Asura's Wrath maker says mobile social games are 'all rubbish'

At least they're "junk" in Japan, according to Hiroshi Matsuyama (pictured), CEO of Fukuoka, Japan-based developer CyberConnect 2. During an interview with Gamasutra, the chief overseeing upcoming traditional console games like Asura's Wrath for publisher Capcom and a Naruto game for Namco Bandai, said, "Another thing that I dislike is social games. Everybody is talking about social this, and social that. Even Bandai Namco. I don't like that."

However, don't think that Matsuyama's ire for social games is uninformed--the guy has reached Level 250 in DeNA's Kaito Royale for smartphones. "They're not fun at all. But, I have to play it," Matsuyama told Gamasutra. "The reality is that it has over 3 million users, and it's true that they're making money. I need to be aware of those businesses, so of course I play them. GREE's Dragon Collection. I've played that, too. [Matsuyama pulls out two smartphones] This is my iPhone, and this is my Android phone, and I play these games on both of these phones -- but they're all rubbish."

Ouch, Matsuyama. Keep in mind, however, the CyberConnect 2 president is referring specifically to Japanese mobile social games. Though, Matsuyama name dropped Infinity Blade for iOS (and soon on Mobage) as a favorite mobile game of his. Regardless, Matsuyama appears to think that, frankly, both Gree and DeNA have work to do before their games are suitable.

This point of view certainly isn't unique to Japan, as designers far and wide in the U.S. have called social games out for shallow gameplay, predatory design or just not being social enough. It seems that, regardless of the fact that social games are making a killing, they have a long way to go before earning the respect of traditional game designers. That is, of course, as their colleagues leave in droves for the social games scene.

Do you think social games deserve the respect of traditional game designers in their current state? Should social game creators even be working toward earning that respect?

MapleStory Adventures hits home on Facebook in new content update

Remain calm: Nexon hasn't added the chance for home wreckers to ruin things just yet--only homes. The Korean developer of MapleStory Adventures, the Facebook edition of its hit online game, has allowed players to shack up in their very own homes. This major content update brings multifaceted living spaces to the game's 1.7 million monthly players, which players can visit daily.

At any point during play, you can now press the "Go Home" button on the right hand side of your screen to enter your house. From here, you can craft various items and enchant your own equipment to upgrade its effectiveness. The home space also features a peach tree that you can pick daily for extra experience, and a mail box to collect daily bonus items from.

Players can visit each friends' five times daily and help them reduce item crafting times or harvest their peach trees. But even for just visiting, players will score an experience bonus. Along with the homes, Nexon seems to have added a Heart Level, which we imagine works like Reputation does in most Facebook games. The update certainly helps MapleStory Adventures feel more like a full game like its predecessor. Now, for those additional class choices--I've got dibs on the Archer.

Have you tried MapleStory Adventures since the new update? What do you think of Nexon's first ever Facebook game?

Disney My Store: Gree gets a Disney-branded game before Playdom?

Technically, yes: Japanese social gamers now have a game that features Disney's iconic characters before the Western world. According to Serkan Toto, Gree has announced Disney My Store, a mobile social game for feature phones that will allow players to create shops complete with Disney products like Mickey Mouse plush dolls and Lightning McQueen toy cars.

Earlier this year, Walt Disney Japan worked with DeNAto release Disney My Land on the Mobage mobile social game network, but now it's Gree's turn. Alright, so the game doesn't feature the characters in the flesh, so to speak, but it is a game centered around said characters. That's more than we can say for Disney in the U.S. and abroad when it comes to social games.

Disney My Store allows players to sell their Disney-themed goods to their friends, dress up avatars just like their favorite Disney characters and work in their friends' stores. Of course, players will get to send each other gifts and trade items to sell in their respective stores--of which 300 will be available at launch.

Serkan Toto reports that the game will also be used to advertise real-life Disney Store items, and that Walt Disney Japan will use the game to spread word of new Disney movies that hit theaters. In the U.S. and abroad, however, Disney Interactive has dragged its feet in bringing its insanely lucrative characters to social games. But since the company slapped its name on Playdom's recent Gnome Town to positive results, Disney Interactive announced that a number of Disney-branded games will hit Western social networks in the next year. Well, it's 'bout time.

Why do you think Disney waited so long to bring its brand into Western social games? What Disney character do you hope gets a Facebook game first?

