1)Zynga日前聘请了信息技术的资深管理人士Debra Chrapaty担任公司首席信息官。游戏邦获悉，Chrapaty曾任职于众多大型公司。她曾于上世纪90年代担任E*Trade总裁；同时还在微软担任7年的全球副总裁；除此之外，她还在Cisco担任了一年半的协同软件业务副总裁。虽然Zynga先前就已陆续聘请了一些技术元老加入公司，并成功为其众多大型游戏奠定了雄厚的技术基础，但CIO这个职位着实令人耳目一新。

2)EA联合孩之宝公司（Hasbro）将4月7日定为“全球大富翁日”（Global Monopoly Day）。游戏开发商希望利用该天为《Monopoly Millionaires》玩家最多的时段设定吉尼斯世界记录（Guiness World Record）。据公司官方消息称，该活动将延续至当晚的11点59分。用户只要在公司的“全球大富翁日”官方网页留言就可获得相应奖品。游戏邦获悉，活动结束隔天即4月8日，EA将在iPad和Kindle等平台推出《Monopoly》游戏的手机版本。

Monopoly Millionaires

3)日前在旧金山的Marketing Intelligence 6 Conference（MI6）大会上，RockYou高级副总裁和总经理Julie Shumaker发表了6分钟的演讲，谈论其对于社交游戏未来的看法。她称，“社交游戏的未来就是将游戏社交化。社交游戏未来的发展主要在于游戏内容和游戏机制两个方面，为用户提供更加有趣的游戏体验。”她认为现实生活给社交游戏带来的影响将主要体现在游戏的真实感和用户的品牌粘性。Shumaker认为社交游戏未来面临的挑战是如何将既有硬核游戏玩家带到社交游戏领域。最后Shumaker表示，RockYou将会在其中扮演重要角色。

4)Factor 5总经理Julian Eggebrecht协同其若干前员工日前在加州的马林郡（Marin）成立了名为TouchFactor的工作室。事实上该工作室早在2010年就已成立，只是仍未推出任何产品。然而，据公司在LinkedIn的资料显示该公司拥有11-50名的雇员。游戏邦获悉，该公司的宗旨是“在众多富有创造性的知名媒介开放互动软件和技术。”

5)HISTORY继续其的数字平台品牌扩张之旅，该公司最近刚刚推出了《Pawn Stars》系列的Facebook版本。在这款大亨风格的游戏中，用户通过管理自己的虚拟当铺，就有机会成为典当之星（Pawn Star）。《Pawn Stars》的Facebook测试版是在1月27日推出，游戏邦发现，即便公司没有采取任何推广活动，游戏的MAU也达到了75万，而DAU也有超过15万。游戏邦获悉，Facebook版本的《Pawn Stars》是Facebook 20大增长势头强劲的游戏之一。

Pawn Stars

6)GameStop日前将其数字策略推向新高度，通过Facebook平台推出在线商店。GameStop通过借助Adgregate Markets的ShopFans电子商务技术，Facebook应用商店的首个跨渠道游戏零售商。买家可以要求商店将商品派送至其住址，或者自己到其中任何一家商店取货。GameStop电子商务副总裁Kelly Mulroney谈到新商店时表示，“Facebook的社交商务是受信任商店和在线网络的天然补充。”早前GameStop总裁 Tony Bartel曾表示，“我们顾客开始以混合的方式购买商品，包括实店购买和数字方式，所以我们努力将自己打造成为一个综合的公司，来满足他们的需求。”

7)Viacom子公司MTV Networks日前宣布成立新工作室345 Games，旨在基于有线电视网络Comedy Central和Spike TV的节目内容开发游戏。公司的品牌项目将和独立开发商共同合作完成，游戏邦获悉，345 Games“吸收了Networks的创意精英，并且利用Networks的营销、数字业务和宣传团队资源。”新工作室推出的游戏包括《致命武士》的续集《致命武士：传奇》，这款游戏是由Pipeworks Software制作的，其在Xbox Live Arcade和PSN平台的销量已经将近10万份。该续集的内容包括“新格斗选择，更为准确的抛掷系统，更多的竞技场以及全新的作战模式。”

8)旅行机构Tourism Ireland表示其将成为涉足社交游戏的首家国营旅行机构，其深入分析《FarmVille》和《CityVille》等游戏的成功原因，随后推出了新游戏《Ireland Town》，是Tourism Ireland进军Facebook的重要一页。其表示，美国和英国24%的网民每周至少体验一次社交游戏。游戏邦获悉，游戏中，《Ireland Town》玩家将在旅游向导Sally的帮助下建造自己田园村庄。玩家可以探索游戏图标中的地点，参观爱尔兰的旅游胜地，完成各种挑战后可以晋升至新等级，挑战的内容包括在爱尔兰度假期间所需参观的地方和所要完成的任务。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，转载请注明来源：游戏邦）

1）Zynga Announces New CIO: Cisco’s Debra Chrapaty

In the latest indicator of Zynga’s maturation as a technology company, it is hiring veteran information tech executive Debra Chrapaty to be its new chief information officer.

