Zynga Revenue Might Be $400 Million In 2010

According to independent data, Zynga would surpass revenue of $400 million for 2010. HIS Screen Digest games analyst Piers Harding-Rolls notes that the Facebook developer took in over $200 million in 2009 and that its active user volume has more than doubled in the last year.

Zynga has recently been valued at over $5 billion, more than publishers such as EA. The company recently announced that it was bringing FarmVille to popular Japanese social networking service Mixi.

Source: Develop

Your Shape Fitness Evolved Ad A Hit Over Thanksgiving Weekend

Ace Metrix today revealed that the Ad-of-the-Week for the week ending November 26, 2010 was the Ubisoft Kinect ad, called “Can You Tell I’ve Been Playing Xbox?” for Your Shape Fitness Evolved, with an overall Ace Score of 644, out of a possible score of 950.

“The Ubisoft ad performed well with young males, a key video game target consumer, but it also appealed to older women and moms,” commented Peter Daboll, chief executive of Ace Metrix. “It’s also interesting that the ad performed well amongst Nintendo Wii as well as Xbox owners.”

Myspace Gets With The Groop

Myspace received a major redesign earlier this year to make it more focused on social entertainment focused around music, movies, television and more. These features like video based user profiles and animated interface previews were provided by The Groop.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to collaborate with the Myspace team in this huge undertaking both directly and by providing our extensive network of creative talent for this effort,” said Jose Caballer, Chief Visionary at The Groop. “It is a testament to creative collaboration and The Groop’s ability to help facilitate online opportunities for our clients.”

Source: GroopThink.Net {link no longer active}

EA Sticking By Tiger, For Now

Electronic Arts has famously stood by Tiger Woods after his multiple infidelities became public. However, that was before he went a year without winning any tournaments in the PGA.

“This is no threat against Tiger,” said EA CEO John Riccitiello. “We’re with him because he has the promise of being the world’s best golfer. We have no plans to move away from him, but it’s a business relationship on the basis of we make the best golf game and he’s the best golfer. Both of those things need to be true in the long run for the partnership to make sense.”

The fact that EA’s golf game for Facebook did not have Woods’ branding has been downplayed by executives. “We’re broadening the appeal of our golf business,” he said.

Despite the above, EA still feels loyalty for their long time partner in the golf space. “He sort of stuck with us for a very long time and we made great business together,” Riccitiello said, “and we’re willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for a period of time.”

Source: Reuters

Nielsen Conference: Meet Generation C

Dan Pankraz, Planning Director/Youth Strategist, DDB Sydney, speaking at Nielsen’s inaugural Consumer 360 Conference in Jakarta, Indonesia recently coined the phrase Generation C. What he’s referring to is socially connected people, and he believes they’re a vital target for any marketers.

Gen C are teens and 20-somethings that have been ‘hatched out of social media. What C stands for has been widely debated. A few years ago it was about Generation Content now it s about a multitude of things; constant connectivity, collaboration, change, co-creation, chameleons, cyborgs, curiosity. But most of all, Gen C is the Connected Collective consumer, said Pankraz.

Here are the things described as being important to Gen C:

  • Tribal behavior: Like many youths, Gen C form their identities by belonging and expressing themselves within tribes reflecting the desire to connect around interesting ideas, cultural objects, causes and movements. Brands need to get into conversations that are happening within and across tribes. This will give their messages more credibility and attention compared to external sources.
  • Social status derived by what you share: Gen C gains credibility in their friends worlds by expressing opinions, sharing ideas, observations and thoughts. Their influence depends on what they share and how often they share it.
  • Bee-like swarm behavior: Powered by social media platforms, Gen C members mobilize as one with their tribes like bees around topics that interest them. When it comes to buying decisions, 85 percent of youths rely on peer approvals. Everything is reviewed and rated, making decision-making a team sport. Marketers must talk to we, not me. Marketing successfully becomes all about talking to the community, not the individual , and creating a conversation for the swarm to run with.
  • Social oxygen: Gen C thrives on constant connectivity via social media platforms. Mobile devices have become social oxygen , enabling them to connect, create and share opinions and thoughts with their tribes. The mobile phone acts as a lifeline to the world, connecting not only with people they want to talk with, but also shielding them from those they do not.
  • Continuous partial attention: Teens today consume 13 hours of content daily and have constant exposure to new news. As experts at managing content and information, they engage in never-ending conversations, constantly livestreaming their experiences to the world.
  • Chameleons: Gen C consumers are chameleons, constantly changing and morphing their identities to simultaneously belong to as many different tribes as possible. One-dimensionality is not an option for Gen C.
  • Co-creators: The social web has brought out Gen C’s creativity, leading to what Mr. Pankraz calls the democratization of creativity . They no longer consume ideas, but actively participate, play and collaborate. They demand to be part of the brand story.

Source: blog.nielsen.com

Playboy Party Hits Facebook

Jolt Online has launched its Playboy Party game for Facebook. You build your own Playboy mansion and throw lavish parties, with the rewards being Playboy Playmates centerfolds and magazine covers.

“This is our Christmas present to the Internet,” said Dylan Collins, Chairman of GameStop-owned Jolt Online Gaming. “We almost went blind developing this game but we think that Playboy Party will keep you entertained anywhere you can access your Facebook account.”

Find out more at http://apps.facebook.com/playboyparty {link no longer active}.

Murder Your Maker Teased

Gamers are an observant lot and they love their mysteries. So when some QR Codes flashed up ever so briefly in a Spike TV VGA Award teaser they pointed to a message saying “Murder Your Maker.”
 

 
Activision has launched a teaser site for Murder Your Maker {link no longer active}. With very few clues offered by the website itself, we’ll have to wait until December 11 to find out what the fuss is all about.