Games.com Blog: “PopCap's 'Lawn of the Dead' and other game names that never were” plus 19 more

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• PopCap's 'Lawn of the Dead' and other game names that never were
• Why an iPad game should cost more
• Poker Blitz: Is it the next Zynga game on the chopping block?
• Playstation Network details 'Pub Fund' program
• MySpace founder looks to social games
• Hi5 beats Facebook in real-world sumo-wrestling showdown
• YoVille Moroccan Plush Toys added
• YoVille Moroccan Bedroom Furniture now in stock
• Pet Society candy ceiling lights glow in the dark
• Save the gulf, buy a pelican in YoVille
• YoVille fans show off their Moroccan rooms -- which is your favorite?
• New Free FarmVille Gift: Picket Fence II
• New FarmVille Limited Edition New England Theme Buildings: Coastal Home & Coastal Gazebo
• FarmVille Farmers Market Spa Crafting Building first look
• Fraud an increasing problem in the virtual goods trade
• New Limited Edition New England Decorations: Marsh Pond, Rose Fence & White Lawn Chairs
• FarmVille Crafting Buildings start to appear in Farmers Market
• Sony bringing more social games to PlayStation Home
• FarmVille Unreleased Fancy Pink Birdhouse & Fancy Blue Birdhouse
• FarmVille Unreleased Gray Macaw & Parrot Swing

PopCap's 'Lawn of the Dead' and other game names that never were Posted: 21 Jul 2010 01:00 PM PDT PopCap is arguably one of the most universally known casual game developers. If you haven't heard of Bejeweled or Plants vs. Zombies, then you, well, you should be ashamed. OK, maybe that's too harsh - you should get informed, and fast. Those games - along with a handful of others - are some of the biggest call brands in the casual games universe. At a press lunch at Casual Connect in Seattle, PopCap Creative Director Jason Kapalka tells me that these game names - like most names - weren't necessarily their first choice. Plants vs. Zombies, for instance, was originally titled 'Lawn of the Dead,' a nod to George Romero's classic zombie film, 'Dawn of the Dead. ' Apparently, the Romero camp wasn't feeling it, so the game ended up with the name Plants vs. Zombies, or PvZ for those in the know. The match-three game Bejeweled was originally going to be called, simply, Diamond Mine. Not exactly an exciting name. Eventually it was changed to Bejeweled, even though it didn't go over well with everyone at PopCap. "It reminded me of 'Bedazzled,' that movie starring Liz Hurley and Brendan Frasier," says Kapalka. Peggle, PopCap's trippy Pachinko-style game -- compete with unicorns and rainbows -- was originally dubbed Pego. Like Peg with an 'o.' Another similarly named game company told PopCap the name was legally a no-go, and so did Kellogg's, which owns Eggo waffles. Apparently anything that rhymes with Eggo (except for Lego) is lawsuit worthy. Two other fun facts about Peggle: 1. The game was originally going to have a more epic Nordic theme, but in the end it was too complicated to pull off and the designers were asked to use their artistic license to just create different types of funny animals. 2. A universally favored part of Peggle is - when you complete a level - the game blares Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy' with fireworks, then your 'Fever Score' is tallied (there's a rainbow involved as well). Kapalka says that over-the-top ending was originally just a placeholder for the game, and the audience loved it so much, that PopCap just left it in. And that, my dears, is how some of your favorite PopCap game names came to be.   Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Why an iPad game should cost more Posted: 21 Jul 2010 10:04 AM PDT Pat Wylie, from Big Fish Games, spoke at Casual Connect in Seattle this week, telling an audience of developers and publishers about making Amazon: Hidden Expedition originally for the iPhone, and then adding an iPad version just seven weeks before shipping the title. He explains the company's general iPhone philosophy, keeping in mind the player: "We try to make something so if they have experienced our game on the PC or the Mac, when they do get it on the iPhone, they get something new." That philosophy was stretched even further when it was decided to create a version for the new iPad as well. The reason for adding the platform was a belief that "we can actually add some value," says Wylie. Whilst a typical hidden-object game, Big Fish discovered the screen-size of the iPad allowed for adding a split-screen multiplayer feature. iPad games should cost more, and have new features, says Wylie. For one thing, it costs two or three times more to test iPad titles. The problem is all the iPhone players are used to paying the $2.99 price. "You essentially don't want to punish your very loyal iPhone consumer," says Wylie. That led to a decision to lower the iPad price, which "didn't allow us to create two price-points for the two versions," he reports. And in the end, the customer satisfaction paid off. "Don't just port," warns Wylie. "Nobody wants to see the same game over and over again if they've already played it."   Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Poker Blitz: Is it the next Zynga game on the chopping block? Posted: 21 Jul 2010 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Zynga Poker While Zynga has been launching hits on Facebook like FrontierVille, it has also been quietly shutting down games behind the scenes, most recently Roller Coaster Kingdom, a tycoon game that puts players in charge of running an amusement park. Is Zynga's Poker Blitz the next on the chopping block? In a talk at the Casual Connect conference in Seattle, Zynga President of Studios Steve Chiang gave what might be described as a eulogy for the poker-lite game that launched in March. As part of a larger discussion on why there is not more serious competition in games, Chiang talks about Poker Blitz and says, "I dunno that PVP was the reason that Poker Blitz wasn't successful .... But what we learned at EA was that people want to play the real sport, they don't want the dumbed down version. The better we can do to give the consumers the on-ramp to learn the game like a real pro, the better engagement we have." Another interesting tidbit - Chiang says a game needs to reach '500K' monthly active users to reach "critical mass" or to be a success. Considering Poker Blitz's number are around that number right now and seems to be falling (according to AppData) well, you gotta know when to hold 'em ... and know when to fold 'em.   Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Playstation Network details 'Pub Fund' program Posted: 21 Jul 2010 08:01 AM PDT Making games can be an expensive proposition. But Sony has a new program to encourage independent developers to make their products for the Playstation Network. Speaking at Casual Connect on Tuesday, Sony's senior manager from the Developer Support Group describes their new Pub Fund program as something "close to my heart." The goal, he says, is to "help developers become publishers - to take control of their own destiny and publish their own content." The Pub Fund allows any developers to submit as many games as they want, but only the best are accepted (an average of three-in-ten qualify). Cooney says they want to ensure the quality of a title they back. As part of the terms, Sony asks for a one-year window of exclusivity for their platform, but wants the developers to keep the intellectual property. Developers have control over when the title is released, as well: "there's no slotting mechanism at Sony," says Cooney. "From a PSN publishing perspective, everyone is treated equally." What the Pub Fund offers is a rebate on the development costs. Sony's limit for a PSN budget is $500,000. Every deal is different, says Cooney, but Sony will guarantee a rebate between 25% and 35% of the budget when the first quarterly royalty check is sent to the developer. When it comes to wanting the best games on their platform, Playstation Network is willing to put its money where its mouth is.   Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