Chrapaty has an extensive background at big tech companies, including a three-year stint as president of E*Trade in the late 90s, seven years as a corporate vice president at Microsoft, and mostly recently a year and a half as the senior vice president of collaborative software at Cisco.

While Zynga has been hiring veteran technologists since its early days, and has been especially successful in building out its own infrastructure to supports its many large games, the CIO position is to our knowledge new. And we don’t have much more information about what Chrapaty is doing (although we’re asking Zynga to share more, and we’ll update if we hear back). A press release sent to us by the company says that she’ll report to chief technology officer Cadir Lee, and it includes her official statement about the job:

Through its focus on leading technology, Zynga is redefining how we look at play. My job will be to make it easier for our employees to design and build for play. I am looking forward to tackling Zynga’s unique technology challenges and helping develop infrastructure systems to ensure that we have the most scalable, secure, and reliable systems in place.

Zynga has been busy showing off its ability to attract top talent this week. On Monday, it announced that DreamWorks chief executive Jeffrey Katzenberg is joining the company’s board of directors.（Source：Inside Social Games）

2）April 7 Named “Global Monopoly Day”

EA and Hasbro have teamed up to declare that today shall henceforth be known as “Global Monopoly Day.” The game developer is hoping to use the day to set a Guiness World Record for most people playing Monopoly Millionaires over a 24 hour period.

The day has already officially started and will run until 11:59PM tonight. You can RSVP over at the official Global Monopoly Day page, which will put you in the running for some prizes, of which there are over $20,000 worth. What, specifically, those prizes are we don’t know, but there will definitely be some sort of Apple goodies mixed in, as well as cash prizes and Visa gift cards.

Once the festivities are over, on April 8, EA will continue the Monopoly love wil sales on mobile versions of the game across the iPad, Kindle, and other platforms.（Source：Bbgsite）

3）RockYou’s Julie Shumaker at MI6: The Future of Social Games Is Social

At a speed-themed panel during the Marketing Intelligence 6 Conference in San Francisco today, RockYou SVP and GM Julie Shumaker had 20 slides and six minutes to describe what she sees as the future of games. Wisely, she limited her time to talking about social games.

“The irony is that the future of social gaming will actually be social,” Shumaker said. “The evolution of social games is about game content and the mechanics that make interesting social game experiences. Content will move from clicks to storylines. We may require people to think.”

Being that Shumaker only had 20 seconds per slide to explain her assertions, not all of the ideas were fully expressed; but a notable few make a lot of sense to us. For example, she said that as social games evolve toward actual social experience, people will develop friend networks around games made up of people who aren’t actually their friends in real life. Shumaker also said that these experiences would shift from asynchronous “click and then wait for your friend” experiences to synchronous, multiplayer games.

Another interesting idea is the impact real life will have on social games in the form of augmented reality and brand engagement. Shumaker — and all of the other panelists — seemed to agree that the future of games would be a 24/7 networked experience consistent from device to device and through this constant connection, we might see real life inserting itself into the game either as a gameplay experience or as a marketing exercise. For example, Shumaker hypothesized a scenario where a player would walk into a Starbucks, complete a level in a game on his phone, and win a free latte from the store for his in-game accomplishment.

The challenge, Shumaker said, is bringing the existing hardcore gamer into the social games space. “We’ve got to blow shit up,” she said. Then, echoing a statement made in an early MI6 panel by EA Sports’ Peter Moore, she said that brands would add value to the player experience in a way that would engage them consistently.

Shumaker closed her six-minute speech with the statement that RockYou would play a part in all of this. “We will continue to innovate our ad products,” she said. But at the same time, the company would continue to innovate in gameplay so that “games will finally move from clicks to experiences.”（Source：Inside Social Games）

4）News: Ex-Factor 5 staff form social games studio

Factor 5 boss Julian Eggebrecht, and a number of his other ex-staff, have formed a new social gaming studio in Marin County, California called TouchFactor.

The studio was actually established in 2010, but has yet to announce any products or update its website. However, the company’s LinkedIn profile lists 11-50 employees.

The company describes its mission as creating “interactive software and technologies across a variety of media that is innovative, recognizable, memorable, and instantly usable”.（Source：Gamers.5starhot）

5）HISTORY? Launches Facebook Social Game Based on Hit TV Series Pawn Stars

HISTORY® continues its brand expansion across digital platforms with the launch of for a social game on Facebook, based on the networks #1 rated series, Pawn Stars. The tycoon style game allows each player the chance to become a Pawn Star, through the operation of their own virtual pawn shop.

