This week we started a six part series discussing how the game industry is evolving from Gaming 1.0 to 2.0, we saw Playdom get additional funding, posted a series of guest posts from the Viximo founder about the post-Facebook games scene, analyzed social games on mobile devices and saw social games platform Heyzap get $3M in funding . Read on for more.
Here are the highlights from this week in social games.
How The Game Industry Is Evolving From Gaming 1.0 to Gaming 2.0 [Part 1 of 6]
How The Game Industry Is Evolving From Gaming 1.0 to Gaming 2.0 [Part 2 of 6]
How The Game Industry Is Evolving From Gaming 1.0 to Gaming 2.0 [Part 3 of 6]
We here at Social Times watch social games on a daily basis, and in light of the social gaming phenomena and some of the recent analyses of the subject, we are proud to introduce our 6 part series regarding the evolution of the gaming industry from version 1.0 to 2.0. We’ll be discussing how the rise of digital games on new platforms have disrupted the old video game industry paradigms and enabled new audiences who might never have embraced gaming to participate with their own set of behaviors. We’ll also take a look at the fundamental aspects of Gaming 1.0′s evolution to 2.0 in light of Tim Chang’s ‘Emerging Business Models’ session at Casual Connect 2009. Our desire is to help social gaming entrepreneurs and investors navigate through these waters. Read on for part 1, where we introduce the decline of Gaming 1.0 business models and introduce Gaming 2.0.
Going Beyond Facebook: Cutthroat Competition and High User Acquisition Costs Compel Developers to Seek Alternative Distribution (Part 1 of 3)
Game Developers Look Outside of Facebook, But Find Distribution Challenges (Part 2 of 3)
This is a series of guest blog posts from Brian Balfour, Co-Founder and VP BD and Marketing, of Viximo. With over 450 million worldwide users, it isn’t news that Facebook is the biggest player at the social networking table. Viximo recently conducted a survey of 85 of the top app and game developers to learn about their development and distribution strategies, and 79% of respondents indicated that they currently develop social applications and games for Faceboo
Playdom Gets $33M and Continues Pattern of Funding, Growing, Buying
We recently wrote about social gaming companies receiving funding, highlighting SGN’s success in securing $2m in fundingfrom Tomorrow Ventures and Zynga supposedly raising $147m from Japan’s SoftBank amidst a competitive market. As the dust settles, another significant player announcing a round of funding is Playdom who just raised a $44m round from Bessemer, New World and Steamboat Ventures. Playdom has been quite active in the areas of acquisition, ramping up its efforts to position itself as one of the top social game publishers around.
Social Games Like Sorority Life and Farmville Begin Siege on Mobile
Just this week Sorority Life, one of the most popular Facebook games, was released on Android and with recent announcements from Zynga, we can expect to see more social games begin to appear on mobile devices. Zynga specifically announced that their most popular game, FarmVille, will soon be available on the iPhone, and just as with their expansions to other platforms, other games will soon follow. How well will these games fare on Mobile?
Union Square Venture Funds Social Games Publisher Heyzap for $3m
The online game publishing platform Heyzap has been making strides in the social gaming space, establishing partnerships with platforms and brands to help distribute their games on the social web. To boost their efforts, Heyzap has raised a $3m round of funding, led by Union Square Ventures that it will use to continue to grow their team and increase business development efforts. This is Heyzap’s second funding round after its first round of 650K in 2009 also by Union Square Ventures.
Here are some other top news stories from Social Games this week.
