14 DAY TRIAL // Playfish, the London-based social game creating company that was recently bought by Electronic Arts for more than 300 million dollars, has said that it is currently working on creating experiences based on a well known franchise, although it declined to reveal exactly which one. The company also refused to set a date when it might offer more information.
The obvious target for a more social experience would be The Sims, the Electronic Arts franchise more oriented towards casual gamers and having an audience that skews mostly towards female gamers. Other potential targets for a more social adaptation could be the Rock Band series, Harry Potter, which has mass appeal, Dead Space that Electronic Arts is hoping to turn into a profitable franchise, or Burnout.
Recently, Electronic Arts used social gaming projects as a way of increasing knowledge of its products and as a way of delivering experiences that show off the appeal of various game series. BioWare created the free-to-play Journeys concept to promote Dragon Age. Lord of Ultima is an EA Phenomic made free-to-play online strategy title, while Dante's Inferno is being promoted via a Facebook social game.
The company also recently announced that it would publish FIFA Online, set to offer a stripped down football simulation experience for free and through a browser, with Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online set to be released soon as well.
Kristian Segerstrale, president and general manager of Playfish, told the Wall Street Journal that “Social gaming as an industry has grown pretty quickly, but it also means it has to grow up pretty quickly. I think we’re going to see it rapid-maturing over the next 12 to 24 months.” The challenge will be to translate popularity of the social experience into a clear and constant revenue stream.