Facebook gaming's fat cats will only get fatter, unfortunately

Companies like Zynga and EA (with the help of Playfish and PopCap) have long dominated the Facebook game scene. Sadly, it looks like that's not going to change anytime soon, according to a report released by Lazard Capital Markets. Basically, the report comes to the conclusion that, because they've already achieved critical mass, Zynga and EA will continue to rule Facebook games.

The report is based on meetings with six privately-held social game makers, including CrowdStar, Digital Chocolate, Funzio, HeyZap, IGG, and Tapjoy, according to All Facebook. "We acknowledge that toughening competition on Facebook could constrain margins and is generally negative for the space; however," the report reads, "we believe that rising user acquisition costs could be relatively positive for companies like Zynga and Electronic Arts that have already built large user bases on Facebook and disproportionately benefit from network effect and, therefore, may have an advantage over the newer companies in the space."

In other words, Zynga and EA will always competitive advantage over even relatively large companies like CrowdStar simply due to the fact that these companies already have created massive internal networks of players. This is exactly why no other company could release a game that amasses 5 million players in six days like CastleVille. The smaller developers' response?

Look elsewhere, basically. But when the majority of social gamers hang out on Facebook, where else is there to look? It's quite the predicament that the industry faces, especially considering the implications it could have as far as creativity is concerned on the platform. Developers will continue to create games that attempt to emulate Zynga and EA's wild success, and the copycat syndrome will persist. If the indie's time on Facebook is over, then all the hope we have for successful games that test the limits of the genre is for the players to grow tired of 'Ville after 'Ville.

The Sims Social maker EA wants you ... to make it lots of ad money

And unfortunately, it doesn't sound like you'll have much of a choice. EA, co-creator of Playfish's The Sims Social on Facebook (and arch nemesis to Zynga at this point), has announced EA Legend.

This is the company's new platform to provide marketers and advertisers with "campaign and audience insights across mobile, social, online and console games reaching over 300 million people worldwide," a release reads.

In other words, you're more valuable to EA than you might already know. The publisher wants to use the information you provide them inadvertently through gameplay to rope in ad and marketing deals not just through its Facebook games but all of its games. More specifically, EA said it can provide advertisers with (prepare for buzzword overload):

    Key cross-platform campaign performance indicators such as impressions, clicks, unduplicated reach, demographic profiles, social media buzz, and ROI metrics.

    Segmented audience insights based on demographic, psychographic, and social data.

    Ability to drill down into the factors that impact campaign effectiveness including audience engagement, audience segmentation and type of creative all measured over time.

EA Legend
What's that again--psychographic data? This may all sound like something out of "1984," but it's nothing new. If you think other game creators don't do this type of stuff, then here's your wake-up call. We won't know exactly what information about us EA will provide to advertisers through Legend until it makes advertisers see green at this year's Advertising Week event in New York City on Oct. 4. And if EA keeps using words like psychographic, we may never know.

[Via All Facebook]

What do you think about this new EA Legend program? Do you think it's something worth worrying about, or is this just business as usual? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment

The Sims Social Cheats and Tips: A Guide to Land Expansions

You've grown out of room to put all of your cool stuff? Man, a Sim's life sure is rough, huh? Well, we're about to make your Sim's life in The Sims Social even easier. A large component to the game is building out your Sim's dream home, which of course, requires you to expand, expand expand. So, here is everything you need to know about Land Expansions in The Sims Social:

Are You Financially Prepared?
Before you even think about expanding your home, you will need to level up a bit. To expand your property for the first time, reach Level 10 and accumulate a House Value of at least 25K. To increase your House Value, simply buy more stuff! Once that's through, you will find "For Sale" signs littered around your property.

Location, Location, Location
Next, it's time to choose where you want to expand first. Expansions are good only for the square in which you request. Click on the square, and a pop-up window will appear with the requirements for a Land Expansion. Surprise--you'll need to ask your friends for items in true Facebook game fashion.
The Sims Social For Sale Sign
Oh, and it'll cost you a chunk of Simoleons, too. While the first Land Permit Application requires just four items and 2,000 Simoleons to take, we imagine this would increase with later expansions. Also, read carefully: This is a Land Permit Application, remember? That means ...

The Waiting Game
Every time you apply for a Land Expansion through this process, it'll take some time go through. And we're talking literal time: Your first Land Permit Application will not be accepted for one minute after completing it. Sure, this is nothing, but just wait until you reach your 11th and final expansion. That's right, it'll take days later on for applications to go through. Here are the requirements for each Land Permit Application, and the time it takes for each to go through:

Land Expansion Requirements:

    * First: 25K House Value; Level 10
    * Second: 30K House Value; Level 11
    * Third: 70K House Value; Level 12
    * Fourth: 80K House Value; Level 14
    * Fifth: 90K House Value; Level 16
    * Sixth: 100K House Value; Level 19
    * Seventh: 120K House Value; Level 22
    * Eighth: 140K House Value; Level 26
    * Ninth: 170K House Value; Level 31
    * 10th: 200K House Value; Level 38
    * 11th: 250K House Value; Level 45

The Sims Social Land Permit Application
Land Permit Application Wait Times:

    * First: One minute
    * Second: Five minutes
    * Third: 30 minutes
    * Fourth: One hour
    * Fifth: Two hours
    * Sixth: Four hours
    * Seventh: Eight hours
    * Eighth: 12 hours
    * Ninth: One day
    * 10th: Two days
    * 11th: Three days


Once your application has been approved, you'll definitely know. It's said that a prize comes with each major Land Expansion, and that your Sim won't be able to help but celebrate. And after all the hard clicking work, we doubt you will either.

[Source and Image Credit: Playfish]

Have you started expanding your property in The Sims Social yet? What do you think of how Playfish is handling land expansions in the game? Share with us in the comments. 1 Comment

Is EA's PopCap working on casino-style Facebook games? [Rumor]

Is PopCap looking to go toe to toe with Zynga and DoubleDown Interactive's casino Facebook games? According to GeekWire, a bunch of rather specific domain purchases by the recently-acquired company certainly suggest that's the case. Well, that and a recent trademark application ... and a Facebook page created with that very same trademark. Alright, PopCap has been terrible at keeping this whole thing a secret.

Lucky Gem CasinoThe game in question might be titled "Lucky Gem Casino," as Fusible points out that the Bejeweled creator recently changed a Facebook page it owns to reflect the new title. The Info tab on the page reads, "Thanks for visiting! PopCap Casino is the future home of some amazing, casino-style social games from PopCap, the worldwide leader in casual gaming."

With wording like that, it sounds as if Lucky Gem Casino will be a suite of casino games from the developer, much like DoubleDown Casino. And if you take a peak at the page's Wall, a message can be found there, presumably from the company, that reads, "Keep an eye out to experience casino-style gaming from PopCap Games!" A week later, a poll was posted asking fans about their favorite type of casino games--unsurprisingly, the "Slot Machines" category won by a landslide.

GeekWire points out that this might be because PopCap is now owned by EA, which likely has a vested interested in directly competing with Facebook game champ Zynga at every turn. However, it's also important to keep in mind that a majority of PopCap's games (not including Plants vs Zombies) are visibly influenced by a casino approach to gameplay albeit with a far heavier focus on skill rather than luck.

[Via Financial Times]

[Image Credit: Destructoid]

What do you think PopCap might be up to with this trademark, Facebook page and domain registries? Would you play a stable of casino games from the creator of Bejeweled and Zuma Blitz? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments.