Facebook Devs Unhappy With Facebook Credits

[Andy Chalk]

Facebook Devs Unhappy With Facebook Credits

A lot of Facebook [http://www.facebook.com] developers are unhappy with the social networking giant's plan to force them to use Facebook Credits for online purchases and they're not being shy about expressing it.

Facebook Credits beta testing ended on January 24, meaning that all Facebook developers can now begin offering the virtual currency to users who want to make online purchases. But it won't be optional for long; Facebook also announced that all games are required to begin using Facebook Credits exclusively by July. Devs can continue to use their own in-game currency but players will have to use Facebook Credits to buy it - charging 90 Credits for 75 CityCash to use in CityVille [http://apps.facebook.com/cityville/], for example.

Facebook is promising incentives to developers who make the switch, like prominent placement on its games dashboard and more targeted advertising, and it has some pretty powerful incentives of its own to force the issue. It draws a 30 percent cut of all Facebook Credit purchases and TechCrunch [http://techcrunch.com/2011/01/24/facebook-to-make-facebook-credits-mandatory-for-game-developers/] predicts that it will eventually begin offering third-party sites a "Pay With Facebook" option for all sorts of purchases. But not everyone is happy with the changeover.

At the Business Insider [http://www.insidesocialapps.com/], "met with laughter, jeers and hisses from the audience."

The reason is obvious. Facebook has more than a half-billion users, a figure which dwarfs other social gaming platforms into irrelevance. Any studio that wants to maximize its audience needs Facebook, and that means playing by Facebook's rules. Because of that, most - probably all - will "choose" to adapt to the new virtual currency system, but it seems pretty clear that not everyone is happy about it.


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[Daystar Clarion]

It's just as good as real money...

After it's been accidentally dropped into a volcano!

 

[imnot]

It's just as good as real money...

After it's been accidentally dropped into a volcano!

Toby Turner FTW!

OT:stupid facebook.

 

[TerribleAssassin]

Wait, so you buy Facebook Credits, to buy extras on a game?

And I can see why you wouldn't want them, you'd lose quite a bit of income, all to Facebook.

 

[mb16]

see children this is why you dont use facebook. And why i never have and never will

 

[Celtic_Kerr]

Can someone explain these credits? How do you get them besides shelling out cash? If you need to get money to buy credits to buy things,I see no point

 

[sunburst]

Despite my dislike of Facebook, I have no problem with this. If you want access to their half-billion users then you have to abide by their rules. Facebook is a business that wants to make money and has no obligation to help you just because their business model allows yours to exist.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

A moneyless society. The Socialist's Dream!

In the hands of Fascists.

 

[Pandaman1911]

Fuck games on Facebook. If I wanted to piss away hours of my life doing one repetitive pointless thing over and over and over again, I'd farm wheat in Minecraft, or only do assassination missions in GTA4, or something along those lines. And I'd burn the paper contents of my wallet every few hours.
Idea for Zynga, though- farming becomes extremely more intense when you've got green exploding beasties, flesh-eating zombies, arrow-happy skeletons, and enraged arachnids all vying for a bite of your intestines. Just a thought. You know, maybe putting something fun into your game. Eh, Zynga? EH?!

 

[coldfrog]

I wouldn't care if I wasn't worried this would affect my ability to donate to the developers of Echo Bazaar. That's the only thing I would even consider spending real money on, and that would be to support the developers, not because I need some advantage, although it DOES let me buy some new storylines, which personally I find exciting.

 

[Tzekelkan]

Is this what a monopoly looks like?

And it's retarded. So if I lost half my brain cells and decided to play something on Facebook and make a purchase, I'd have to put money on my Paypal account, buy Facebook credits with it, then buy game currency with those, and only afterwards purchase a litre of ass juice that I can finally use on my car in AssJuiceVille. Really, is that how they intend it?

 

[LawlessSquirrel]

Ninja'd on the monopoly claim, curse you previous poster...

So is this one strike for Facebook, or two? Would you count forcing people to update, or Microsoft forcing Facebook integration as a strike? Eh, I'll be conservative and stick with one. Two more before Facebook gets it's evil-corporation badge!

On the (relative) bright side, this is a blow against social games...to those who consider the job losses as a good thing.

 

[RA92]

You know, I'm just hoping that the internet's characteristic short attention span will take over and people will get over Facebook. This fad has been going on for too long. I would love to see Zynga crash and burn. And then fall off a cliff.

Despite my dislike of Facebook, I have no problem with this. If you want access to their half-billion users then you have to abide by their rules. Facebook is a business that wants to make money and has no obligation to help you just because their business model allows yours to exist.

Of course you didn't have a mighty snicker while typing that!

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Ah... Well, watch Facebook game development die as people find a new place to play/develop new social media games for free.

I won't miss it. I haven't played a Facebook game in 4 years actually.

 

[CrystalShadow]

A moneyless society. The Socialist's Dream!

In the hands of Fascists.

Lol, uh. moneyless?

I hate to point out the obvious, but a digital currency is still money. (otherwise, bank transactions would be completely meaningless.)

Facebook credits are a currency.

A messed up one of limited utility, (just like Nintendo points, Microsoft points, etc.) but a currency nonetheless. Ie. money.

So, nothing at all like what socialists were aiming for.

Still, you were being facetious to begin with probably. XD.

 

[Koshok]

I don't use Facebook, but I've never really been all that impressed with their game selection. Just an optimistic prediction: but maybe this will lead more developers to explore other forms of game development. Although it may hurt some of those smaller developers in the short run, it seems like it at least has the potential to benefit the indie gaming medium.

Or it'll do nothing more than damage Facebook games. Either way, I'm cool with it.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Still, you were being facetious to begin with probably. XD.

You think?

Wonderful word facetious. One of the few that have all the vowels in alphabetical order.

Anyway, it was more a allusion to the idea of money that can be spent anywhere changed into credit, that can't. With a moneyless society, we'd still need a value to determine what you were able to have.

But, money, so they say...

 

[Sartan0]

I could care less about facebook and games on facebook until it intrudes on my gaming elsewhere.

Then I get irritated.

 

[Alone Disciple]

While Ms. Lius comment..... "She began her response with, "Every day, every developer gets to choose between our platform and other platforms," a remark that was, according to Business Insider, "met with laughter, jeers and hisses from the audience."....may be a bit snarky and arrogant, I can't help but kinda think it's FB's right to do what they want with their own platform.

In the end, the whole reason these dev's are in the business they are in is because they wanted to make a buck off FB coattails. Don't see how this is any diffrent from iTune proprietary format or MS point system.

In the end I agree...if they don't like....they can build there own free social network and make their own rules or get out of the business altogther. Adapt or don't...capitalism.