1）据休闲游戏公司PopCap和市场调研公司NewZoo最新报告显示，约有一半以上的英法德成年人都是游戏玩家，这三国有1.53亿成人曾玩过掌机、Facebook、手机等平台的游戏。其中英国最盛产游戏玩家，约有68%的男性以及59%的女性在玩游戏。

gamers(from games.com)

这三国的玩家群体都较为年轻，约有87%的英国玩家，81%的法国用户，和78%的德国玩家年龄介于10至20岁之间。另一有趣的发现时，这三国玩家并不特别青睐哪一个游戏平台，他们在每个平台上的游戏投入时间所占比例均低于50%，也就是说他们在多个平台上都玩过游戏。

欧洲玩家总体上更愿意为掌机游戏付费，约有44%英国玩家，34%德国玩家和44%法国玩家花钱玩掌机游戏，而且这些玩家并非为了放松或消遣才玩游戏，纯粹是因无聊而玩游戏。

2）社交游戏开发商East Side Games（代表作为《Pot Farm》）首席执行官Jason Bailey日前表示，他希望Google+能够成为一个堪与Facebook抗衡的社交游戏平台，这样开发商才能获得更多发展机会。

Pot Farm(from straight.com)

他称Facebook是目前社交游戏开发商唯一的选择，而其他社交游戏平台都已经被边缘化，开发商都在祈祷这个领域出现第二个强大的社交平台，而Google+就是最佳候选人。

3）日本社交游戏平台Gree日前与腾讯签署合作协议，将后者最近推出的智能手机游戏平台与Gree绑定，支持开发者同时向两个平台发布游戏，并使用这两者的相关服务。

腾讯与Gree结盟(from techweb.com.cn)

Tecmo Koeitt和Taito是首批参与该合作项目的开发商，前者将向这两个平台推出最新休闲游戏《My Romance of the Three Kingdoms》，而后者将发布的作品是《Spy Wars》。

此外Gree还宣布与中国智能手机游戏发行商UltiZen Games（上海灵禅信息技术能限公司）合作，后者将向Gree平台开发手机游戏。

4）传统游戏发行商Take-Twod首席执行官Strauss Zelnick日前表示，公司计划丰富产品类型，会考虑开拓其他新兴游戏平台的业务（游戏邦注：该公司最近电话会议指出，Take-Two上一财季亏损860万美元）。

Strauss-Zelnick(from newsletter.blogs.wesleyan.edu)

除了深化现有游戏的研发之外，Take-Two还会密切关注新兴的在线手机游戏平台，为了抓住这些市场机遇，该公司不久前推出了Facebook版游戏《CivWorld》和iOS作品《Sid Meier’s Pirates》。

他称因为新兴领域的用户和运营策略与掌机游戏市场截然不同，所以Take-Two要采取谨慎路线进军社交游戏市场；他认为Zynga问世也仅四年左右，Zynga游戏仍然有待时间检验。

5）《Divinitiz: The Offerings Rush》是由法国开发商Mandala Games于7月29日（该游戏在2月份进行测试）正式上线的首款社交游戏，据AppData数据显示其最近MAU是19万1968，DAU是1万9379。

Divinitiz:The Offerings Rush(from insidesocialgames)

该游戏核准心玩法是向诸神献祭，玩家必须在有限的时间内，指挥Sherpaz角色在60秒内走上弯曲的山路，向三位不同的尊神奉献相应的祭品（例如武器、植物、食物、珍宝等）。玩家得迅速满足尊神的需求，在短时间内匹配好相应的祭品，如果成功献祭，就会得到更高分值。

6）在本周的MAU增长最快Facebook游戏榜单上，育碧旗下的《The Smufts & Co., 》这款基于80年代卡通内容的城建游戏表现最为瞩目，当前MAU为156万。居于其次的是RockYou游戏《Zoo World 2》和《Gourmet Ranch》，最近MAU分别是765万和343万。

