Big social game developers like Zynga, CrowdStar, PopCap Games and Outspark, addressed some of the tension that comes from using Facebook's social network in a panel on the next generation of social gaming at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco on Wednesday.
"Some people are concerned about owning the customers," said Outspark chief executive Owen Mahoney. "That's an issue for people who are developing for Facebook."
While social game developers and Facebook mutually benefit from their association in big ways, issues like player ownership are bound to arise, as the developers themselves expand. In the way of comparison, top social game-maker Zynga reportedly made more than $100 million last year in revenues, while Facebook made around $600 to $700 million by some estimates. As social game developers come into their own, they want others to see them as more than just Facebook game makers.
"The idea that social games are Facebook games or MySpace games is going to go away," said John Vechey, co-founder of PopCap Games. "The future of social games is going to be regardless of the platform -- it's going to be wherever the game is, like a website like Zynga.com, or on mobile devices."
Brian Reynolds, chief designer of Zynga, said his company was "platform agnostic."
"We just want to be on whatever platforms that enable good experiences," he said. "We're also on MySpace, and we've done iPhone stuff. It's all about which platform allows it to be most social."
At the same time, the developers don't want to bite the hand that feeds them: Facebook's social network, with over 400 million users, is particularly valuable. It's also a delicate balancing act for Facebook to keep its social game developers happy, since social games have contributed a lot to the social network's popularity. Facebook has put a lot of weight behind Facebook Connect, which gives developers and application-makers the ability to access the social network and some of its features off the website.
The developers at the panel were also enthusiastic about Connect, but their banter may have belied the tension in their relationship with Facebook.
"It sounds like these guys want a government-run social network," said Reynolds, joking about the desire for a non-commercially owned social network.
"Some people are concerned about owning the customers," said Outspark chief executive Owen Mahoney. "That's an issue for people who are developing for Facebook."
While social game developers and Facebook mutually benefit from their association in big ways, issues like player ownership are bound to arise, as the developers themselves expand. In the way of comparison, top social game-maker Zynga reportedly made more than $100 million last year in revenues, while Facebook made around $600 to $700 million by some estimates. As social game developers come into their own, they want others to see them as more than just Facebook game makers.
"The idea that social games are Facebook games or MySpace games is going to go away," said John Vechey, co-founder of PopCap Games. "The future of social games is going to be regardless of the platform -- it's going to be wherever the game is, like a website like Zynga.com, or on mobile devices."
Brian Reynolds, chief designer of Zynga, said his company was "platform agnostic."
"We just want to be on whatever platforms that enable good experiences," he said. "We're also on MySpace, and we've done iPhone stuff. It's all about which platform allows it to be most social."
At the same time, the developers don't want to bite the hand that feeds them: Facebook's social network, with over 400 million users, is particularly valuable. It's also a delicate balancing act for Facebook to keep its social game developers happy, since social games have contributed a lot to the social network's popularity. Facebook has put a lot of weight behind Facebook Connect, which gives developers and application-makers the ability to access the social network and some of its features off the website.
The developers at the panel were also enthusiastic about Connect, but their banter may have belied the tension in their relationship with Facebook.
"It sounds like these guys want a government-run social network," said Reynolds, joking about the desire for a non-commercially owned social network.
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