes and it's been reiterated upon five times now. Not to mention the mobile releases and other rehashes over the years. Could Zynga employ the same strategy to remain relevant? While the company has already shown that it can successfully launch new properties (ahem, CityVille), the groundwork has already been laid out.

FrontierVille is surrounded on all sides by promised expansions with one recently receiving a mysterious update in its description. Mafia Wars constantly releases new content, and you could consider its new-and-improved mobile app an expansion. So, would it be in Zynga's benefit to succumb to "sequelitis?"

We've yet to see FarmVille's daily active player base stabilize as a result of the new expansion, nor has its monthly players grew dramatically. Granted, it's only been around for a week, but remember CityVille's meteoric climb? If anything is to decide whether more sequels are in the future for Zynga games, it is the numbers.

[Via GamesIndustry.biz]

[Image Credit: VentureBeat]

Would you still be interested in Zynga games if the next few releases were sequels? What is the likelihood that this is the direction the company will head in?

Sid Meier's Civilization World to conquer Facebook this summer

Real time strategy games are no stranger to Facebook--just look at, oh, every Kabam game out there--but the arguable god of RTS games, Civilization, is coming to Facebook this summer. Civilization creator Sid Meier made the offhand announcement in an interview with CNN. The game, titled Civilization World, has been in alpha testing since January of this year, and is biggest stretch for the franchise yet, according to Meier.

"What was really intriguing to us was being able to emphasize cooperative game play, which was something that really hadn't been a major part of 'Civilization' up to now," he said to CNN. "A lot of our design in 'Civ World' was taking advantage and using these opportunities for players to work together -- teamwork, communication, planning. Those are all the things that become really important to 'Civ World.'"

Meier continued to point out that some Civ World matches--comprising of up to 200 players, which do have an end--can last for up to 12 hours. That sounds like Civilization (and social games) alright. And because the game is being developed with Flash, Meier said that the game looks quite different from standard Civilization fare. Will the average social gamer be ready for gaming sessions lasting half a day? We're going to lean on the side of "absolutely," but reserve full judgment for when the game launches.

[Via Game Focus]

Are you in the Civ World testing phase now? What are you most excited/worried about this upcoming behemoth on Facebook?

Starz to brandish 'Camelot' Facebook game beta very soon

To arms, my brothers and sisters, as Starz is set to release a Facebook game promoting its hit new show, Camelot, in just a few weeks. According to the Hollywood Reporter, a beta version of the game will launch today, with a commercial release short after. The game seems to mark a new strategy for the cable TV network, as it released Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, alongside the debut of the miniseries of the same name. The first game enjoyed over 1 million monthly players at its peak, according to AppData, so Starz Digital Media is likely hopeful for the same success here with a new property.

As soon as the beta releases, players can log into the game and enter the password, "Merlin," for access. The game plays similarly to popular Facebook strategy games, driving players to gather resources, equip their armies, and rush into battle. Not to mention that this time around, the game will borrow liberally from plot points in the TV show. Fans of Spartacus (including myself) didn't appreciate the lack of control over battles, which would explain the drastic shift to an real time strategy game. Camelot: The Game is published by 6waves and developed by Sarbakan and Large Animal Games yet again in association with international distributor GK-tv, Hollywood Reporter wrote.

"We felt Camelot suits a couple of game genres out there, and none of the properties out there in this space were branded," Marc DeBevoise, senior VP digital media, business development and strategy said to Hollywood Reporter. "The action, adventure and challenge of this game is unmatched in the marketplace today and is a beautiful complement and extension of the Starz original series." From how it sounds, we're not so sure this game will cater to a large social gaming audience, but we'll see as soon as we get to wave some swords around soon enough.

[Image Credit: Hollywood Reporter]

Are you excited to play out your favorite moments from the series on Facebook? What do you think of social game tie-ins to existing franchises?

SOE offers free stuff for network outage, zilch for Facebook gamers

We expected Sony to offer its 24 million Sony Online Entertainment game fans a deal for putting up with its 12-day network outage, but one subgroup in particular seems to have got the shaft. SOE, according to VentureBeat, is offering several deals for Everquest, DC Universe Online, Star Wars Galaxies and even Vanguard players. But only one Facebook game has been mentioned (if SOE is even referring to the Facebook edition): PoxNora.

PoxNora fans, once the service comes back online, will enjoy a limited edition Carrionling pet, a Welcome Back 5K Gold Award Tournament, two Draft Tournaments and 500 Station Cash. That's a pretty hefty offer, though VentureBeat points out that, because these are all virtual goods, it's not actually costing SOE much dough. However, what about fans of other SOE Facebook games like Wildlife Refuge or the Everquest companion app? While those games have tiny player bases, they are SOE games nonetheless.