MySpace founder looks to social games Posted: 21 Jul 2010 07:51 AM PDT Chris DeWolfe, best known for his founding role in MySpace participated in an on-stage conversation with veteran journalist Dean Takahashi at Casual Connect in Seattle. Takahashi began by asking DeWolfe what got him interested in social games. He describes the process of having a start-up, and then working for a giant corporation. "As some point, you're ready to start over and do your own thing." The first step was asking what was working on the internet: games were the clear answer. That leads to the question of building a start-up, or buying an existing company. "We didn't want to buy any of the social game companies, because they'd been through several rounds of financing." And that made them over-valued. Instead, DeWolfe wanted someone established. "We became kind of a platform on top of a platform," he says in retrospect. After talking to a 150 companies, DeWolfe found a company called MildJolt. They'd done a great job building the company, says DeWolfe, but we saw a lot of potential. He continues to say that today, MindJold would never buy a big development studio, but if there were an amazing analytics company or an amazing payment-system company, it would be a potential purchase. "You're not going to buy Zynga, are you?" asks Takahashi. "No," replies DeWolfe, "They're in a totally different realm." At the moment, most of MindJolt's games are running on MySpace. "Its tough to be reliant on one platform for all your revenues," warns DeWolfe. "They can make a change, and your traffic is off by 40%." DeWolfe tells an anecdote about going to China three years ago, meeting with China's largest social network, and being told all about this game called Happy Farm. His reaction at the time was, "This is stupid, it'll never work in the US," and then along came FarmVille. And while everyone wants in on the gold-rush today, DeWolfe sees a corporate feeding-frenzy as good for gamers in the end. "I think the more competition the better -- it makes the products better." "I think all games should be on all platforms," he concludes.   Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Hi5 beats Facebook in real-world sumo-wrestling showdown Posted: 21 Jul 2010 05:25 AM PDT Each year, the casual game industry gathers in Seattle for Casual Connect. Three days of conference sessions, business meetings, and evening networking lead to a close-knit industry that seems to thrive and thrive no matter what the economy seems to do. On the opening night, social network Hi5 hosted an event to celebrate their new game developer portal. Not only was it one of the most talked about events of the evening, the party had a trailer. Recently the network hired a storied and colorful executive named Alex St. John to turn the company towards social games, and since then St. John has engaged in a war of words against Facebook. And in Seattle on Tuesday night, St. John turned a verbal smackdown into a physical one. In a bar filled with the executives, decision-makers, and power players of the casual game industry, he strode to a sumo-wrestling mat, took the microphone to crow a couple business buzzwords, mugged for the crowd, removed his silk kimono, and faced one of the world's champion sumo wrestlers - serving as a proxy for Facebook in the duel - all to the cheers of a raucous audience. (Photo by Paul Philleo) St. John grappled, and took a tumble or two, but in the end he emerged victorious over his sumo Facebook stand-in. Whether this is a predictor of developers and players migrating away from the world's leading social game platform is something that remains to be sene. But at Casual Connect, the business maneuvers are never dull.   Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

YoVille Moroccan Plush Toys added Posted: 21 Jul 2010 04:59 AM PDT Filed under: YoVille Plush toys collectors can now add new plush toys to their collection. Six Moroccan toys are now available in the YoVille Funriture Store for 8 and 9 YoCash. The new toys feature animals like mongoose, cobra, parrot, tiger and black horse. A belly dancer plush was also added. I don't think you will be able to resist her charming smile! Pictures as usual are after the jump. Which is your favorite plush? Tell us in comments. This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.   Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

YoVille Moroccan Bedroom Furniture now in stock Posted: 21 Jul 2010 04:24 AM PDT Filed under: YoVille YoVille Moroccan Bedroom Furniture is here. Ornate Nightstands, Beds, lamps are now available in the Furniture Store for both Coins and YoCash. A complete list of pictures and prices is available after the jump. YoVille already released Moroccan living room furniture that you can read about here. Don't forget to tell us what you think in comments! This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.   Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Pet Society candy ceiling lights glow in the dark Posted: 21 Jul 2010 04:05 AM PDT Filed under: Pet Society Yay! We found another glow-in-the-dark item this week. Thanks to Anushka from New Jersey for posting this image of the Candy Ceiling Lights on the Pet Society Anonymous page on Facebook. These lights are a one week only special for 250 coins in the DIY shop, in Fixtures & Fittings. We love the two little bunnies on top! In case you're wondering, the tall Ice Cream Candle for 400 coins does not glow in the dark. This article originally appeared on Pet Society Anonymous.   Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Save the gulf, buy a pelican in YoVille Posted: 21 Jul 2010 03:40 AM PDT Filed under: YoVille Zynga is giving us the chance to help cure the Gulf from the effects of the worst oil spill in the U.S. History . For the next 6 days, YoVille players will be able to purchase a Pelican for 30 YoCash. Which costs a little bit more than 5$ meaning that you will be donating about 3$ for Audubon. It also looks like the Pelican is the first of a series of pets to be added to the game. This is not the first time, YoVille players participate in donation events. Special pets are also in stores and their proceeds support SF SPCA. Players also helped donate to the world food program by purchasing a limited edition food platter. This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge. Did you get this bird?   Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

YoVille fans show off their Moroccan rooms -- which is your favorite? Posted: 21 Jul 2010 03:10 AM PDT Filed under: YoVille Just when you think Zynga cant possibly out do themselves, they release an even better theme...The Moroccan theme is one of the best themes YoVille has released to date!! The shear beautifully colored curtains mixed with the equally beautiful furniture, make such a statement in any room design!! We mixed some of the best designers with YoVille's up and coming designers to show how easy this theme is to work with when creating amazing rooms. Its a tough call to say which room is best here. Leave your comments and let us know which one you like best! Violeta Bulgaria This contrast is so beautiful! I absolutely love the cream color with all the colors of this theme. Great room!! Shiree McCarver Colbalt blue is perfect mixed with an indoor pool!! Such a pretty room. QueenKK WYID This stunning room shows how simplicity can be just amazing when done perfectly!! Wouldn't expect any less from QueenKK! Maria Medina Mixing the new style with an older wallpaper and floor is always a plus, and it looks like it was meant to be!! Good job. Yo Diva WYID This room is breathtaking! Done by our very own Yo Diva WYID, she managed to capture the spicey side of this theme. Well done. Eric Ebbing Did you ever think doors, pillars and trees would turn out so fantastic? Well now you have seen the proof! This is fabulous. Dolores Jean This room shows what thinking outside of the box is all about! It is absolutely gorgeous with the background included. Beautiful job. Bruno NYID WOW!!! What more can be said about something so perfect! Bravo Bruno!! YVL Spiralda WYID This is yet another fabulous room by top designer and YVL editor Spiralda! Ive always loved these windows, how nice they look with the new theme. Great job Spiralda! Ailis Alison Murray Double red curtains with this blue just pop when placed on this cream backdrop!! Great color combination Ailis! So pretty!! I'm really excited about whats to come for this theme in the following weeks!! We will definitely be posting more rooms as the new items come out. If you have any comments or questions feel free to comment below!! Hope you enjoyed these amazing rooms as much as I did!! This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.   Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

New Free FarmVille Gift: Picket Fence II Posted: 21 Jul 2010 03:00 AM PDT Filed under: Farmville A new FarmVille giftable is now available available to send to your neighbors, Picket Fence II. All farmers can send this new gift as it is available for Level 1+ level players. This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak. Do you like the new picket fence?   Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

New FarmVille Limited Edition New England Theme Buildings: Coastal Home & Coastal Gazebo Posted: 21 Jul 2010 02:30 AM PDT Filed under: Farmville A new FarmVille limited edition theme debuted tonight, the New England theme. The Coastal Home and Gazebo are the first buildings of the theme, they will be available to for purchase for the next 14 days. Coastal Home 850 Xp costs 36 $FV Coastal Gazebo 500, Xp costs 20 $FV This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak. What other buildings do you think will be included in the new LE New England theme? Send pics of your New England themed farms or decorations to editors@games.com and we may feature them here.   Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

FarmVille Farmers Market Spa Crafting Building first look Posted: 21 Jul 2010 02:00 AM PDT Filed under: Farmville For those looking for a little more something outta their farm life, new Crafting Buildings -- which are slowly rolling out in FarmVille this week -- are designed to give you just that. The Crafting Buildings include a spa, winery and bakery -- and each requires you to use bushels from your Farmer's Market to make recipes and trade them in for fuel or other items. Based on these photos, it's not clear what the final Spa recipes are, but a month ago, FarmVille Community Manager Lexilicious said they would be the following: * Fresh Sachet - Pumpkins, Cranberries, and Sunflowers * Floral Perfume - Raspberries and Morning Glory * Soothing Herbal Lotion - Aloe Vera and Green Tea * Relaxation Oil - Blueberries and Morning Glory You will also be able to upgrade your FarmVille Spa, using coins or 15 Farm Cash. The higher your spa's star rating, the more tables will be open for crafting. Below are pictures of the FarmVille Spa in its beginning stages and then when it's completely upgraded. [Via FarmVille Freak] Did you get your FarmVille Crafting Building yet? Have any more info on them? Leave a note in the comments below!   Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Fraud an increasing problem in the virtual goods trade Posted: 21 Jul 2010 02:00 AM PDT Converting real money into fake, virtual items is a common practice among social gamers. But an increasing number of fraudsters are turning that process on its head, converting ill-gotten virtual items into real money. A recent Wall Street Journal story investigates the presence of fraud in the virtual goods trade, which increased last year to represent 1.9 percent of all virtual goods transactions, according to credit card processor CyberSource Corp. Many fraudsters use the virtual goods market as a form of money laundering, buying up virtual currency or items with stolen credit cards then selling them for cash on third-party sites, for instance. Sniffing out this fraud can be costly for developers, who might not want to pay high fees for fraud detection services on smaller purchases. But letting fraud go undetected can be even costlier, as virtual goods reseller Chris Condon learned when he found a full 20% of transactions on his site were fraudulent at one point. While virtual currency providers themselves have less to fear from fraud than resellers (it's not like it costs Facebook anything to create those extra fraudulent Credits, after all), anything that erodes consumer trust in a virtual market can be harmful. "A bad experience won't just turn users off of Credits but it will turn them off to Facebook," Joe Sullivan, Facebook's chief security officer, told the Journal. That, and "Facebook Credit inflation" are three words that no self-respecting social gamer wants to hear.   Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

New Limited Edition New England Decorations: Marsh Pond, Rose Fence & White Lawn Chairs Posted: 21 Jul 2010 01:30 AM PDT Filed under: Farmville New decorations hit the FarmVille Market as part of the brand new LE New England theme, Marsh Pond, Rose Fence and Lawn Chairs. These items will be available for the next 14 days and can be purchased for both FarmVille coins and cash. Marsh Pond, 300 Xp - 30 $FV Rose Fence, 100 Xp - 10,000 coins White Lawn Chairs, 200 Xp - 20,000 coins This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak. Will you be stocking up on these new decorations? Send pics of your New England themed farms or decorations to editors@games.com and we may feature them here.   Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

FarmVille Crafting Buildings start to appear in Farmers Market Posted: 21 Jul 2010 01:00 AM PDT Filed under: Farmville After weeks of hearing about them, it looks like Crafting Buildings (formerly called 'Crafting Cottages') have finally started to roll out in FarmVille. You can locate your Crafting Building by opening your Farmer's Market or Market Stall. Once that's open, click on the Buy button (with the shopping bag logo), you will be able to see which bushels and goods are available for your crafting building. There are several steps to creating goods in your new Crafting Building: 1. Turn your bushels into goods. 2. Make and sell goods to level up your Rrecipes. 3. Level up recipes to upgrade your Crafting Building. 4. Use your goods to trade for fuel, and later on, you'll be able to trade goods for special rewards. FarmVille Farmers Market Crafting Buildings Using Goods [Via FarmVille Freak]   Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Sony bringing more social games to PlayStation Home Posted: 21 Jul 2010 01:00 AM PDT When people think of social gaming these days, they probably think of PC-based social networks like Facebook, or maybe mobile devices like the iPhone. One platform they almost definitely don't think about is the 3D virtual world of PlayStation Home. But Sony and partner Codename are hoping to change that with a new initiative focused on bringing independently developed social games to the service. VentureBeat reports the first three games to come from the initiative will span an eclectic mix of genres -- from competitive platforming to fantasy role-playing to 3D spatial puzzles -- but all will take advantage of Home's social functions by letting multiple players play and chat together. It's likely the games will follow the freemium, virtual-goods-based revenue model that has already worked well for PlayStation Home games like Sodium One. It's nice to see Sony slowly realizing that many of Home's millions of users want to use the service for more than just playing dress up and visiting cheesy promotional spaces. The question now is whether these new games will attract the millions of PS3 owners who don't currently use Home. Take it away, Sony marketing machine!   Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

FarmVille Unreleased Fancy Pink Birdhouse & Fancy Blue Birdhouse Posted: 21 Jul 2010 12:30 AM PDT Filed under: Farmville Looks like we can be expecting some kind of bird theme on FarmVille very soon, maybe in a new Mystery Game or Box? Not only have we now seen new Unreleased items Fancy Pink Birdhouse, Fancy Blue Birdhouse, Gray Macaw and Swinging Parrot but FarmVille Freak -Gabs- spotted other unreleased items in the wild including a new fountain, house, animal and pavilion! Thank you to FarmVille Freak -Gabs- for catching these unreleased items in the wild! This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.   Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

FarmVille Unreleased Gray Macaw & Parrot Swing Posted: 21 Jul 2010 12:00 AM PDT Filed under: Farmville Thank you to FarmVille Freak J-Chaves for finding this unreleased FarmVille Gray Macaw! This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.   Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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