Top Gainers This Week-Games(from AppData)

目前Facebook平台有两款与蓝精灵题材有关的游戏，一是Capcom出品的iOS游戏《The Smurfs’ Village》在Facebook的推广版本，另一款就是育碧的《The Smufts & Co., 》，育碧享有蓝精灵形象使用权，可根据该题材开发Facebook等社交平台的游戏。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

1）PopCap study finds Europe is game crazy, more than half play games

by Joe Osborne

Well, the first ever social game spawned from a soap opera did come from the UK. According to a study conducted by Bejeweled Blitz creator PopCap and research firm NewZoo, more than half of adults reigning from the UK, France and Germany play games. That’s 153 million men and women across three countries that play all sorts of games from consoles to mobile to Facebook and more. The UK is home to the most gamers, with 68 percent of men and 59 percent of women playing games.

However, the younger crowd is overwhelmingly comprised of gamers across all three countries, with 87 percent in the UK, 81 percent in France and 78 percent of 10 to 20-year-old folks in Germany playing games. Even more interesting is the fact that no single platform takes up more than 50 percent of European gamers’ time, meaning that these folk are gaming everywhere. OK, not really, but these numbers sure make it sound that way, huh?

Of course, European gamers across the board are said to spend more money on console gaming than on any other gaming platform, with 44 percent of UK gamers’ money, 34 percent of German’s money and 44 percent of French cash going to console games. Keep in mind, however, that console games are by far the most expensive form of gaming. But here’s the kicker: According to NewZoo’s findings, European gamers reportedly play games not to unwind or relax, but because they’re bored. Don’t you guys work over there?（source:games）

2）Pot Farm’s Jason Bailey: Industry Is ‘Crossing Its Fingers’ For Google+

by Mike Rose

Developers need Google+ to be successful so that there is a second viable social games platform other than Facebook, according to Jason Bailey, CEO of newly-formed East Side Games.

Speaking to Vancouver’s Straight, Bailey explained that Facebook is the only real platform available for social game developers, and it is in need of some competition — namely Google+.

“Right now, there is only one major social-games platform, and that is Facebook. The consoles, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera are on a fucking nosedive,” he said.

“There is honestly only one other player in town. There’s a few other small guys, but they’re completely inconsequential.”

He continued, “Everybody in this industry is crossing their fingers and bowing down to the almighty G and saying, ‘Please, please, let this work and give us a viable second platform where we can build our games.’ Google+ being successful is going to be absolutely massive.”

“If Google+ isn’t successful, something else will eventually come along. But when and where and what is a mystery to us all,” he concluded.

East Side Games was set-up last month by Bailey along with Pot Farm developers Josh Nilson and Galan Akin, as part of a $1.5 million angel funding. （source:gamasutra）

3）Gree Partners With Chinese Providers Tencent, UltiZen

by Mike Rose

Japanese mobile social gaming network Gree has signed an agreement with Chinese online community provider Tencent that sees Tencent’s latest smartphone platform standardized to be compatible with the Gree Platform.

Developers who choose to implement either the Tencent Wireless Open Platform for Community or the Gree Platform will find that they are able to easily bring their titles to both platforms.

As a result of the agreement, both companies note that developers will be able to take advantage of shorter development cycles and a wider ranges of services, available via both platforms.

Tecmo Koei and Taito are the first publishers to take advantage of the agreement. Tecmo Koei will release its casual title My Romance of the Three Kingdoms, while Taito is looking to bring its game Spy Wars to the platforms.

Beijing Moca World Technology, one of the leading game designers for the Tencent SNS platform, is also planning to release a social game through the initiative.

Gree has also revealed a partnership with Chinese smartphone publisher UltiZen Games. As translated by GameSpot, UltiZen is set to develop smartphone games for Gree’s service. （source:gamasutra）

4）Take-Two Plans On ‘Diversifying’ Approach To Console Releases

by Tom Curtis

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick reiterated commitment to home consoles, noting its plan to diversity its product portfolio and to expand onto other emerging platforms.