"We thank you for your patience as we continue to work around the clock to restore our game services," SOE said in a statement. "We know this has been a frustrating time for you and appreciate your understanding as we work to confirm the security of our network." No date was given on the expected return of SOE's games. We've also contacted SOE regarding the news.

[Image Credit: Massively]

Have you been affect by the SOE outage? Do you think the company should reward its Facebook audience as well, or is it not worth it?

Konami sees rise in social games as console game revenues dip

Soon enough, you could be entering the Konami Code on Facebook. Providing further confirmation that social games are on the up and up, Konami posted its earnings for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011, and its social games sales have increased as everything else dipped a bit. Gaming Union reports that the Japanese publisher of mega hits like Contra and Metal Gear Solid said that net revenue was down to $3.19 billion from last year's $3.24 billion, while net income dipped to $12.9 billion from $13.3 billion last year.

However, social games sales picked up steam with $195 million in sales, up from $156.7 million last year, Gamasutra reports. This might explain why the company closed Bomberman creator Hudson Soft in the traditional sense, and plans to reopen it as a social games studio.

"Phenomenal recent growth in [social network services] is spawning more and more new business opportunities," Konami said, according to Gaming Union. "Konami is already seeing signs of success with social games, and certain content has earned rave reviews from users. For this reason, Konami will further concentrate business resources on this field and take full advantage of its expertise and extensive content developed so far to reinforce online distribution via SNS sites and expand its product lineup."

This news is in line with other major publishers like EA, who have Facebook in their cross hairs, scrambling for a sliver of the pie Zynga ran away with years ago. While the company will likely continue to release triple-A games throughout the year, it looks Konami has found a new cash cow in social games (who hasn't?). However, let's just hope this means there are even better, more accessible games on the horizon for Facebook from Konami.

[Image Credit: Neon Wind]

What do you think this news might imply for the industry in general? Do you think the earnings for other major publishers will look similar to Konami's?

3 Blokes launches strategic assault on Facebook with Galactic Allies

Galactic Allies on Facebook
We can almost hear the 3 Blokes team in Australia screaming "Fire everything!" as they hit the proverbial "Launch" button on its first Facebook game under publisher RockYou, Galactic Allies. (It would be most appropriate, no?) Real-time strategy fans can jump in on the thrill of space-faring, asynchronous player vs player combat, complete with 3D visuals.

Essentially, Galactic Allies is RockYou and 3 Blokes's answer to the growing trend of hardcore strategy games on Facebook. However, the duo make a point of mentioning that this is a more casual approach to the burgeoning sub genre, and that the game features a heavy focus on an episodic storyline. And in keeping with current trends sparked by developers like Kixeye in War Commander, players can control units individually.
Gallery: Galactic Allies on Facebook
This means you'll likely be able to maneuver your starships around enemy fire, adding another layer of strategy to combat in the game. "Galactic Allies alters expectations for what a Facebook game can be," said 3 Blokes VP and GM George Fidler in a release. "It's a deep and compelling strategy game, but with the accessibility of a browser game." (It also looks like it takes the general idea behind Galactic Trader, one of 3 Blokes's first games, and blows it wide open using some familiar art assets.)

Hopefully this accessible approach will apply to the litany of upgrades players will accumulate across various missions and episodes. Judging from these early screen shots, it looks like Galactic Allies will focus heavily on dialog, but more importantly: Battles will take place both on the surface of alien planets and far above them in the infinite void. In other words, there will be plenty of things high and low to make go boom in Galactic Allies.

Click here to learn more about Galactic Allies on Facebook >

Are you a fan of strategy games on Facebook? How do you think Galactic Allies might size up against its competition?

Word Trick: Take your Facebook word game to the next level with bonus point tiles

Fans of word games like Scrabble or crosswords have a new option to dive into on Facebook via the launch of Word Trick from recently formed social game developer Outplay Entertainment. In Word Trick, you start out with a setup incredibly similar to Scrabble, giving you a chance to play against others by forming words either horizontally or vertically using individual letter tiles. However, the "trick" or catch to the game comes with special green Trick Tiles, that gives you bonus points when used in bulk in the same word.

You'll need to match three or more green Trick Tiles to earn a bonus score, but the more tiles you use, the higher your score multiplier (for that word) climbs. Gameplay is turn-based, with the traditional Double / Triple Letter and Double / Triple Word score spots being scattered throughout the game board, and you'll only have a selection of seven letters with which to create a word on each turn.

