MySpace Planning Shift to Gaming Portal

[Keane Ng]

MySpace Planning Shift to Gaming Portal

MySpace owner News Corp is planning to turn their struggling social network site into an online games portal in an effort to win back users from competitors like Facebook.

With Facebook looking more - at least if you're going by the games [http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE56N04D20090724?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=10522].

"MySpace is and will be more in the future a gaming platform, a space for people to meet and play games," News Corp's Jonathan Miller said at the Fortune Brainstorm: Tech conference. "If you look at the big activities online, games right now is number three. So it's clearly going to be a major focus."

This could be just as much of an uphill battle for MySpace as trying to compete with Facebook in terms of plain old social networking features. The former underdog turned top dog has offered games for some time now, many of them offering some kind of social bent connecting users. Facebook has even attracted major games industry companies, with Ubisoft [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/93312-Ubisoft-Launches-Facebook-Gaming-Portal] launching a games portal on the site just last week.

So MySpace will have to give the social network with games spin a new twist. Nevertheless, Miller believes that his company is ahead of the curve, at least when it comes to the bigger picture. "None of the traditional media conglomerates are also significant video game players, so to speak, and I think that that's the missing piece of the equation, particularly when you see how much time is spent playing games online," he said. "You must focus, and in our case we are focusing on music, games, video, things like that."

That counts for MySpace and News Corp in general - Miller added that News Corp is considering making acquisitions related to games. Now that's some big thinking - one of the world's hugest media conglomerates taking games companies under its wing. Let's see if News Corp's really playing for keeps here.


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[uppitycracker]

Gaming portal? Kinda ridiculous. I honestly think that, if they focus a bit more on the music aspect, they can take it a lot farther. This is really all I use myspace for, aside from chatting with a few random friends throughout the day. I use myspace to keep up with all the shows coming to town, random band info, manage my own bands info on there. It's a pretty great network for music, and if they kept their focus on that (add in some new features, allow for easier editing of the band pages, ect), I think it could take off quite a bit more.

 

[scnj]

Yeah. Games are the wrong direction. Myspace Music needs to be the main focus.

 

[JRCB]

MySpace? People still use that?

I think the effort may be futile in the end.

 

[King_Paco]

i love myspace, and now they're adding gaming to it.. how interesting. but i think it's going to make the nongamers less attracted to the site.

 

[Midniqht]

i completely abhor myspace - there are too many angsty teens on it for my tastes. i stuck with facebook because when i first joined it, that was when it was a college network only type thing. as far as gaming, you dont see myspace coming to the 360 dashboard, but facebook is.

i dont think myspace will be able to pull this off honestly - theyre likely going to end up wasting money

 

[9NineBreaker9]

Myspace... gaming? Have you not played some of the "games" already on it? Those are horrible. I don't want to have more of that - I want to have more amazing, unknown music talent being plugged into my profile, not stupid games.

 

[joystickjunki3]

I wonder if that will actually save them.

 

[G1eet]

I wonder if that will actually save them.

I doubt it.

 

[SirSchmoopy]

Hahahaha because gamers want to associate with MYSPACE RIGHT?

 

[Low Key]

Myspace used to be cool 4-5 years ago before everyone started posting over the top pictures of themselves. No amount of game development will change my stance. I have tried several times to play Texas Hold Em, but the majority go all-in on every hand, totally taking the fun out it. I can only imagine the rest of the games will be like that as well.

 

[Cousin_IT]

Myspace is only good for music & emo fakes. They should focus on the former

 

[thatstheguy]

I don't use Myspace so I really could care less. I honestly doubt, however, that a majority of it's current users would be interested in the games.

 

[Kilgorn]

ive never used myspace before but it seems the only difference between that and facebook is the music player on your page, which is annoying but the only reason i use facebook is to chat with friends and take those damn quizzes,which keep me on there for hours, but in terms of gaming myspace probably wont feature any good actual games, just ones that are social like that mobsters game(which sucks)

but Newgrounds, i spend so much time on that site but i would spend more time on it if it had chat

 

[cobra_ky]

we're going to see this exact same story a year from now, only it'll be facebook instead of myspace and twitter will be what's putting them out of business.

but Newgrounds, i spend so much time on that site but i would spend more time on it if it had chat

you mean if it was Kongregate?

 

[Hijuice]

Hahahaha because gamers want to associate with MYSPACE RIGHT?

Hahaha Yeah the Gamers will make 1,000 friends and jocks will make 1,000 achievment points

Everybody wins!

 

[Kilgorn]

we're going to see this exact same story a year from now, only it'll be facebook instead of myspace and twitter will be what's putting them out of business.

but Newgrounds, i spend so much time on that site but i would spend more time on it if it had chat

you mean if it was Kongregate?

yes but there arent any flash movies on kongregate, although they have a better community