Internet safety expert accuses The Sims Social of promoting cybersex

I hope you packed some dry clothes, because we're about to lead you down one slippery slope. (Zing!) Charles Conway, self-proclaimed UK-based Internet safety expert and editor of Scam Detectives, alleges that EA and Playfish's enormously popular The Sims Social promotes cyber sex between children and adults (fat chance). And it's all thanks to The Sims Social's Woo-Hoo feature.

While playing the game, players can build asynchronous relationships with one another that can quickly grow into romantic relationships. Ultimately, those relationships will draw the players' avatars closer and can result in them having Woo-Hoo. And like any social activity in the game, players are rewarded Social Points for this that they can use to buy new items.

"Even if Facebook did verify the age of it's users (which it doesn't), at what age does it become acceptable for a child to engage in "virtual sex" for rewards," Conway asks. "Does it ever become acceptable? Isn't sex for rewards the very definition of prostitution? How is playing this game different to children having "cybersex" in a chatroom?"

The list of questions goes on. Sure, Woo-Hoo in The Sims Social is an allusion to having sex, but the "sexual" act displayed is arguably far from lewd--way less provocative than what children have access to on basic cable. More importantly, Woo-Hoo does not allow players to directly communicate within the game in real time like a chat room would.

"When 40% of kids admit that they have Facebook 'friends' that they don't know in 'real life,' there's a real risk of a predator using a game like this to build a relationship with a child that could lead to real world abuse," Conway writes. However, what is not pointed out is that all social relationships requested between The Sims Social players--including romantic ones--require the consent of the player from the start and at every stage of advancement.

If a player feels uncomfortable during any point of the "relationship," they can halt its progress. As for Playfish and EA restricting adult content (which suggestiveness is debatable), there are a number of Facebook games that arguably promote drug trafficking, serial murder and nearly genocidal manslaughter. Maybe it's time for Facebook to meet with the ESRB and PEGI.

Do you think that Woo-Hoo in The Sims Social promotes cybersex or prostitution? Would you agree with a rating system for Facebook games like one that exists for traditional games?

DoubleDown Casino's Photo Booth Friends: Play slots with faces friends

Now, you can literally play slots with your friends ... as in use their likeness to win big. DoubleDown Interactive has announced Photo Booth Friends, the newest slot game to hit its popular DoubleDown Casino Facebook game. Photo Booth Friends allows players to customize their slot reels with up to 11 of their friends' faces, but they can also be picked at random.

Of course, matching your friends' faces nets you lots of chips to play more with, which you can brag about or share through Facebook News Feed posts. According to DoubleDown Interactive, this is the 18th game the developer has introduced to the DoubleDown Casino app, all of which we just recently had an in-depth peek at. The Seattle, Wash.-based studio also hinted that more games will be released within the overarching app later this year.

"We've made a significant investment to develop a truly social slot game, one that takes full advantage of the many social features provided by Facebook," Double Down Interactive CEO Greg Enell said in a release. "We've done it with Photo Booth Slots by providing a unique slot game that's full of social and viral features, culminating in an experience that's all about winning with friends. I'm confident that our millions of players will embrace this slot, once again proving that we are the world's premiere developer and distributor of virtual casino games."
Photo Booth Friends Snapshot Bonus
Players can hit up the new mode of slots by entering DoubleDown Casino and going directly to the slot machines section of the game from the lobby. While DoubleDown Casino enjoys an impressive 1 million daily players and 3.4 million monthly players, according to AppData, its competition is about to heat up with both Zynga and PopCap preparing casino-style social games. But with nearly 30 percent of its player base playing daily, DoubleDown Casino has its feet firmly in the red and gold carpet.

Have you tried Photo Booth Friends in DoubleDown Casino yet? What do you think of slot and casino games on Facebook thus far, and will you jump ship to Zynga or PopCap's casino game when they release?

Sky Pirates of Neo Terra soars through Facebook and iOS this fall

Your straddling pod racer territory rather closely there, Day 21--we're keeping an eye on you. The Vancouver, B.C.-based social game developer announced Sky Pirates of Neo Terra, a futuristic racing game based on a graphic novel of the same name, set to hit Facebook and iOS this fall.

The game is displayed in full 3D, though players will need to download Unity in order to join the fun. Sky Pirates hands players the reins of sky-bound racing vehicles and pits them against the online competition in real time.

