Norwest’s Tim Chang explains why virtual goods are so hot in social games
Tim Chang, principal at Norwest Venture Partners, has immersed himself in the online games sector for some time and he says that the hottest business model for game startups in 2009 is virtual goods. With the virtual goods business model, game companies let users play online games for free. But they charge them when they want to upgrade to new capabilities such as cool clothing or better weapons. This model was pioneered in Asian online… Read More
New speakers, sponsors for DiscoveryBeat; today is last day for early-bird discount
We’ve got some great momentum for VentureBeat’s upcoming DiscoveryBeat event, which will attack the problem of how to get attention for an app in the midst of a lot of noise.
One of our newest speakers is Randy Breen, chief operating officer at Social Gaming Network, where he oversees game development, business development, strategy and executive management. He has worked in the game industry since 1986 at companies such as Electronic Arts, LucasArts and Emotiv Systems.
Today… Continue Reading
French game maker Gameloft ditches the Android platform
[Updated] French mobile phone games publisher Gameloft said it is giving up on the Google Android platform.
The company said it is cutting back investment in making games and other apps for Android-based cell phones, even though Android has won a lot of attention lately with new models from Motorola and Sony Ericsson, according to Reuters.
“We have significantly cut our investment in Android platform, just like … many others,” Gameloft finance director Alexandre de Rochefort said… Continue Reading
Playhaven creates lots of fan communities for iPhone game developers
Playhaven is making it easy for gamers to create fan communities around iPhone games. It does so by creating online forums for fans on its web site, with a new fan section for every iPhone game. Developers can then claim those game communities as official fan sites.
To date, 40 developers have launched official communities at Playhaven in its first month. Fans can join the online communities for free, and developers can claim the communities for… Continue Reading
Facebook bans offer providers Gambit and Tatto Media due to questionable ads
Facebook has banned offer providers Gambit and Tatto Media from providing offers in games and apps on the social network.
The development is one of the results of the recent scandal around the quality of offers in social games and apps. Some of the offers have been tainted as scams because they don’t tell consumers about hidden obligations or fees. Earlier today, Offerpal said that it was issuing a set of standards for its advertisers to… Continue Reading
Offerpal Media sets standards to lock out scam offers
[Updated with interview]
Burned by a scandal in its offer business over inappropriate promos, Offerpal Media is moving to set standards that forbid offers that are misleading, deceptive or otherwise objectionable.
The action is the first move the company has made since it brought in a new chief executive, George Garrick, a couple of weeks ago. The CEO transition happened in the midst of a debate over scam offers that were allegedly duping users into mobile subscription… Continue Reading
Foursquare makes global push: 50 new cities
Popular location-sharing game Foursquare has just gone global with the announcement of 50 new cities worldwide, doubling the service’s previous coverage. The company says it chose the cities based on feedback from users requesting the service.
The new cities take the service across six continents, but it’s not so long since it was a strictly a tech-insider phenomenon in the US. As cofounder Dennis Crowley (pictured below) told me last week “The goal is to build… Continue Reading
GreenBeat: Locust, CPower tie for grand prize in Innovation Competition
The winners of the inaugural GreenBeat Innovation Competition — a survey of the most promising technologies and companies working toward a cleaner, more efficient grid — were just announced following four-minute presentations from the top eleven finalists (”eleven is the new ten”). Locust Storage, while launched its innovative storage system today, and demand response provider CPower declared victory, winning a slot at the DEMO Spring conference in 2010.
The winner were selected by a panel of… Continue Reading
Microsoft’s Xbox Live chief on banning modders and browsing Facebook photos on TV
Microsoft launched Xbox Live as an online gaming service in 2002 amid great skepticism. It didn’t really take off until Halo 2 launched in 2004, but now the service is huge.
There are now more than 20 million active Xbox Live subscribers (both free users and those who pay $50 a year for multiplayer gaming). That means that more than two out of three Xbox 360 owners use the service. The company has added popular new… Continue Reading
Boku gains momentum with mobile payments for social games
Mobile payments provider Boku has gained a lot of momentum as a provider of alternate payment for social games.
The company said in September that it’s service was seeing big growth, but it has made more progress now. It’s announcing today that 12 more game developers have signed up to use its mobile payments system. These new companies alone will help Boku reach 200 million more customers who play 250 social and casual games.
