Facebook Exec Thinks Killer App Coming in 2010

Greg Tito

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Sep 29, 2005
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Facebook Exec Thinks Killer App Coming in 2010



The platform manager at Facebook believes that the social networking site will have its Halo or Mario breakout hit soon.

You could definitely make the case that FarmVille is a hit game, with over 83.1 million active users currently listed [http://www.facebook.com/FarmVille?v=info#!/FarmVille?v=wall] on its Facebook wall. But the platform manager (if you consider that Facebook is a game platform) at the social site, Gareth Davis, said the he believes there is a bigger hit yet to come. Just as early console platforms had breakout hits like Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog sell their hardware, Davis believes that Facebook's "killer app" is on the way.

"What we're about to see is the next level of social game play. The language of social gaming is being invented and we have a few of the building blocks, but many more are about to be discovered," Davis said. "There will be a killer app for social games in the same way that Mario was for Nintendo, Sonic was for Sega and Halo was for Xbox. We're going to have our Halo, our Mario, soon."

Interestingly, he doesn't think that Zynga's farm simulator is the kind of game that will fit the bill.

"I think FarmVille is a great game, but it is a light simulation that has mass appeal," he said. "I think that we will see a new kind of game that people have not really seen before. It may have a traditional IP on it, it doesn't have to be completely out of left field, but we're expecting those great experiences to show up."

Gareth Davis will be on hand during GDC next week and is slated to deliver a speech on social gaming for the conference's Social & Online Games Summit [http://www.gdconf.com/conference/sogs.html]. I can't wait to hear him speak about Facebook's new initiatives in gaming, such as Facebook Connect and the Game Dashboard.

With Facebook Connect, Davis envisions "multi-device gaming" which will bring different experiences to different gamers based on what device they are using. It's an amazing concept for gamers, as Davis explains:

Let's say three of us are each playing the same game but on a different device. The game will be tailored to the device. So if I'm playing the war game on my Xbox and I'm in the living room, where I have a big-screen TV, a great speaker system, a controller, maybe I'm playing the action sequence. Perhaps my friend is at a desktop PC with a computer screen, keyboard and a mouse, and she's doing the strategic aspect of the game, like calling in air strikes to weaken the enemy before I get there. And maybe you're on the iPhone, a touch and communication device, so you're organizing the squads. Each of us is participating in the same game experience, but in a different way tailored to the power of the devices.

That technology isn't out yet but if that's the kind of thing that Facebook wants to bring to the table then I'm all for it.

Without playing prognosticator too much, there are two games that are being developed for Facebook by very big companies. Sid Meier's Civilization Network was announced for Facebook last year [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/95622-Civilization-Coming-to-Facebook], and EA Sports is working on a version of its Madden franchise for the website. Both of those may be big enough to be killer apps, but it's just as likely that the tentpole Facebook title may come out of left field, just as Davis said.

Hmmm. Left... field....I've got it, a fantasy baseball game! Where you pitch an "email" to your friends and they have a time limit to swing at it or let it go by. Then if you get on base, you can try to steal when your friend pitches to the next user. This has potential!

Where's my check, Facebook?

Source: Forbes [http://www.forbes.com/2010/02/27/videogames-farmville-zynga-technology-business-intelligence-facebook.html]

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DazZ.

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Jun 4, 2009
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I'm waiting for Civ to come before I actually play anything on Facebook that isn't Poker, nothing on there interests me whatsoever.

Unless I've missed some Popcap release...? A social Peggle could dominate.
 
Jan 23, 2009
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I really dont think this will happen. For it not to be something like farmville would mean it would have to be an actual game, and then only gamers would play it...
 
Feb 13, 2008
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Greg Tito said:
Davis believes that Facebook's "killer app" is on the way.
For a brief second there, I thought this would be actually killing people on Facebook.

My dreams have been shattered. Back to the Facebook depository.
 

Chipperz

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Apr 27, 2009
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Brave Arms [http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=102567636442559#!/bravearms] looks like it could be good, I've been following it with some interest, especially if it gives me an FPS on Facebook. It had me at the line "tired of farming your 'ville?"

Davis' idea of how gaming could be is one that I would welcome. It seems like there will be limited attempts at this with DUST 315 (or whatever the number is) and EVE Online, but a game that seamlessly integrated PC, console and smartphone would just be so cool, especially if it made an effort to bridge the console gap as well (which, if Square Enix gets it's way, may set a precedent for that not sounding so stupid...).
 