In a Gamasutra-attended conference call today, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick spoke out on the company’s approach to console game development, noting that the company hopes to release a broader range of quality console titles to limit the studio’s dependence on Rockstar’s consistently popular Grand Theft Auto series.

“We’re focused on building new franchises, diversifying our approach. For example, you can look at what Red Dead Redemption did for us in our last fiscal year,” Zelnick noted, pointing to another popular release also developed by Rockstar.

The company is trying to further develop its existing franchises by pushing extensions such as BioShock Infinite, Spec Ops: The Line, and Borderlands 2 aimed for fiscal 2013 (starting in April 2012).

In addition to diversifying its offerings in the console space, Zelnick said Take-Two is also keeping a close eye on the “emerging online mobile platforms.”

To capitalize on these markets, he said, the company recently released the Facebook-based CivWorld and the iOS title Sid Meier’s Pirates.

Zelnick noted however, that Take-Two is taking a more cautious approach with the social space, as the audiences and business practices on social networks vary significantly from those on consoles.

“The business Zynga’s in has only been around for about four years,” he said. “And playing Zynga titles doesn’t scratch the same itch as playing Grand Theft Auto — that’s a dynamic that doesn’t change in the video game business.”

Also in today’s earnings call, Take-Two reported a net loss of $8.6 million for the fiscal quarter, despite major releases such as L.A. Noire and Duke Nukem Forever. （source:gamasutra）

5）Divinitiz: The Offerings Rush Demands a Sacrifice of Time on Facebook

By Randy Nelson

Divinitiz: The Offerings Rush is a fast-paced puzzle game and the first title from French developer Mandala Games. It originally entered testing back in February of 2011 and officially launched on July 29.

According to our traffic tracking service AppData, Divinitiz: The Offerings Rush currently has 191,968 monthly active users and 19,379 daily active users.

The central gameplay mechanic of Divinitiz revolves around making offering to various mythological gods. It’s a time-based matching game, during which tiny characters called Sherpaz carry a variety of offering icons up a winding mountain road to the gods. Each of the three gods are accompanied by the icon of the offering they desire. The player must pick out the corresponding offering (weapons, plants, food, treasure and other items) from the icons coming up the hill. The game is scored based on how many item matches can be made during the 60-second time limit.

Players can increase their score in a couple of ways. The first is by entering “Fury Mode,” which is accomplished by satisfying the demands of the gods as quickly as possible — players can match three items in fast succession, causing the screen to turn dark and the god icons to change, indicating that the mode is active. During Fury Mode, players attempt to match as many of the item each god is demanding without missing a beat. If they’re successful, the point multiplier for each god increases; if they slow down or miss an item, the game returns to its normal state.

The other method for boosting the player’s score is though magic crystals. As players match items, a gauge at the bottom of the screen fills. Once it’s completely full, magic crystals appear in the stream of offerings being moved up the mountain. Clicking on one temporarily fulfills all three gods’ demands. At the end of each game, players are rewarded with experience points that increase their player level, which in turn serves as a gradually increasing score multiplier.（source:insidesocialgames）

6）Ubisoft, RockYou Games Lead This Week’s List of Fastest-Growing Facebook Games by MAU

By AJ Glasser

Ubisoft leads this week’s list of fastest-growing games by monthly active users with the newly-launched The Smufts & Co., a city-building game based on the 1980s cartoon franchise. Not far behind are Zoo World 2 and Gourmet Ranch from RockYou.

Don’t be confused by the presence of two Smurf game apps on Facebook. The Smurfs’ Village is a promotion for Capcom’s mobile city-building game that redirects off Facebook to a site where customers can download it for iOS devices. The Smurfs & Co. is an actual Facebook game built and run by Ubisoft, which owns the rights to develop the game on Facebook and potentially for social networks as well. Stick around for a full review of The Smufs & Co. later this week.（source:insidesocialgames）