1）谷歌近日宣布更新Google+Games功能，推出“Top Games”、“New Games”和“Staff Picks”这三种支持玩家检索游戏的新途径。

Google+Games(from games)

这三个列表出现在Google+Games主页左侧工具条，用户点击一个列表就能打开一个新页面。每个页面都以网格状布局展现Google+推荐的游戏图标，鼠标移动到这些图标就会显示游戏内容简介。如果玩家想找到Google+最新游戏，点击New Games即可找到并体验新游戏。

2）法国发行商Gameloft最近向Google+平台发布基于HTML5的3D赛车游戏《GT Racing: Motor Academy》，支持玩家使用键盘控制方式体验真实感体育赛车运动。

GT Racing(from games)

据Gameloft所称，这款社交游戏采用了实时多人赛车模式，有111种模拟尼桑、奥迪、法拉利等26家制造商推出的赛车可供选择，玩家得先通过不同的驾驶测试，升级自己的驾照然后才能参加最顶尖的赛车活动。

3）分析公司Wedbush Securities近日称Zynga股票评级为“跑赢大盘”，并认为Zynga股票一年内每股售价将达12.5美元（游戏邦注：但上周Strerne Agee分析师则将Zynga股票评为“弱于大盘”，每股仅售7美元，远低于Zynga原来的每股10美元要价；而另一家分析公司Cowne and Comapny上周则将Zynga股票评为“中级”）。

Wedbush Securities分析师Michael Pachter称因为移动领域涌现更多发展机遇，再加上Zynga的广告盈利能力，所以他相信Zynga的长期运营表现。

Zynga上市首天在纳斯达克收盘股价为9.5美元，在19日收盘时则是9.05美元，当天最低售价为8.75美元。

4）据games报道，The Learning Company公司最近宣布《Carmen Sandiego》和《The Oregon Trail》这两款Facebook游戏将于2012年1月6日关闭项目，但不幸的是，这两者的玩家不会获得任何补偿。

Oregon Trail(from games)

观察者称，这两款游戏都是独具特色的内容，它们与一般Facebook游戏的玩法和美术风格极为不同，可它们非但无法吸引成百上千万用户，而且还将面临闭门谢客的绝境，这种现象令人扼腕。

5）据Socialbakers观察，Facebook日本注册用户现已超过600万（准确数据为626万7540），这说明Facebook在9月至12月之间新增了100万日本用户（游戏邦注：这是socialbakers通过Facebook自助服务广告工具而获取的日本数据，并不代表Facebook官方数据）。

facebook-japan(from socialbakers)

但Facebook已在今年9月份宣布其日本活跃用户超过500万，所以可以推测目前的Facebook日本用户实际上已经超过socialbakers的统计数据。

日本实名社交平台Mixi日前注册用户已达2500万，其中活跃用户达1500万（这里的活跃用户是指每月至少登录一次的用户）。

6）据Kennebec Journal报道，Maine Tral Lawyers的一名女行政助理Bettysue Higgins日前因沉溺社交游戏，挪用公司16.6万美元而被起诉。

mafia wars(from games)

这名被告将挪用的公款花在《Mafia Wars》和《YoVille》等社交游戏中。根据银行帐户的交易记录显示，Higgins在2010年2月一共在游戏中花了4000美元。

Higgins将面临6年牢狱之灾，如果她能补上自己所盗用的款项并另外多付700美元就能缓刑3年，但这名女子的房子都已经丧失抵押品赎回权，所以她已经难逃此劫。

7）Zynga首席执行官Mark Pincus近日向《福布斯》表示，他不明白为什么外界对Zynga表现充满质疑，认为Zynga上市后其员工会立即抛售股票套现，他称Zynga是硅谷人员流失率最低的公司之一。

Mark Pincus(from games)

