Idea Fabrik Showcasing New Social Game Development Technology at GDC

Idea Fabrik Plc. today announced that it will be showcasing a new platform that represents a major breakthrough in the development of social games at the Game Developers Conference later this month in San Francisco.

According to a recent report from Business Insights, the social gaming market encapsulates nearly 600 million users and was worth nearly $1.5 billion worldwide in 2010. Similarly, market research firm Newzoo found that roughly 90% of gamers in the United States play casual games. Since acquiring the HeroEngine platform for MMO game development last year, Idea Fabrik’s growing engineering team has been working in stealth mode to create a better way for developers to bring their games into this rapidly-expanding space.

GDC attendees interested in learning more, as well as taking a first look at the new technology in action, can visit Idea Fabrik at booth #932 in the South Hall of the Moscone Center from March 2-4.

To get a head start of gaming visit: MMORPG.co.uk

BlockStreet – Build the city district of your dreams

Today, InnoGames’ second Social Game BlockStreet started into Closed Beta. In the game, the player has to convert a run-down city district into a flourishing and lively town. Besides residential buildings, shops or gardens it is possible to realize large construction projects like the Eiffel Tower, open-air theatres or sports stadiums. Passionate builders should take a look at www.facebook.com/blockstreet, to get one of the wanted Beta positions.

In order to make his residents happy, the player has to recognize their needs and fulfill their individual desires: If they are hungry, the best thing to do is building a diner and serving them delicious Fast Food. If the inhabitants are more interested in fine arts, he creates an art exhibition hall. While happiness and activity of the residents increase, the player collects experience points and money, with which he can unlock house improvements, new buildings and more districts. It is his own choice whether to create a modern business center or a calm residential neighborhood. As the game develops, the residents´ demands increase and their wishes become more manifold.

Additional fun during game play brings the interaction with friends, relatives or colleagues. As neighbors, the players are able to complete construction projects together and support each other with their house improvements. But besides helping each other, it is also possible to play a trick: For example sending witches or a loud fan group to the flourishing neighbor town, in order to bring some trouble.

After WestWars, BlockStreet is the second Social Game which InnoGames publishes on Facebook, Game Developer is Cliffhanger Productions. InnoGames also produces Browsergames like Tribal Wars, Grepolis and The West, which are played by more than 50 million registered users all over the world. Cliffhanger Productions, founded in 2005, is an independent developer and producer of pc- and videogames with focus on online games. Besides the production of SpellForce and Risen they also developed own projects in the online gaming section.

RockYou Signs Game Development Agreenment With John Romero’s New Studio, Loot Drop

RockYou, a leading social entertainment company, has signed a development agreement with Loot Drop to fund and publish the new studio’s first title. Led by John Romero, co-founder of id Software and designer of the Doom, Quake and Wolfenstein 3D series, Loot Drop develops innovative games with true gameplay that push the boundaries of social game design.

The deal between RockYou and Loot Drop builds on RockYou’s commitment to create and publish the very best social games, and to invest in world-class creative talent. RockYou enables independent developers to reach a broad audience with its publishing and distribution expertise, and with strategic investments such as the agreement with Loot Drop.

“Our partnership with Loot Drop allows RockYou to work with some of the industry’s most creative minds,” said Jonathan Knight, RockYou’s SVP of Games. “We’re thrilled to be collaborating with John Romero, a game design visionary, as we aim to inspire innovation in the social gaming space and expand our games portfolio throughout the year.”

“The social space is where the excitement and the players are at, hundreds of millions of them, and I’m excited to make another game on the platform,” said John Romero. “RockYou’s support will drive Loot Drop’s first project forward. I believe social games have an incredible future, and we’ve barely explored their potential.”

After John Romero’s early success pioneering the first-person shooter genre, he became a recognizable figure in the industry, establishing independent studios and designing games for over thirty years. Most recently Romero shifted his attention to the social gaming space to design and develop the popular family-friendly game, Ravenwood Fair for Facebook. Launched in October 2010, Ravenwood Fair is notable for bringing role-playing game (RPG) elements to the social gaming space, and boasts a 4.2/5 user review score, five million monthly active users (MAUs) and over 700K daily active users (DAUs).

Tom Hall joins Loot Drop as Studio Head and Game Designer at the company’s Austin studio. Hall is a 30-year veteran of the game industry, and a frequent business partner of Romero’s. Together, the two have founded three companies, including id Software. Robert Sirotek serves as the company’s CEO. Like Romero and Hall, Sirotek is a veteran entrepreneur, VP and CEO with over 30 years’ experience in the game industry. Sirotek co-founded Sir-tech Software in 1980, and during his 26-year tenure at the company, the firm released over 150 games, including the award-winning Wizardry and Jagged Alliance series.

Details for Loot Drop’s first game are not announced yet, and the terms of the investment were not disclosed.

For more information about RockYou, visit www.rockyou.com.

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