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Jun
1

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Zynga Announces Empires & Allies

Category: Social, Technology Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a Comment

Image representing Zynga as depicted in CrunchBase

Image via CrunchBase

ynga, the creators of FarmVille and CityVille, is about to unleash its newest social game upon the world: Empires & Allies, the company’s first combat strategy game.

The social gaming giant describes Empires & Allies as “CityVille meets Risk.” Unlike FarmVille, where your goal is to build up your property through trade and commerce, Empires & Allies is about building an army and protecting your empire. Users can build army units, form alliances, secure energy and even invade other islands. In some ways, it’s similar to OGame and the other battle-oriented browser games of the early 2000s.

Unlike other Zynga games, Empires & Allies is driven by its story. The game has more than 30 characters that guide players through the storyline. The game isn’t focused on hardcore gamers though, and has many of the casual gaming elements that have made Zynga’s games so successful. “We’re focused on bringing our players a new form of entertainment and a strategy game is definitely a new playground for us,” Empires & Allies executive producer Amer Ajami said.

While this isn’t Zynga’s first combat game (that honor goes to Mafia Wars), it’s a more involved game that requires strategic battle planning and resource management. Zynga’s betting that the combination of in-depth strategy and social gaming will turn Empires & Allies into a lucrative time sink.

The game will become available on Wednesday in 12 languages.

Source :- http://mashable.com

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May
31

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Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Hitting Facebook This Fall

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THQ has found a way to glom on to Zynga’s popular “-Ville” franchises without impinging on any copyrights with a new social game, Margaritaville Online.

The game, “inspired by the lifestyle of author and singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett,” according to a THQ release, and based on the 1977 hit song, will hit Facebook and iOS devices this fall. The release describes the game as “an immersive 3D paradise, filled with frozen concoctions, music and adventure.”

The game’s introduction comes after Zynga has had a slew of successes with FarmVille, CityVille, FrontierVille and, most recently, RewardVille. Though Homefront, a controversial Xbox 360 shooting game that takes place in a dystopian U.S. after a nuclear attack from North Korea, has done well for THQ, sales for THQ’s fourth quarter fell 37%. Meanwhile, Margaritaville Online will be THQ’s second social game, after UFC Undisputed Fight Nation.

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May
23

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Zynga And DreamWorks Partner For Kung Fu Panda 2 Marketing Deal In CityVille

Category: Social, Technology Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , 3 Comments

Image representing Zynga as depicted in CrunchBase

Image via CrunchBase

Zynga is racking up the Hollywood and entertainment partnerships. After launching a marketing deal with Lady Gaga for FarmVille, the social gaming giant is rolling out another deal, this time with DreamWorks Animation for the promotion of the studio’s new movie Kung Fu Panda 2. Zynga says this is the first-ever in-game integration within CityVille, the company’s most popular game by monthly active users on Facebook.

CityVille, which has more than 88 million monthly players, will allow users to place a Kung Fu Panda 2 themed drive-in movie theater in their city. Players who place the theater will also receive collection items, members of Kung Fu Panda’s Furious Five: Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey. When all five items are collected, an exclusive Po the Panda statue will be unlocked and available to players as a reward for completing the Kung Fu Panda 2 quest. The integration runs until May 31.

Why CityVille? Zynga’s Global Director of Brand Advertising Manny Anekal says that nearly a third of all Kung Fu Panda fans on Facebook have also played CityVille. For DreamWorks, the studio can reach 88 million users, who are engaged with the Kung Fu Panda brand, with the promotion.

This isn’t the first partnership with DreamWorks; Zynga and the studio previously launched a “Mega-Farm” promotion on FarmVille with animated movie Megamind. But Zynga says this is the first in-game marketing deal for CityVille. And this follows the recent appointment of DreamWorks Animation chief Jeffrey Katzenberg to Zynga’s board of directors.

As TechCrunch wrote in the past, adding Katzenberg to the gaming company’s board represented a broader, multi-channel entertainment strategy for Zynga. I’m sure we’ll see a number of similar deals being struck with both DreamWorks and other movie studios for branded promotions in Zynga’s games.

Source :- http://techcrunch.com

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May
11

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7.5 Million Facebook Users Are Younger Than 13

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Image representing Facebook as depicted in Cru...