EA一名人事高管曾指出Zynga紧张的企业文化可能会迫使其员工抛售股票后立即出走，但Mark Pincus反驳了这种说法，并称“我们的员工是真的很爱Zynga，并以公司为荣”。

观察者称，Zynga在本月19日的股价下滑至8.8美元左右，低于原先的10美元要价，现在并非Zynga员工抛售股票套现的最佳时机。

8）由于添加了基于广告的病毒传播机制，并与Zynga其他Facebook游戏进行交叉推广，Zynga游戏《Words With Friends》的Facebook版本最近几个月的用户稳步增长，据AppData数据显示，《Words With Friends》当前MAU为1350万，DAU为560万。

Words With Friends-ads(from insidesocialgames)

该游戏的广告病毒传播机制与其iOS免费版本相似（游戏会不时弹出视频或广告条幅，但玩家可付费升级到无广告的游戏版本），如果玩家至少邀请了2名好友，就可以限时体验（目前是每周一次）无广告内容的游戏，也可以支付36个虚拟货币（价值不超过5美元）使游戏升级到无广告版本，这些广告内容会在出现5秒后就自动退出。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

1）Google+ Games shows its colors with new game discovery features

by Joe Osborne

The seemingly endless tit for tat battle between Google+ and Facebook may finally be over. Well, at least where games are concerned. The search giant of the same name (minus the “+”) issued an update to Google+ Games that includes three new ways for players to discover which games to play next. The lists are “Top Games”,” “New Games” and “Staff Picks.”

They’re pretty much self-explanatory, but the key takeaway here is that features like these take full advantage of the fact that Google+ Games is its own tucked-away section of the social network. Therefore, Google has opted to take more of an app store approach that you’d find at Apple’s App Store or the Android Market than Facebook’s highly ad-driven and social approach.

Each list appears on the left hand sidebar of the Google+ Games home page, and clicking on each opens a new page. While the way each list is populated is entirely different, they each look

identical. Each page features a number of game icons in a grid layout, and mousing over each reveals a description of the game and the option to play. If a player wants to find the newest games on Google+, the guy or gal can simply click on “New Games” and instantly find brand new games to play.

Well, brand new in theory: The majority of social games on Google+ are already available on Facebook, save for exclusive releases like The Godfather: Five Families and GT Racing: Motor Academy. As the platform matures, game discovery features like these could be the selling point for Google+ Games. Your move, Facebook.（source:games）

2）Gameloft floors it onto Google+ with GT Racing: Motor Academy

by Joe Osborne

Games on Google+ just got infinitely more interesting. Gameloft has launched GT Racing: Motor Academy, a 3D sports car racing game built using HTML5, on the Google+ Games platform. If you’re unfamiliar with console racing simulators like Gran Turismo, the game allows players to race realistic sports cars on various tracks in real time using the keyboard as a controller.

That’s to say that this social game will involve very little clicking. According to Gameloft, GT Racing features 111 cars based on real-life models released by 26 manufacturers including Nissan, Audi, Ferrari and more. Racers must pass various driver’s tests to upgrade their licenses and compete in “prestigious” racing events. But here’s the clincher: real-time multiplayer racing.

“Gameloft is very excited about offering our games to Google+ users,” Gameloft VP Publishing for the Americas Baudouin Corman said. “GT Racing is bringing a stunning racing experience right in the browser, and we are happy to be pioneering the field with Google to bring the social gaming platform to the next level.”

GT Racing is certainly a treat to look at when it comes to social games. But as with other 3D games on Google+, initially loading the game can take several minutes and players shouldn’t be surprised to see their sessions lag or freeze completely while playing. HTML5 social gaming in 3D is undoubtedly here, but not without a few kinks.（source:games）

3）Analysts Divided Over Zynga’s Outlook Following Public Debut

by Tom Curtis

Now that Zynga has made its debut on the stock market, analyst firm Wedbush Securities has given the company an optimistic “Outperform” rating, with a 12 month price target of $12.50 per share.

