December 2, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team
Zynga’s Facebook social game workhorse FarmVille will be launching in Japan early this month. Renamed “FarmVillage,” the social game will be released on Mixi, the most popular social network in Japan. Only a mobile version of the game will be available at first, however, which could have been an obstacle to integration, except that a majority of Mixi users access the site through their “feature phones.”
How many users are there? Is there really a market for a social game like FarmVille/FarmVillage? Mixi reportedly has about 50 million user accounts, with about 15 million labeled as “regular users,” meaning that they check their accounts at least once a month. Compare this to Facebook’s 500 million regular users, which contribute to about 50 million regular Farmville users. This is actually down from around 80 million users at the height of its popularity. But still, capturing and keeping ten percent of Facebook’s fickle user base is no small feat.
However, this position is by no means secure. It’s been reported that user numbers can jump 10 million up or down in a given week (that’s pretty much the definition of fickle). Diversifying their game selection and risk portfolio by adding new games and new markets is definitely a way for Zynga to stay competitive. Getting away from being Facebook-centric and into new markets and social networks like Japan’s Mixi is a step in the right direction.
Zynga’s decision to release FarmVille in Japan as FarmVillage as a mobile game for Mixi’s social network in not their first foray into overseas releases and non-English-language gaming. Over the summer, Zynga translated “Texas Poker” into Traditional Chinese. FarmVillage is, however, the first release from Zynga Japan (there’s that diversification thing). Zynga also plans to launch CityVille in English, French, Spanish, Italian, and German all at the same time – that will be a first. It will be the first initial launch for Zynga in multiple languages.
MiniFazenda! The Farmville of Brazil!
Social networks and markets outside of America just might turn out to be fertile ground to social games of all kinds (shock!). Vostu (the Zynga of Brazil – but not literally) made headlines recently with its acquisition of 30 million more dollars in financing money. Mobile gaming revenues are only going to go up in the coming years (which maybe Zynga Japan was aware of in their decision to make FarmVillage a mobile game) and they also contribute to a growing trend in gaming: paying real money for virtual goods.
In FarmVille, and yes, FarmVillage, users are allowed to start playing the game for free, but need to shell out real world cash to buy virtual goods like fuel for their tractors, which they’ll need if they want to get anything done in the game. But FarmVille isn’t alone in milking the real-world cash cow, even relative newcomers like Smurf’s Village have copied the “free to start, pay for stuff”’ model. The desire for credits to use in these virtual worlds can even be used to drive real world sales of products completely unrelated to the games themselves, as Shoebuy can attest.
Jack Cieslak grew up in New York State where he attended the New School, emerging with a degree in Creative Writing. Seattle drew him in with its focus on personal health and fitness, as well as the environment, and of course the great weather. Three-thousand miles later he is all dug in and ready to throw himself wholeheartedly into writing of all types - including reporting new developments in e-commerce, and places where social media and e-commerce cross paths. Jack revels in a challenge, whether it's writing, running, or lifting heavy objects - Jack says "bring it."
