Facebook is rolling out subscription options for developers. Kixeye (with Backyard Monsters) and Zynga (with Pioneer Trail and FarmVille) are among the first developers to try it out, with subscriptions rolling out to all developers in July.
“The game we’re testing on is Backyard Monsters; it’s our franchise title with 20 million plus installs to date. It seemed like a great opportunity to provide some benefits to our most loyal players. The subscription, called the D.A.V.E. Club by Kixeye, provides both in-game currency and some unique features for $9.95 a month,” said Kixeye’s VP of Product Marketing, John Getze. “We’ve got people who spend money in the game, so we wanted to give them the equivalent value that they would spend plus a bunch of other unique features that they only get through the subscription. It’s really geared at trying to give them a benefit rather than loop in new players.”
“Zynga supports any improvement to the Facebook platform and player experience that makes it easier to play and pay,” said a Zynga spokesperson. “We’re proud of the long term partnership we have with Facebook and today’s announcement doesn’t change the economic relationship between the two companies. We’ll be working with Facebook over the coming months as they phase out Facebook credits and will be sharing more details on this when we report our Q2 earnings, including any possible changes to our accounting going forward after the implementation of the announced changes.”
Source: GamesIndustry.biz