There doesn't seem to be a lack of green Trick Tiles in the game, but this is due to the fact that the tiles turn back to yellow (the standard color) after each turn, meaning that you can't use your opponents' letters to create an even bigger score for yourself. That is, if your opponent played the word "Friend," you couldn't simply add an "S' to the end to create "Friends" for a massive bonus. You could still play that S, but you won't gain the Trick Tile bonus.

On top of simply playing with random opponents, you can also start games with your Facebook friends by inviting them from a list (or being invited, if that friend is already playing the game). You can have multiple games running at once (up to 21), which allows you to always have something to do, and you can even invite more than one person to join in a single game (for a total of four players, including yourself).

There's a chat system available, so players can talk without Facebook's own chat system getting in the way (especially helpful if you just want to make casual conversation with the stranger you're playing against), and you'll have the option of sharing your most impressive words on your wall for friends to see, or to email opponents reminders that it's their turn.

Gallery: Word Trick Facebook


Unfortunately, while the game's Trick Tiles do add a bit of a unique flair to Word Trick, the game is still incredibly similar to Words with Friends or even the original Scrabble itself. Still, with a future release on iOS, and the possibility of cross-platform play (whether or not that will be available has yet to be announced by Outplay), along with the ability for four-player games, there is a definite draw to Word Trick. It's not just about creating the "smartest" words anymore, and just because you place that Q on the Triple Letter square doesn't mean you're guaranteed a victory. You'll need to use those Trick Tiles to your advantage, allowing even the humblest of plays to launch you to the top.

If you'd like to try your hand at Word Trick against strangers or friends, head on over to the game's page on Facebook.

Play Word Trick on Facebook -->

Have you tried Word Trick on Facebook? What do you think of this twist on the classic Scrabble formula?

Rift maker Trion wants Red Door to be Facebook for hardcore games

If you still think Facebook games haven't made a visible impact on traditional games, then look no further than Trion Worlds. The creator of hit MMO (massively multiplayer online game) Rift announced Red Door, an upcoming game development and distribution platform that looks to do for the traditional games industry what Facebook has done for social games. And, at least on paper, it sounds pretty brilliant.

Trion CEO Dr. Lars Buttler said to Kotaku, "Facebook catalyzed a ton of new experiences and we want to do that for premium AAA games. We want make them more live and more dynamic than the current model of social games where months go by and nothing changes." Red Door, which will be available to third-party game creators in spring 2012, will offer them a server infrastructure with support for billing, customer support and content management, according to Kotaku.

In other words, Trion looks to be the Zynga of the hardcore games industry through Red Door, a platform that sounds a whole lot like Facebook. Combining the HD graphics and complex gameplay capabilities of hardcore game engines with the ability to constantly and continually update games with new content a' la Facebook games, Trion looks to usher in the future of hardcore game creation. According to Kotaku, Red Door could be the end of $60 traditional game sequels like, say, Gears of War 3.

If anything, Trion Worlds is certainly onto something. As companies make millions (and see valuations in the billions) from free-to-play social gaming, traditional game creators have to do something to survive. And just as Unreal Engine 3, a widely-used traditional game creation technology, comes to Flash Facebook, Trion hopes to lure game makers through its big Red Door.

Do you think the future of hardcore gaming looks a lot like how Facebook games are distributed and curated today? Is Trion Worlds onto something visionary? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment

Kabam study suggests hardcore gamers are flocking to Facebook

Have the tables finally turned? Not quite just yet, but slowly and surely they are, a study released by Kabam suggests. The Redwood City-Calif.-based creator of Facebook games like Dragons of Atlantis and Edgeworld recently commissioned a survey of 1,412 "hardcore" gamers to find just how their behavior has changed since the dawn of Facebook games.

Dubbed the "Social Gamer Study," Kabam found that the demographics of the average social game fan are slowly changing--more young to middle-aged men are playing Facebook games. And a whopping 82 percent of them come from the console game space, which is terribly important. This is because 27 percent of those surveyed report playing console games less often.

And perhaps more importantly to those looking to make cash from hardcore games, those surveyed reported spending 50 percent less on console games. Of course, Kabam threw in that players of its games are even more dedicated to Facebook games than console games: 55 percent reported playing console games less and spending 65 percent on the games.
Social Gamer Study findings
According to the study conducted by Information Solutions Group, 72 percent of these hardcore social gamers are playing two or more games at once, and 47 percent are playing three or more. If you've ever played a game like Kingdoms of Camelot or Kixeye's Backyard Monsters, you know that this is quite a lot to keep up with--much more so than, say, FarmVille.

