[casual_games] multiplayer?

[Gabriel Zichermann]

John:

Historically, I think that the biggest issues for multiplayer development revolved around the platform and distribution. Unlike a single-player game, multiplayer titles typically require some form of integration with a backend system in order to deliver the features that casual game consumers care about the most (leaderboards, tourneys, identity). Until recently, most casual community (I prefer this to "multiplayer") games therefore required the in-depth involvement of either a portal (Yahoo! AllStars) or a Publisher (PlayFirst Connect4Cities).

As an FYI, this was the rationale behind Boonty's (my employer) decision to acquire a Chinese Game Studio and launch a multiplayer gaming platform with an SDK. These dev tools can be used by to make casual and middlecore games that easily integrate all the multiplayer features consumers/portals demand. This is a relatively new product for us, so Boonty is certainly interested in getting as much feedback as possible from the developer community.

Some of the residual business model issues are still exigent. Primarily, the question of multi-site interoperability and community sharing (Can players from Yahoo play those from MSN) has yet to be resolved.

It is my hope, however, that all the recent investments in the community gaming space will result in an expanded market opportunity and consumer interest all around. This should pave the way for developers to make money in the business of community.

Gabe

John Falconne <john.falconne at gmail.com> wrote: One thing that surprises me is how few multiplayer options there are for casual gamers. Why is that? My friend, another game developer, said it's because there's no way for a casual game developer to make money on multiplayer games. Is that true? Are there no viable business models around that make multiplayer game development appealing to casual game developers?  
  
  
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