According to Day 21, this is a first for Facebook. (At least the "racing" part is.) Designed for players aged 10 and up--we all know kids are on Facebook already--the characters and artwork in Sky Pirates is by comic and pop surrealism artist, Camilla d'Errico. In the magic-meets-machine world of Neo Terra, Glidewing racing is the most popular sport, but this year the evil Pirate King just might and get the chance to name the next leader of the tribes ... did we get that about right?
Sky Pirates in Action
Players get to choose between a number of racers and vehicles, and compete with five of their friends in races on over a dozen different tracks. Once they get the hang of piloting a Glidewing, players can customize their very own and take flight against the ruthless Pirate King. And if you happen to win one of the Great Races, you will get the chance to be immortalized in the accompanying web comic. A full 3D racing game on Facebook that's attached to an ongoing web comic? We're intrigued.

Do you think Day 21 will find success on Facebook with Sky Pirates? What do you think of 3D gaming on Facebook so far, and do you think it has a place on the platform?

Row Sham Bow CEO: 'This isn't just a profession' [Interview]

For Phil Holt (pictured), CEO of Orlando-Fla.-based social game start-up Row Sham Bow, social games have been a part of his professional life for far longer than the nearly seven months since he co-founded the studio. During his second, 5-year stint with EA at its Tiburon studio, also in Orlando, Holt has seen the company adapt to social gaming's effects on the industry at large.

Only little more than six months before Row Sham Bow released its first game, Woodland Heroes, Holt realized that social games are the future of the industry. We sat down with Holt recently to find out what specifically drove him to co-found his own studio, what he hopes Row Sham Bow will change about these games and where Woodland Heroes goes from here.

On the company website it seems that the team disappointed with the state of social games. If that's the case, what is it about the space that has drawn you in?

I think it's a fascinating space. I was trying to describe this to somebody the other day: You have zero barrier to entry on an open platform-anybody can develop for it. You don't have to become a licensed developer, nobody is reviewing your content--approving or not approving it. Literally, if you've got the wherewithal to deploy on the platform you can.

It's measured in hundreds of millions of people, and the technology everyone uses is off-the-shelf. It's widely available. That I think is unique in the history of technology: That a marketplace that is that big, is that wide open and has such a low barrier to entry has never happened before. To me it's like, "Holy crap, that's a massive audience." The innovation in the social space is more focused around how data can drive design decisions.
Woodland Heroes concept art
What is it about social games industry specifically that you hope to change with Row Sham Bow?

We hope that we're going to go into this space and learn very rapidly, and use the trail blazed as way of not repeating a lot of the mistakes. With that said, we feel like the games are more--if you talk to people that play a lot of social games, you listen to the way they describe their experience. They're like, 'Yeah, I'm still playing Game X.' They sort of sheepishly admit the fact that they're playing.

You start digging deeper and it's like, 'Well, I can't really tell you why I'm playing.' And they never use the words like, 'I'm having a blast.' It's more like, 'I just can't stand leaving whatever I'm building alone.' It's a compulsive experience. It's more akin to the people you see in a casino late at night still dropping nickels in the slot machine--it's the psychological compulsion that drives people to play these things rather than, 'I'm playing it, because I'm having a blast.' That pure entertainment and pure fun I think is really lacking in the space, and that's the kind of thing we're trying to bring. At the same, we want to learn from the people who came before us.

Do you think that the Facebook platform is capable of merging compulsion and joy of play?

Absolutely. I can't think of anything that would prevent it. I'm a child of the '70s, and I spent a lot of my youth in the arcades. Those games, from a technology standpoint, are so primitive by comparison to any of the games out there today. Yet they got a few simple things right: The games are instantly learnable--you learn how to play and arcade game with one quarter. [They're] instantly accessible and impossible to master. Brilliant game design.

That's a very rewarding experience. Now, arcade games are based on dexterity. The Facebook platform I don't think is going to reward that type of play mechanic, at least I'm not going to do it. The thing that we try to do is that you need to make decisions in the game, and things need to have consequences. At its base terms, I think is the foundation of creating strategy. And that I think creates a compelling experience.

I think that what you do, as a designer, is create an emotional attachment to the experience--you've got some level of commitment to the game. I think that one of the ultimate challenges in the free-to-play space is there is no financial commitment. So, the design has to create the commitment, and one of the ways to do that is you become emotionally invested in the characters or your progress or the purchases you've made. And if you feel like, if the stakes are high enough, that you're going to lose something like that, then you're going to care.
Gallery: Woodland Heroes on Facebook
What are Row Sham Bow's goals as a studio? Do you hope to take the fight to Zynga and EA, so to speak, or carve out a niche for yourself in the space, and what's your battle plan?