Not to mention that this growing sub culture of Facebook gamers plays far longer game sessions than the 30 minutes or so your average Bejeweled Blitz player sits down for on lunch break. A massive 68 percent reported playing social strategy games for three hours or longer a day, and 30 percent said they play for longer than an hour per session.

Of course, it's important to keep in mind who commissioned this study: a developer and publisher of hardcore Facebook games. Vested interests aside, it's undeniable that a new breed of Facebook game fan is emerging, and fast. And you have to assume, with advances like download-free 3D gaming on the horizon, these numbers will only grow. Check out the study in full here.

Are you part of this growing portion of Facebook gamers? Do you think social game creators like Zynga, EA and wooga have anything to worry about? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.

New study finds Facebook games might do the economy good

The success of Facebook gaming goes beyond Facebook. Based on an economic impact study released today (courtesy of the University of Maryland), Facebook games, applications, and social plugins (e.g. "Like" buttons, fan pages, Facebook Connect, etc.) are responsible for adding somewhere from 182,744 to 235,644 full-time jobs, and $12.19 billion to $15.71 billion into the US economy.

Seeing that the Facebook platform has only been around since May 2007, the growth has been tremendous. The study cites Zynga as an example as the most successful venture on the Facebook platform, primarily thanks to hits like FarmVille, Mafia Wars, and Words With Friends. Zynga itself has 2,000 employees with the company valued at $15 to $20 billion. Whereas, Playfish was bought by EA for $300 million, and Playdom was bought by Disney for $763.2 million.

The study, created by professors of the Center for Digital Innovation, Technology, and Strategy at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, moves on from counting the numbers of direct employment to uncovering jobs indirectly created by Facebook apps. It then estimates the economic value of all those jobs, which means analyzing salaries and benefits. Still skeptical? They're calling it the "Facebook App Economy" and you can read all about it here.

[Image Credit: Visual Economics]

[Via SFGate]

Do you still think that Facebook games are a waste of money? Do you know anyone who's been able to make a living thanks to Facebook games? Add Comment

Get your booze on in Malibu Rum's Beach Club on Facebook

If developers can make Facebook games in which you grow and sell a certain controversial plant and not hear "boo," I guess a game revolving around the firewater can slide. Because the sales of Malibu Rum tend to dip ... a lot in the colder months, Pernod Ricard, the company behind Malibu Rum, created a Facebook game to promote the awareness of its brand.

The game, which launched today, is known simply as Beach Club, and frankly, it's a pretty impressive branded Facebook game. (Look, more and more companies are going to be up to this in the future, and the games are only becoming more detailed, elaborate and visually impressive.) The game, which has Malibu Rum branding aplenty, tasks players with running their very own beach island.

Beach Club, developed by Aegis Media Group's Isobar, is said to block underage Facebook users from playing by relying on both the birth dates in their profiles and an age verification immediately after installing the app. They're not exactly airtight methods of keeping the kiddies out, but do more to keep the game in front of 21 to 35-year-olds than other Facebook games surrounding questionable topics.

According to AdAge, Malibu made a conscious effort to keep the game geared toward adults through more than just age verification. The game makes liberal use of more mature-looking artwork than other games aimed at the same crowd. "In our game the drawing of the avatars are more mature, they are clearly adults walking around this beach," Malibu senior brand manager AnnaMarie Battiloro told AdAge.

Oddly enough, the game isn't governed by an energy system or much of anything that limits your play time, unlike most games. While the game is available globally on Facebook, U.S. players earn points that go toward a vacation to Barbados, the rum's birthplace, that Malibu is giving away through Beach Club.

You'll earn these valuable points by keeping the guests of your resort happy through landscaping and adding new attractions to your tropical getaway. The most notable of which is a beach-side bar. Guests will approach the bar, and clicking on it unveils a mini game of sorts in which players have to bartend a series of Malibu Rum-themed drinks. You'll take guests' orders and have to fill them accordingly and quickly by clicking and dragging various ingredients.

And it's all done to the sound of a 30-minute long club soundtrack with some of this past summer's most popular original tracks. Battiloro told AdAge that Malibu doesn't want Beach Club to be "overtly tied to the brand." "We actually are not trying to earn fans from this at all, Battiloro said. "We are trying to earn more brand loyalty, recognition and association."

But when a beach comber drives past our beach resort, leaving the Malibu Rum logo in its wake, we seriously doubt that. But you know what, this is one of the more full-featured, smoothly-animated branded games we've seen in awhile on Facebook. And if this is the direction brands will go when making games on Facebook, I'm not sure I mind that much.

Click here to play Beach Club on Facebook Now >

After hopping into the game, what do you think of Beach Club so far? What do you think of branded games on Facebook? Could they ever reach the quality of original Facebook games? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment