Zuckerberg: Facebook Growth Due to Games
Zynga now worth more than Electronic Arts.
Ironically unsocial Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, has highlighted the importance of browser games on the network service, and stated that FarmVille developer Zynga's market value is bigger than Electronic Arts' as a result.
Zuckerberg admitted at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco that a lot of Facebook's early growth came from the rise of games on the browser platform. Seven of the top 10 application companies make games on the network, reports VentureBeat, and over 200 million users play games like Mafia Wars every month.
Just like a home console, the founder indicated that Facebook needs the support of third parties to survive as it does not create its own content.
"[Zynga, Playfish, Playdom and CrowdStar] are four really good game companies that are built almost entirely on Facebook," Zuckerberg said. "Zynga’s market value is bigger than Electronic Arts, and made a structural disruption to the game industry.
"If you look at a lot of platforms, games are usually the first big vertical market. That’s true for the iPhone. Even if you go back to the early PC, some of the first things that got people excited were games."
Of course, Facebook will continue to support games heavily in the future, as it receives royalties from in-game adverts and microtransactions using Facebook Credits.
Zuckerberg admitted at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco that a lot of Facebook's early growth came from the rise of games on the browser platform. Seven of the top 10 application companies make games on the network, reports VentureBeat, and over 200 million users play games like Mafia Wars every month.
Just like a home console, the founder indicated that Facebook needs the support of third parties to survive as it does not create its own content.
"[Zynga, Playfish, Playdom and CrowdStar] are four really good game companies that are built almost entirely on Facebook," Zuckerberg said. "Zynga’s market value is bigger than Electronic Arts, and made a structural disruption to the game industry.
"If you look at a lot of platforms, games are usually the first big vertical market. That’s true for the iPhone. Even if you go back to the early PC, some of the first things that got people excited were games."
Of course, Facebook will continue to support games heavily in the future, as it receives royalties from in-game adverts and microtransactions using Facebook Credits.
Read More Like This