BonsaiK

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Nov 14, 2007
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Greg Tito said:
Let's say three of us are each playing the same game but on a different device. The game will be tailored to the device. So if I'm playing the war game on my Xbox and I'm in the living room, where I have a big-screen TV, a great speaker system, a controller, maybe I'm playing the action sequence. Perhaps my friend is at a desktop PC with a computer screen, keyboard and a mouse, and she's doing the strategic aspect of the game, like calling in air strikes to weaken the enemy before I get there. And maybe you're on the iPhone, a touch and communication device, so you're organizing the squads. Each of us is participating in the same game experience, but in a different way tailored to the power of the devices.
Actually, this sounds exactly like what EVE Online is doing with the Dust expansion. Except that they don't have a Facebook component. But maybe that will come.
 

Sixties Spidey

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Jan 24, 2008
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Oh, who cares? 99.99999 percent of Facebook's apps are garbage created by the retards that populate Facebook's user-base. What fucking killer app?!
 

Jared

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Jul 14, 2009
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Why are trying so hard to be a gaming platform x.x

just do what you are good at!!!
 

Plurralbles

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Jan 12, 2010
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Chipperz said:
Brave Arms [http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=102567636442559#!/bravearms] looks like it could be good, I've been following it with some interest, especially if it gives me an FPS on Facebook. It had me at the line "tired of farming your 'ville?"

Davis' idea of how gaming could be is one that I would welcome. It seems like there will be limited attempts at this with DUST 315 (or whatever the number is) and EVE Online, but a game that seamlessly integrated PC, console and smartphone would just be so cool, especially if it made an effort to bridge the console gap as well (which, if Square Enix gets it's way, may set a precedent for that not sounding so stupid...).
tower defense isn't good enough for you?


(and yes, I know it's not, but hey, it's a good time waster WHICH IS EXACTLY WAHT FACEBOOK IS.)


It's not a gaming platform and I think this new game would be retarded. I understand the thought, but if it's not already on the PC, then why the fuck would it be on multiple devices?
 

knhirt

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Nov 9, 2009
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I maintain my opinion that Facebook should stick to being a social image-gallery and event-planner type application. The games, apps, quizzes and the rest of the nonsensical crap on there is a complete waste of time.
 

Airhead

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May 8, 2008
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Considering how every current Facebook app is made of retardation, allow me to be skeptical. And how come those guys are even trying to convince people that Facebook is a 'gaming platform'? It's just a website.
 

thenumberthirteen

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Dec 19, 2007
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Greg Tito said:
"I think FarmVille is a great game, but it is a light simulation that has mass appeal," he said. "I think that we will see a new kind of game that people have not really seen before. It may have a traditional IP on it, it doesn't have to be completely out of left field, but we're expecting those great experiences to show up."
So the "Killer App" will be radically different and new? Think Mario, think Sonic, think Halo. Those aren't original concepts (platformers, and FPSs) they are just REALLY good examples of the genre.
 

xyrafhoan

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Jan 11, 2010
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Sorry Facebook, there's already a social gaming app out there. It's called World of Warcraft/Everquest II/FFXI/Ragnarok Online/MapleStory/War Rock/*insert MMO here*.

I can't really see any deep gameplay experiences through Facebook when you could simply develop for the PC and advertise via Facebook. Perhaps someone will develop a game-status updater for Facebook, but I don't see the appeal of restricting your game to an internet browser.
 

NamesAreHardToPick

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Jan 7, 2010
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I doubt it. Any game that's good on Facebook would be a better stand-alone game on a phone or portable, you save the step of logging in on Facebook and having to answer all your social crap before you can start playing.

I guess Facebook provides an advertizing framework more effective than XBLA or PSN... "6 of your friends are playing Galaga and one of them thinks you'll suck at it! Play to prove them wrong! Find out who has the highest scrore with 123456 points." times a million in your event queue every day. It doesn't even matter what the game is as long as you're getting harassed for not having played yet (above) and you're getting harassed for not playing enough "Joey Joejoe Shabadoo has beaten your Galaga score by 5000 points! Play and and teach him a lesson!" ... the game could be descent, typing numbers into a spreadsheet, or who can click their mouse most in 15 seconds. It wouldn't matter, people would log in and do it.
 

laserwulf

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Dec 30, 2007
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xyrafhoan said:
...but I don't see the appeal of restricting your game to an internet browser.
The appeal is convenience: no need to install your favorite games, if all you need to do is bring up Facebook. Currently FB apps aren't exactly graphics-intensive, so there's also no worrying about whether or not your machine can handle FarmVille, Mafia Wars, etc. And they're free to play. For casual gamers, it's a win-win situation.

I'm curious to try out Brave Arms once it's released, though...
 

Chipperz

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Apr 27, 2009
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Plurralbles said:
Chipperz said:
Brave Arms [http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=102567636442559#!/bravearms] looks like it could be good, I've been following it with some interest, especially if it gives me an FPS on Facebook. It had me at the line "tired of farming your 'ville?"