Launched in beta on January 27, the Pawn Stars Facebook game has without promotional support to date generated over 750,000 monthly unique users and over 150,000 daily unique users, ranking as one of Facebooks top 20 fastest-growing apps. The game can be accessed at BeAPawnStar.com.

The Pawn Stars Facebook game embodies the spirit of the show, which airs new episodes on HISTORY on Mondays at 10pm ET, by giving players control of their own pawn shop. Starting from the ground up, players are tasked with acquiring inventory for their store. Faced with a stream of interesting personalities and true-to-life items, players must haggle with customers, consult experts and restore acquisitions to increase profits. New features, such as store upgrades, will roll out in April.

The characters and personalities of the Harrison family join in the fun, with Rick, the Old Man, Corey and Coreys childhood friend, Chumlee, providing commentary and assistance. The Pawn Stars appear throughout the game experience, offering support, commentary and their unique sense of humor.

Pawn Stars is HISTORYs number one series and has amassed a very passionate fan base, said Kris Soumas, Head of Gaming for AETN Digital Media. As we develop digital brand extensions for the series, it is important to create something authentic and fun. By combining the nuts and bolts of running a pawn shop with the stars of the show, this Facebook game is the perfect fit, providing fans an experience similar to what they see on TV and giving gamers a compelling new take on the popular tycoon genre.

Players will encounter an array of interesting characters bringing in items seen on the television show. The rich historical background of each item will be presented to the players as they decide whether to purchase the item for their shop. More advanced players will become expert hagglers, identifying genuine products, finding rare pieces and consulting others en route to Pawn Stardom. As the game progresses, players will be able to customize their store, and trade items with fellow Facebook users. This is AETNs first Facebook game using Facebook Credits for microtransactions. Players can spend credits on numerous features including instant sell, expert advice and store upgrades. The game was developed by Gamenauts, with live operations and ongoing game design by Antmesh.

Pawn Stars follows a family-run pawnshop in Las Vegas, as three generations of men from the Harrison family buy and sell collectible, unusual and historically significant items. Theyve seen 3-cent nickels, clocks that kill, an historic Revolutionary War bond printed by Paul Revere, sunken treasure from the Spanish Empire, a glass sword hand-crafted by a self-proclaimed nutcase and so much more. Their customers, often as colorful as the merchandise, are carrying on a centuries-old practice: pawning or selling their possessions to make a quick buck.

About AETN Digital Media

AETN Digital Media, a division of A&E Television Networks, LLC, is a leading provider of digital content for properties including History, Lifetime, A&E, Biography, Roiworld, DressUpChallenge, Lifetime Moms and MothersClick. More than 13 million unique visitors per month engage with the companys digital brands across 14 properties, and millions more consume the content via syndication, social media and mobile.

About HISTORY®

HISTORY® and HISTORY HD® are the leading destinations for revealing, award-winning original non-fiction series and event-driven specials that connect history with viewers in an informative, immersive and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. Programming covers a diverse variety of historical genres ranging from military history to contemporary history, technology to natural history, as well as science, archaeology and pop culture. Among the network’s program offerings are hit series such as American Pickers, Ax Men, The Universe, Ice Road Truckers, Top Gear, Pawn Stars and Top Shot, as well as acclaimed specials including America the Story of Us, WWII in HD, 102 Minutes That Changed America, The Presidents Book of Secrets and Life After People. HISTORY has earned four Peabody Awards, seven Primetime Emmy® Awards, 12 News & Documentary Emmy® Awards and received the prestigious Governor’s Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network’s Save Our History® campaign dedicated to his oric preservation and history education. Take a Veteran to School Day is the network’s latest initiative connecting America’s schools and communities with veterans from all wars. The HISTORY website, located at http://www.history.com, is the leading online resource for all things history, featuring over 20,000 videos, images, audio clips, articles and interactive features that allow visitors to dig deeper into a broad range of thousands of historical topics.（Source：Hollywoodindustry）

6）GameStop And Adgregate Markets Launch Facebook Store

With the surprise purchases of Stardock’s Impulse digital download service and streaming technology company Spawn Labs, GameStop has now taken its new digital strategy a step further, launching an online store via Facebook.

Working with Adgregate Markets’ ShopFans e-commerce technology, it is the first multichannel games retailer to open a store page on Facebook.

Shoppers can choose to order items direct to their address, or pick up items at any chosen store. The Facebook store also allows PowerUp loyalty rewards to be collected and used.

John Underwood, COO of Adgregate Markets, said to IndustryGamers that the company pitched the idea to GameStop around six months ago. He noted, “We expect to continue innovating with their store and I would expect to roll out new features; certainly digital distribution is something we’re ready to do if they are as well.”

“Gamers and affinity groups are always creating buzz online and through word of mouth for games and entertainment brands,” said Underwood. “ShopFans is a perfect fit for GameStop to turn customers’ social conversations into purchase conversions while they’re in their preferred online destination.”

When questioned about whether publishers will choose to simply create their own Facebook stores, rather than use GameStop, Underwood noted that, “most publishers still favor the established games channels like GameStop, and even in the context of Facebook we’re having conversations with publishers who are going to launch mini-versions of the GameStop store specifically for their titles.”

Vice president of e-commerce at GameStop Kelly Mulroney said of the new store, “Social commerce on Facebook is a natural complement to our trusted store and online networks.”

“We have millions of customers already engaging with us on Facebook, and ShopFans gives those loyal fans more reasons than ever to shop GameStop across multiple channels.”

Earlier in the week, GameStop president Tony Bartel told Gamasutra about the company’s new digital plans. “Our customers are beginning to consume games in a hybrid manner, both physical and digital, so we are becoming a hybrid company to meet their needs,” he said.（Source：Gamasutra）

7） MTV Networks Launches 345 Games, Plans Deadliest Warrior Follow-Up

Viacom subsidiary MTV Networks today announced the creation of 345 Games, a new gaming arm which will develop games based on shows from cable networks Comedy Central and Spike TV.

Promising to partner with independent developers for some of its branded projects, 345 Games will reportedly “work in close collaboration with the networks’ creative talent and will be supported by the networks’ marketing, digital and publicity departments.”

The new studio’s announced titles include Deadliest Warrior: Legends a follow-up to last July’s surprisingly successful Deadliest Warrior game, which was developed by Pipeworks Software and has sold nearly 400,000 copies on Xbox Live Arcade and PSN.

The follow-up will include “new fighting options, a more precise projectile system, more arenas and a new campaign mode” when it hits in mid-July.

In a Gamasutra postmortem on the game, Deadliest Warrior producer Jeremy Mahler said the game’s reception would have been even better if not for the negative stigma associated with licensed games.

“The premise of the IP makes perfect sense for a game, yet there were countless gamers and reviewers that immediately blew this game off as garbage without picking up a controller to give it an honest go,” Mahler said.

345 Games’ second project, Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon is being described as a “four player co-op side scroller shooter game” based on the Comedy Central animated sitcom, due in August. Both planned titles will retail for $10 on both Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.

“Comedy Central and Spike TV squarely target the video game audience,” said Dan Yang, an MTV Networks senior VP and new general manager at 345 Games. “With the launch of 345 Games, we are tapping into the passionate fan base of both Comedy Central and Spike and creating an enhanced interactive experience based on our hit shows and brands.”

The new studio launch represents a reinvestment in the gaming market for Viacom, which late last year sold Rock Band developer Harmonix to strategic investment firm Columbus Nova after declining sales in the rhythm music game market.

Last July, MTV Networks purchased publishing platform Social Express in an effort to expand an online gaming footprint that already includes over 22 million unique monthly visitors across sites like AddictingGames.com, Shockwave.com, Nick.com and Neopets.（Source：Gamasutra）

8）Tourism Ireland focuses on viral effect of social gaming

National tourism agencies/ boards and destination marketing organisations are looking at new ways of engaging potential holidaymakers.

Be it for location-based social games or proximity marketing or online competition via check-ins, there is no dearth of campaigns.

Recently, Tourism Ireland said that it has become the first national tourism board to launch a social game, tapping into the huge popularity of games like FarmVille and CityVille.

The new game, Ireland Town, will be a part of Tourism Ireland’s Facebook pages.

The organisation highlighted that 24 percent of all people on the Internet in the US and Great Britain play social games at least once a week.

Mark Henry, Tourism Ireland’s central marketing director, said, “It is a unique promotional tool and a first, as no other national tourist board had done this before.

“For those fans who may be planning to visit in 2011, this is certainly a different way to research their holiday.”

In Ireland Town, Facebook fans are invited to create their own idyllic town in Ireland, with the help of ‘tour guide’ Sally.

They can then explore iconic sites and visitor attractions around the island, completing various challenges in order to progress to the next level of the game; these challenges reflect the huge variety of things to see and do on a holiday in Ireland.

There are 32 destinations and nine different tasks to be completed during each challenge. Fans can progress faster through the game if they sign up their Facebook friends to also join in.

For the fans who make it through all of the tasks, there is the chance to win a ‘real world’ prize of a holiday to Ireland.

Banking on the viral effect of social games, it is expected that up to 100,000 Facebook fans will sign up to play Ireland Town over the coming weeks.

Henry said, “Given that Tourism Ireland currently has a fan base of a quarter of a million people around the globe, and each of the fans has in turn an average of 130 friends, Tourism Ireland can potentially engage with 32.5 million people worldwide through our new Ireland Town game.” （Source：Travemole）