With Boku, game… Continue Reading
Game ad firm NeoEdge merges with game developer, hires new CEO
NeoEdge, a company that offers a way to insert video ads into online games, is going through some big changes — in part driven by the recession in the online ad market, but also by the proliferation of other, cheaper games.
Today, the company is announcing that is merging with casual game development firm Offspring. And Offspring’s chief executive Lesley Mansford will become NeoEdge’s new CEO. Mountain View, Calif.-based NeoEdge will continue to focus on serving… Continue Reading
Flurry launches AppCircle to help apps get discovered
With 100,000 apps in Apple’s AppStore, it has become ridiculously hard to get an app discovered. At any given time, perhaps 100 apps are easy to find on the featured apps or top apps lists. That’s why analytics startup Flurry is launching a new platform, AppCircle, whose aim is to get iPhone and iPod Touch apps noticed.
The platform is a natural extension of the analytics business that has become very popular. With AppCircle, Flurry can… Continue Reading
Livescribe launches an app store for its Pulse smart pen platform
Inspired by Apple, every hardware maker is creating an app stores these days. Today, Livescribe is launching a beta platform that allows developers to create apps for its Pulse smart pen. There are already 30 cool third-party apps available in the Livescribe store, which is open for shopping.
The smart pen turns ordinary writing into a digital experience. With the smart pen, you can record a lecture as you take notes on a special paper that… Continue Reading
GreenBeat: Doerr wants to see more U.S. leadership in smart grid, cleantech
“Ten years out we want lamps that use 2 percent the energy and put out the same amount of light,” Doerr said at the beginning of his talk at GreenBeat 2009 today — indicative of his interest and that of his firm, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in the newest, boldest investments when it comes to cleantech and the grid.
He began the conversation with VentureBeat editor Matt Marshall by comparing the evolution of the Smart… Continue Reading
Verizon expands Smart Grid play, launches consulting
Verizon is already eying opportunities to provide wireless networks for Smart Grid communication systems, but today it’s expanding its presence in the space even more with the launch of a security consulting service for utilities rolling out smart meters and other advanced grid infrastructure.
Security is one of the foremost concerns as utilities and other companies work on building a cleaner, more efficient grid. With so much energy consumption data flying by on wireless networks, it… Continue Reading
Modern Warfare 2 continues to blow away entertainment records
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has set the all-time entertainment industry record, generating $550 million in sales in its first five days on the market.
That number means it has beaten all other video game launches as well as generated more revenue in its first five days than any movie. It has done that in spite of, or because of, a controversial scene in the game where a player can choose to mow down civilians… Continue Reading
Gravity Bear unveils its first social fighting game on Facebook
Game startup Gravity Bear is unveiling its first original game for Facebook today. Battle Punks is a “3-D social game” that will debut this holiday season.
The game is set in a variety of fantasy locations, combining in-depth game design with social networking. As such, it’s one of a new generation of Facebook games that aims to deliver a better experience than the simpler two-dimensional games such as FarmVille that dominate Facebook today. Players create avatars… Continue Reading
Chilean startup focuses on games for social good
The latest game company to raise a round of funding reflects the global reach of the industry. Chile’s Atakama Labs has raised $4 million from two Chilean venture capital funds, Austral Capital and COPEC-UC.
The company hasn’t announced its games, but its co-founders say they’re working on “meaningful games” that “help you feel better as a human being.” The first game is expected to debut in January.
Atakama Labs was founded by Esteban Sosnik (right) and Tiburcio… Continue Reading
Now you can find your Facebook friends on game consoles
Facebook made its much-anticipated debut on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 video game consoles this week.
Microsoft launched the Xbox 360’s integration with Facebook today, bringing social networking experiences into the living room. With it, you can update your status from the game console, browse updates from your friends, and view photos on your TV. Gamers can link their Facebook profiles to their Xbox 360 gamertags (unique identification on the game console) to find Facebook… Continue Reading
Announcing new DiscoveryBeat speakers: Smule, Playdom and Moderati
We’re pleased to announce a trio of new speakers for our DiscoveryBeat event on how to get your apps noticed. Our newest speakers at the Dec. 8 event include Ge Wang, the co-founder, chief technology officer, and chief creative officer at iPhone app developer Smule. We’re delighted because Smule has popularized apps such as the whimsical Ocarina music app that lets you blow into an iPhone and produce sound as if it were a real… Continue Reading