Image via CrunchBase

Some 7.5 million Facebook users over the past year were younger than 13, according to a Consumer Reportssurvey.

The report, made public on Tuesday, is based on a survey of 2,089 members of a TNS interactive consumer panel. Using that sample, the magazine was able to estimate that more than 5 million Facebook users are 10 years old and younger, making up the bulk of the 7.5 million figure. Facebook’s terms of service require users to be at least 13 years old. To join, though, users merely have to enter their supposed birth dates when they sign up.

But Facebook’s screening requirements for minors may be a moot topic. In a statement, Jeff Fox, technology editor for Consumer Reports, said the majority of parents of kids 10 and under “seemed largely unconcerned by their children’s use of the site.”

Reps from Facebook could not be reached for comment.

This isn’t the first time Facebook’s policies on minors have been called into question. A class action suit filed in August in Los Angeles alleged that Facebook’s “Like” button triggered instances in which minors were endorsing products without their parents’ consent.

Source :- http://mashable.com

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May
11

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Lady Gaga & Zynga Found GagaVille

Category: Social, Technology Tags: , , , , , , , 3 Comments

Image representing Zynga as depicted in CrunchBase

Image via CrunchBase

Two social media heavyweights — Lady Gaga and Zynga — will partner for GagaVille, an offshoot of FarmVille.

GagaVille, a uniquely designed neighboring farm to FarmVille, that sports unicorns and crystals, according to Zynga, launches May 17. GagaVille visitors will get a first listen to unreleased songs from Gaga’s album Born This Way, available May 23. The full album also comes bundled as a free download when you buy a $25 Zynga game card at Best Buy.

The deal also includes a “Words With Gaga” contest in Zynga’s mobile Words With Friends game. Playing the designated Gaga word of the day — which will be announced on Gaga’s Facebook Page each day — will give players the chance to win concert tickets and a signed copy of Born This Way. Zynga is also giving players limited edition Lady Gaga virtual items on RewardVille that can be used across Zynga games.

Such a deal had been predicted after Gaga and Zynga collaborated on an earthquake relief effort for Japan in March. Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Zynga and Gaga were in discussions about a tie-in effort.

Source :- http://mashable.com

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Apr
14

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Lady Gaga Donates $750K To Zynga’s Japan Earthquake Relief Campaign

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Image representing Zynga as depicted in CrunchBase

Image via CrunchBase

As we wrote a few weeks ago, Zynga launched a campaign with Save The Children to raise money via in-game donations in Zynga games like FrontierVille, FarmVille and CityVille for the relief efforts in Japan following the massive earthquake and tsunami a few weeks ago. Today, the social gaming giant is announcing that Lady Gaga has donated $750,000, through the sales of her Japan Prayer Bracelets, to Zynga’s fundraising initiative. She is also donating another $750,000 to the American Red Cross to support relief efforts in Japan.

And in the past two weeks, Zynga players alone have raised more than $2.5 million for Save the Children’s Japan Earthquake Tsunami Children in Emergency Fund and other causes. In a release issued by the pop singer and Zynga, Gaga said “I’m inspired that my little monsters banded together to help those affected by the terrible tragedy…What Zynga’s players have done for the cause is equally inspiring, and I’m thrilled to partner with them to raise money that will go to Save the Children and the American Red Cross.”

Through Zynga games including Café World, CityVille, FrontierVille, FarmVille, Words With Friends, Vampire Wars, YoVille and Zynga Poker, more than 250 million players had the opportunity to donate 100 percent of the purchase price of newly created virtual items to the fundraising efforts. Via Credits, Facebook donated money generated through the purchases to support the initiative.

The Japan fundraising initiative isn’t the first charitable campaign for Zynga. Since October 2009, hundreds of thousands of players have raised more than $10 million dollars for international nonprofits through Zynga.org. And Zynga was able to raise millions for the relief efforts in Haiti last year.

Lady Gaga recently sat down with Google’s Marissa Mayer for a candid talk about tech, music and YouTube.

Source -: Lady Gaga Donates $750K To Zynga’s Japan Earthquake Relief Campaign (techcrunch.com)

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