Davis' idea of how gaming could be is one that I would welcome. It seems like there will be limited attempts at this with DUST 315 (or whatever the number is) and EVE Online, but a game that seamlessly integrated PC, console and smartphone would just be so cool, especially if it made an effort to bridge the console gap as well (which, if Square Enix gets it's way, may set a precedent for that not sounding so stupid...).
tower defense isn't good enough for you?


(and yes, I know it's not, but hey, it's a good time waster WHICH IS EXACTLY WAHT FACEBOOK IS.)


It's not a gaming platform and I think this new game would be retarded. I understand the thought, but if it's not already on the PC, then why the fuck would it be on multiple devices?
I'm a gamer, tried and true. A large part of this is an intense feeling, deep down, that everything could stand to have more games on it.

Besides, is something not being on the PC that bad? Hell, the idea of having something on the PC, something on Facebook, something on the 360 and something on the iPhone that are all linked together sounds amazing to me...
 

Beatrix

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Jul 1, 2009
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I bet it'll rely on sending all of your friends invites, that's a great way to attract more users!
Oooh, ooh, and Quick-Time-Events, those are apparently popular in 'real' games, let's add those.

Also, sarcasm.
 

Plurralbles

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Jan 12, 2010
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Chipperz said:
Plurralbles said:
Chipperz said:
Brave Arms [http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=102567636442559#!/bravearms] looks like it could be good, I've been following it with some interest, especially if it gives me an FPS on Facebook. It had me at the line "tired of farming your 'ville?"

Davis' idea of how gaming could be is one that I would welcome. It seems like there will be limited attempts at this with DUST 315 (or whatever the number is) and EVE Online, but a game that seamlessly integrated PC, console and smartphone would just be so cool, especially if it made an effort to bridge the console gap as well (which, if Square Enix gets it's way, may set a precedent for that not sounding so stupid...).
tower defense isn't good enough for you?


(and yes, I know it's not, but hey, it's a good time waster WHICH IS EXACTLY WAHT FACEBOOK IS.)




It's not a gaming platform and I think this new game would be retarded. I understand the thought, but if it's not already on the PC, then why the fuck would it be on multiple devices?
I'm a gamer, tried and true. A large part of this is an intense feeling, deep down, that everything could stand to have more games on it.

Besides, is something not being on the PC that bad? Hell, the idea of having something on the PC, something on Facebook, something on the 360 and something on the iPhone that are all linked together sounds amazing to me...
for some reason it completely ignored what I said... Oh there it is...

I really don't want to be playing on the 360 and have this worthless guy who probalby thinks himself a god telling me where to go.
I can't see hwo the iphone person would be worth a damn. Oh, someone to allocate and even further micromanage what the PC person is doing.
 

Chipperz

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Apr 27, 2009
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Plurralbles said:
Chipperz said:
Plurralbles said:
Chipperz said:
Brave Arms [http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=102567636442559#!/bravearms] looks like it could be good, I've been following it with some interest, especially if it gives me an FPS on Facebook. It had me at the line "tired of farming your 'ville?"

Davis' idea of how gaming could be is one that I would welcome. It seems like there will be limited attempts at this with DUST 315 (or whatever the number is) and EVE Online, but a game that seamlessly integrated PC, console and smartphone would just be so cool, especially if it made an effort to bridge the console gap as well (which, if Square Enix gets it's way, may set a precedent for that not sounding so stupid...).
tower defense isn't good enough for you?


(and yes, I know it's not, but hey, it's a good time waster WHICH IS EXACTLY WAHT FACEBOOK IS.)




It's not a gaming platform and I think this new game would be retarded. I understand the thought, but if it's not already on the PC, then why the fuck would it be on multiple devices?
I'm a gamer, tried and true. A large part of this is an intense feeling, deep down, that everything could stand to have more games on it.

Besides, is something not being on the PC that bad? Hell, the idea of having something on the PC, something on Facebook, something on the 360 and something on the iPhone that are all linked together sounds amazing to me...
for some reason it completely ignored what I said... Oh there it is...

I really don't want to be playing on the 360 and have this worthless guy who probalby thinks himself a god telling me where to go.
I can't see hwo the iphone person would be worth a damn. Oh, someone to allocate and even further micromanage what the PC person is doing.
Meh, every platform has it's cunts, but I get the distinct impression that the PC player would be better suited to supporting the console player, rather than ordering them about. It's the side that realises that first that will win... Besides, a good cross-platform co-op game might finally teach some PC "gamers" that they're no better than console gamers.

And let's be honest here, if you're playing a game on the iPhone or facebook, you're probably not in a position to be playing a full game. It'd still be cool if you could help out your mates by allocating resources/handling off-field logistics while you're bored in a meeting.