Well, you can never out-Zynga Zynga and out-EA EA. That is a losing strategy. No matter how big you are, I think you have the define your way into the world. We certainly feel like there are some under-served parts of the market. I think it has to do with blending more traditional game mechanics with the data-driven design that's prevalent on the platform. What I think the existing players have done so well is ease-of-use, a good first-time user experience and really ramping people up.

The thing I haven't talked about is that the art in our game--I would put it up against any game on the platform. I think it's stellar, and that used to be a huge motivation for people playing. The reason I loved games like Diablo 2 is because you wanted to see the next character, the next level. That sense of discovery through art is a major play motivation, and again most people have glossed over that.

Where did the team come up with the idea for Woodland Heroes?

When we started the company, many of us had experience in the space, and quite a few of us didn't. We wanted to create an environment that would get us up to speed quickly. So literally the first thing we did was release a game. And if you searched for it, you're not going to find it--it was a rock, paper, scissors game. We just wanted to go through the exercise of start-to-finish. And we learned a lot.

The other thing we did was play like literally everything out there in a very guided way. We sort of broke down the competitive titles. We also had a number of concepts that we had come to the company with. I didn't want us to be the kind of company that sat around and talked about ideas, but I wanted us to react to stuff that we could actually play with. So, we prototyped.

We spent about three week wherein anyone in the company could work on any idea and every few days we would get together and review what we had done. We slowly kind of whittled down to two ideas: Woodland Heroes was one of them, but it was called some different at the time. Woodland Heroes initially started as a space conquest type game. Somebody in the studio said, 'If we want this to be a little more broadly accepted, why not animals instead of space?'

The thing that we liked about it was the battle mechanic. We thought it was a great mechanic that we could build from. We started at the center of the game with what was going to be a fun, core loop that players would be involved in, and we built outward from there.

Woodland Heroes characterI haven't seen many social features in the game, so is there anything particularly compelling about them, as opposed to most social games?

Probably not yet, but today is actually our six-month anniversary. I'm just damn proud of the fact that in six months we were able to start a company, and hire a team. We opened our code editors and literally the first line of code was written six months ago. From zero to game launch in six months I think is pretty cool. So, we've got lots of ideas about what we want to do with social features, visitation and interactions with friends.

Again, we think there's more than just 'go visit your buddy's farm.' We want meaningful interactions that take place between friends, and whether that's cooperative or head-to-head, we've got plenty of ideas. We're going to try some stuff and see how the audience reacts. This is the fun part: Now really a key partner at the table is the audience, so we're going to build a game that the audience is reacting to. Ultimately, the audience is going to determine what the game becomes.

Does the game's strategy gameplay and setting set a precedent for Row Sham Bow, or will the studio pursue different genres and themes in the future?

I think one of the things that really is appealing to all of us is just how much creative freedom we have. Being a start-up, being in a space where you can build a game in six months you can just take a lot more creative risks. I don't think we're going to be bound by any set of genres, settings, character styles or art types. So, we're just going to use the same process that we used to create this game.
Woodland Heroes environment
Can you talk about any future plans for Woodland Heroes, or future Row Sham Bow games?

Right now, we're on a weekly cadence of major content updates. We're trying to push new things to the game every Tuesday. So, we're going to be on that cadence for awhile, continuing to add to the game and responding to the major issues that we see. There's some stuff we want to do around the world map where I think that usability is a little on the low side.

Ultimately, it's going to be where the audience is playing, what the data tells us about the audience and how we think we can best engage them. From the get-go, our focus has been on, 'How do we build a game that we've always wanted to play ourselves?' It's not that we've sat for years thinking, 'Man, it would be great to be a raccoon and fight some bears,' but just make a really fun experience. We're gamers ourselves--this isn't just a profession.

Thanks for taking to time to talk with us, Phil.

[Home Page Image Credit: Orlando Business Journal]

Have you tried Woodland Heroes on Facebook yet? What do you think of Row Sham Bow's strategy and goals, and can the company carve out a niche for itself amongst the mob of social game makers?