This optimistic figure stands in stark contrast to estimates from Strerne Agee, which last week gave the company a target price of just $7 per share — significantly lower than Friday’s opening price of $10. With such wildly different estimates, analysts are clearly divided over the future of the social gaming powerhouse.

Wedbush’s Michael Pachter noted that he believes Zynga is “well-positioned for long-term growth,” particularly due to emerging opportunities in the mobile space and the company’s ability to drive ad revenue.

In a prior report, however, Sterne Agee’s Arvind Bhatia noted that Zynga’s growth has slowed down considerably in recent months, noting that many of its major titles, like CityVille and FarmVille, have already reached their peak user counts.

In addition, Cowen and Company last week gave the company a “Neutral” rating, and pointed to “significant concerns” regarding the company’s potential for growth in the coming months.

After its first day on NASDAQ, Zynga saw its share price drop by 5 percent, settling at $9.50 per share by market close.

Trading today closed at $9.05, with shares selling for as low as $8.75. （source:gamasutra）

4）Carmen Sandiego, Oregon Trail on Facebook will be no more next year

by Joe Osborne

It’s a sad state of affairs for games that try something different these days, it seems. Both Carmen Sandiego and The Oregon Trail on Facebook will shut their doors for good come Jan. 6, 2012. While we pretty much knew this one was coming since Mass.-based Blue Fang Games shut down over the summer, the news still comes with that pang of mild depression.

The Learning Company, which holds licenses for both games, delivered the somber news via in-game messages within both games before players enter. Unfortunately, it is not offering any compensation for existing players.

That pang is probably more like a flare of rage for those that spent money in either game. That said, the fact that these two social games will shut down is a bummer for a far more important reason. Both Carmen Sandiego and The Oregon Trail were visibly different than your average Facebook game. Each game touted refreshing play hooks in its own right, and some of the most vibrant art styles filled with character we’ve seen even by year’s end.

The games also approached social gaming mechanics in unprecedented ways, so much so that one appeared to be quite the inspiration for a release by a far more popular and powerful social game maker. You’d think that such recognizable brands like The Oregon Trail and Carmen Sandiego would be enough to drive millions to play. Sadly, it seems as if that wasn’t the case. Well, cheers to Blue Fang Games for attempting to innovate and bring childhood classics to the forefront once again.（source:games）

5）Socialbakers Shows Facebook Now Has Over 6 Million Users In Japan [Social Networks]

by Dr. Serkan Toto

Facebook Japan now boasts over 6 million registered users, if you believe the newest data coming from social media analytics service Socialbakers. To be more concrete, Facebook counts 6,267,540 registered Japanese members – again, according to Socialbakers.

In other words, Facebook added about a million Japanese members between September and December (probably more), which is a pretty solid performance:

Take this with a grain of salt, however: Socialbakers pulls country-specific data from Facebook’s self-service ad tool, which doesn’t deliver exact numbers.

For example, Facebook itself said that they have more than five million active users in Japan back in September. It took Socialbakers an entire month to show the same number for Japan – for registered users.

In other words, you can assume that Facebook now has more registered users than Socialbakers shows and surely more active users than back in September.

By way of comparison: Mixi has 25 million registered users, about 15 million of whom are active (logging in at least once per month).（source:serkantoto）

6）Woman embezzles $166,000 … and spends a bit of it on Mafia Wars

by Joe Osborne

Believe it or not, but social games have driven people to do crazier things. Nevertheless, 54-year-old Augusta, Maine woman Bettysue Higgins pleaded guilty in court to embezzling $166,000 from Maine Trial Lawyers where she was an administrative assistant. According to Kennebec Journal, Kennebec County Superior Court prosecutor claimed much of it was spent on social games.

