14 DAY TRIAL // Social games developer Zynga has expressed confidence in its prospects for 2011, saying that it is interested in perfecting the formula for its popular Facebook based video games while creating experiences that transcend those that it is currently offering.
Mark Skaggs, who is the vice president of product development at Zynga, has stated, “Before we were figuring out how to make social games, now we are mastering the art of making social games.”
He added that upcoming titles from his company will offer “deeper gameplay, more polish, and be much more and better social experiences.”
The biggest hits for Zynga at the moment are Farmville, which is being played by more than 55 million people during each month, and CityVille, which is newer and has so far gained about 44 million followers.
There's already a growing backlash against Zynga titles with a lot of users annoyed by the constant stream of information they deliver to friends of those who are playing.
Analysts are also saying that during the year which has just begun players will be spending more money on downloadable content, mobile games and experiences that are based around the free to play concept and allow for extra content to be delivered via micro transactions.
Facebook seems to be a big draw for gaming developers and not just those who are focused on very casual titles.
High profile titles like Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and Dragon Age 2 are promoted before and after launch through Facebook apps that play on the strengths of the games and have a social aspect while old franchises like Evil Genius are getting a new lease on life on the social network.
Even such a lauded developer as Sid Meier, who has traditionally worked on complex turn based strategy games, is now working on a Facebook based spin off for the Civilization franchise, which will presumably get a beta stage early during 2011.