Capcom CEO: Social games had 'earth-shattering' effect on industry

But the guy means more than, "Holy moley, these things are money machines!" During an interview with Bloomberg Japan, Capcom CEO Kenzo Tsujimoto likened the rise of social gaming to when pinball machines were overrun in arcades by game cabinets, according to Serkan Toto. If there's one company to make that point, it's certainly Capcom.

The company behind horror and action franchises like Resident Evil and Street Fighter has enjoyed more international success in mobile social games than even Japanese giants like DeNA and Gree. Of course, that's thanks to its Beeline Interactive subsidiary, which is responsible for the wildly successful Smurfs Village (and Smurfs Grabber, sort of) on U.S. iPhones. In fact, the game was so ... compelling to consumers that Capcom had to rework how it handled in-game purchases.

Speaking with Bloomberg Japan, Tsujimoto said that social games make up about 6.6 percent of Capcom's profits, but he expects that to explode to about 30 percent "in a few years." But despite the wild profits Capcom expects to make from social games, Tsujimoto said to Bloomberg Japan that he's still excited about Nintendo's upcoming console, the Wii U. Well, here's to hoping the console has some sort of social gaming support, but we're sure the company has wised up by now.

Is it fair to compare social games' effect on the game industry to that of arcade games on pinball machines in the late '70s and early '80s?

Collapse! Blast, UNO Boost burst onto GameHouse games portal

Between its new mobile platform and now this, Facebook looms like the spaceship from Independence Day over the Internet. Casual and social game creator GameHouse announced that both of its Facebook games, Collapse! Blast and UNO Boost, are now available on GameHouse.com. The games are playable on GameHouse's home turf through Facebook Connect.

This allows players to switch between platforms with the same scores and gameplay data. More importantly--if not for GameHouse, then the Internet on the whole--this marks a creative partnership between Facebook and GameHouse that brings Facebook Credits to GameHouse.com. This is a first for Facebook that allows users to make purchases on third-party websites, games and apps using its exclusive currency, namely Collapse! Blast and UNO Boost.

According to GameHouse, this is currently in the test phase, allowing players to buy virtual goods using Facebook Credits within Collapse! Blast and UNO Boost on the GameHouse website slash games portal. The process of buying virtual items using Facebook Credits outside of Facebook is seamless. "We truly believe that every game will be social someday, whether it's played on Facebook, Google+, or at GameHouse.com," the company wrote in a blog post.
GameHouse social games
This news follows GameHouse's recent reveal of Bayou Blast, the developer's next game in the Blast series of social games. The game looks to be an arguably fresh take on the match-three genre that PopCap popularized with Bejeweled. As for Facebook Credits appearing outside of Facebook, this could have massive implications not only for social games, but the commerce on the web across the board.

Click here to play Collapse! Blast and here to play UNO Boost on GameHouse.com Now >

Will Facebook Credits' availability through other online game platforms will change anything about online games?

Former Playdom GM takes the reins of social game start-up 519 Games

Hey, at least it's not another traditional game exec jumping ship. Former Playdom GM Lloyd Melnick (pictured) left the Disney-owned social game maker earlier this summer for 519 Games, a social game start-up that plans to release its first game in 2012. Melnick announced the move on the down-low through his personal blog on his first day as CEO, Aug. 29.

The studio is a joint venture between EW Scripps Company and Capitol Broadcasting. But more importantly, the GM-turned-chief has big ambitions for 519 Games. (Like, massive, turn-the-industry-on-its-head ambitions.) "We are currently building a fantastic team and will be one of the top five social gaming companies (both social web and social mobile) by the end of 2012," Melnick wrote in a blog post. "More details will emerge over the next few weeks."

Those details haven't exactly emerged yet, but it's only a matter of time. Melnick, who worked for Disney International as Playdom's head of international operations, had nothing but thanks and praise for the company. "It was this great collection of people that helped me learn and grow professionally that I can now move on to the biggest opportunity I have ever had," Melnick wrote. "Again, thank you all."

Melnick left Playdom and Disney just as doubts grew as to whether the latter could properly use the former to succeed in social games. Since then, Playdom has finally moved to take advantage of Disney's immense branding support, first slapping "Disney's" onto Gnome Town. A number of Playdom games featuring the company's properties will see the light in 2012. Playdom also announced Secret Agent X, a Facebook game shrouded in secrecy that lives up to its title--very sneaky, sis.

[Via Gamasutra]

Is it unwise or admirable for Melnick to challenge the top five before his first game hits?