Facebook almost stumbled into success with gaming, but Google is taking a more deliberate route with Google+. The company has been reaching out to developers to try and make their social platform a success.
Social developer Kabam released two titles for the Google+ in Edgeworld and Dragons of Atlantis. Ted Simon, Kabam’s vice president of brand marketing and communications, said the decision was easy because they had to rework very little code and the invitation from Google was flattering.
While Kabam would like to eventually have a single universe for its social games, right now Google+ users and Facebook users can’t see each other. Simon did note that the terms which Google+ only takes 5 percent of revenue compared to 30 percent are Facebook are much more favorable.
“We believe a new kind of platform is possible — one that is collaborative in nature, and disrupts the existing ecosystem,” said Punit Soni, a product manager for Google+. “That has been the core focus of our effort and that’s where I see the most disruption to the ecosystem.”
“Free-to-play games on social networks and other digital platforms are poised to significantly disrupt the $50 billion games industry in a manner akin to the impact iTunes had on music and Netflix on the video rental business,” added Simon. “The introduction of another major player in the social gaming arena is likely to accelerate the disruption patters.”
In a coup, Google+ landed Angry Birds before Facebook. “Competition and cooperation are such a natural part of gaming that we think it’s going to work really well, both on Google+ and other platforms,” said a Rovio spokesperson. “We’re still exploring how we can add these social aspects to other versions of the game, but rest assured they’re coming!”
Source: AdWeek
