challenges and problems posed by mobile and browser for creating social games. Eutechnyx’s Perella says that the lack of
standardised cross-browser 3D acceleration support is hampering more ambitious games, meaning titles such as its own Auto Club Revolution are still using a connected yet standalone game application, rather than something fully integrated into the game and with other users. He highlights potential upcoming solutions to the problem emerging such as Unity and NativeClient, but questions whether they are ready for the intensive support needed to run and create a socially-focused game. “Unity is a powerful solution for a
Main images, clockwise from top-left: Social games e-Pig Monster Smasher, FarmVilee, Mafia Wars and GreenSpace. Papaya Mobile’s Jason Mauldin (middle) and GameSalad’s Steve Felter
user-base willing to install the plug-in, but the jury is still out as to how well it scales for a larger game,” he explains. “Google Native Client is a promising solution, but is still held back by limited browser adoption and lack of UDP support.” Perhaps one of the biggest challenges facing developers is getting their game noticed. Whilst social games inherently have the advantage of word-of-mouth, particularly if the apps they are playing are linked to their Facebook accounts, it is difficult to get noticed on the various app stores such as Apple’s and Android’s.
54 | JULY 2012
Social and casual gaming giant Zynga is
well versed in using its large consumer-based to its advantage, using in-game advertisements – a tactic other developers could be well advised to use – and moving users from one game to another, based on analytics and usage patterns to discover games that the customer would like be interested in.
This is a fast-follow market, and as much
as I hate to say it, there are companies out there willing to burn and pillage
your idea. Jason Mauldin, PapayaMobile
Barlow states that many studios have been, and are beginning to, push into the social space, with the companies at the top having large amounts of control over the bulk of the player base. For smaller developers then, who cannot
afford to spend $210million on OMGPOP to acquire a new audience, there are options such as Gree, Mobage or PapayaMobile, which can promote titles within their own private networks to relevant users.
PapayaMobile’s director of marketing Justin Mauldin says that for most developers, this has become the difference between success and failure, and unless they have a sizeable budget when going it alone, makes it impossible for them to get discovered. He says that so important is getting noticed, that distribution can be just as important than the game itself. “Developers have to think more about distribution than gameplay in my opinion. So what if you have a great game?” he asserts. “This is a fast-follow market, and as much as I hate to say it, there are companies out there willing to burn and pillage your idea. This makes the launch of the game even more important and why tapping into Papaya is even more essential.” YoYo Games’ Dailly further states that whilst attracting players can be a big battle, which can prove costly, social games developers need to give their users a reason to stay once they have acquired them, which can be done through expanding the number of platforms the title is available on. “The challenge facing social games dev is
attracting players and keeping them,” says Dailly. “The best way to do this is by giving them access when they want to play, and that means across many different formats, including Smart TVs and consoles.