Namely Mafia Wars and YoVille, the prosecutor found. In addition to 220 checks written out in Higgins’s name since 2006, the former assistant wrote 78 checks in her name between January 2010 and Sept. 10, 2010. The funds from all 78 checks deposited into her account went directly to Zynga’s games. Defense attorney Ronald Bourget said that, according to her bank account statement for February 2010, Higgins had spent $4,000 on the games. Assistant Attorney General Leanne Robbin said, “Apparently she was buying virtual coins for virtual property in a virtual world.”

Higgins covered her tracks by doctoring accounting records, but the company’s executive director, David Prince, found out about the embezzlement when a check he wrote for $5,500 had bounced. Now, the woman faces six years in prison and three years of probation, but only if she pays up to $700 more than what she stole. Considering her home is in foreclosure, that’s unlikely.

Crime and social games is nothing new: Men have stolen from the elderly for game cash, and women have all but neglected their children to get more time with their digital poison of choice. But elaborate embezzlement schemes to fuel said addictions sounds like a new approach.（source:games）

7）FarmVille maker CEO: ‘Our employees have a real love for Zynga’

by Joe Osborne

Zynga went public this past Friday, and the results were … less than favorable. But on top of a slipping stock price, investors and recruiters alike have voiced concerns that the company’s offering will inspire staffers to cash out, or sell their stock in the company and abandon ship. Not according to what CEO and founder of the FarmVille creator, Mark Pincus, told Fortune.

“I’m not sure why there’s been all that speculation other than that we’ve been in a quiet period,” Pincus told Fortune. “Our company has historically had very low attrition, much lower than other public or private companies in Silicon Valley. I know that hasn’t been reported on, but it’s true. We also continue to have an amazing inflow of resumes and talent.”

The man behind CityVille was referring to suspicions sparked by a scathing New York Times report in which an EA recruiter said that Zynga’s intense culture might drive employees to sell their shares and join other companies. (In this recruiter’s case, hopefully EA.) “Our employees have a real love for Zynga and real pride,” Pincus told Fortune. “We’ve asked them not to go out and defend us in the press or blogs, so I don’t think that’s come through publicly yet.”

However, even before Zynga filed to go public, employees have spoken out on the company’s culture and Pincus’s approach to the business of making games. As of this writing, Zynga shares hover around $8.80–over a dollar less than the company’s initial $10 asking price. If Zynga employees are going to sell, now’s the time to do it.（source:games）

8） How Words With Friends for Facebook is Growing Through Ads

AJ Glasser

Zynga’s Words With Friends for Facebook has grown steadily since the developer launched the cross-platform experience over the summer. In the last few months, however, the game has really ramped up growth thanks to an ad-based viral mechanic and cross-promotion alongside Zynga’s “traditional” Facebook games.

According to our AppData traffic tracking service, Words With Friends currently enjoys 13.5 million monthly active users and 5.6 million daily active users. Note that this figure also accounts for mobile users that link their apps with Facebook Connect.

The viral mechanic is based on the ads that the original iOS game leveraged in its free version. A player would make a move, and the game would generate a pop-up video or banner, but players could upgrade to the paid version of the game in order to avoid any ads. Zynga’s Facebook take on this model has been to show players ads after the moves, and prompt them to invite a minimum of two friends in order to play the game ad-free for a certain amount of time (currently one week). Players can also pay 36 premium currency units (which comes out to a little less than $5) to make the game permanently ad-free. The ad box can be exited about five seconds after opening.

Words With Friends also seems to be getting a boost from Zynga’s cross-promotion bar, which previously only featured Zynga’s core franchises — FarmVille, CityVille, etc. This cross promotion bar could be driving traffic to other Zynga games on Facebook, as we observe an uptick in Adventure World that seems to coincide with Words With Friends’ rise on the platform. Words With Friends may also be getting a boost from Facebook’s HTML5-based mobile platform, launched this fall, as it was one of the few titles available in the first week — but as the game is still only playable on smartphones as a downloadable app, there may not be much traffic coming from this direction.（source:insidesocialgames）