1）Facebook首席执行官马克·扎克伯格于日前确认Facebook用户已达7.5亿，并称这一数据并不能反映用户粘性，他希望Facebook用户可以尽快突破10亿大关（游戏邦注：Facebook是以过去30天登录网站的用户来计算，所以这里的7.5亿用户应是每月活跃用户数量）。

Facebook Credits(from friskymongoose.com)

2）在消费者权益组织Consumer Watchdog批评Facebook Credits政策之后，Facebook在近日做出回应，对其开发者条款进行了微调，“您不可在Facebook上通过Credits形式，针对用户购买的游戏道具、虚拟货币或服务，征收比其他平台或服务的支付方式更高的费用。”

当然，Facebook只是将原来含蓄的限制性政策，转变成了一个更为隐讳的说法。但Watchdog仍在呼吁FTC（美国联邦贸易委员会）介入调查此事，开发者目前也只能寄希望于Google Games（以及20%抽成）的传言确有其事。

Tsukuro! Densha Town(from serkantoto)

3）社交游戏开发商热酷日本工作室最近向Mixi平台发布新游戏《Tsukuro! Densha Town》（意为“让我们建设列车小镇吧”）。玩家在游戏中的任务就是扮演列车站长，沿着车站建设一座城市，通过购买新列车、创造收益等行为管理和扩大车站以增加城市人口。该游戏目前仅限运行于PC端的Mixi平台。

4）gamezebo网站针对Facebook日前宣布引进Skype视频聊天功能撰文称，这种新功能有利于Facebook多人模式社交游戏的发展。该文章称虽然多数Facebook游戏采用的是异步玩法，并不需要实时视频聊天功能，但却极适用于《Civ World》和《Global Warfare》这种多人策略游戏。

Skype-Video-Calling(from insidefacebook)

Google+社交网络目前已有类似功能Hangouts，支持10名用户同时进行视频聊天，实时聊天功能将成为社交网络的一个重要组成部分。另外随着采用实时多人模式新游戏的涌现，今后的社交游戏将更具社交性。

bejeweled(from games)

5）PopCap Games最近与沃尔玛进行合作，支持从沃尔玛购买Facebook Credits礼品卡的用户获赠一个可用于《宝石迷阵闪电战》的免费Cat’s Eye Gem，该活动时间截止日期为8月2日。沃尔玛出售10美元、15美元和25美元这三种面值的Facebook Credits礼品卡（游戏邦注：10美元的礼品卡可兑换100个Facebook Credits）。

6）日本发行商Namco Bandai于今年在Facebook推出两个版本的《吃豆人》游戏——《吃豆人》和《吃豆人 S》。第一个版本基本上延续了原版街机游戏的风格和元素，其盈利方式也与原版游戏相差无几，支持积分排行榜功能，植入了Facebook Credits系统，支持玩家在“丧命”时付费获得再次体验游戏的机会。

Pac-Man vs Pac-Man S by MAU(from AppData)

第二个版本《吃豆人 S》也支持积分排分榜功能，但设置了升级功能和两分钟游戏玩法，要求玩家在有限时间内快速获得大量积分，玩家的升级情况会直接影响其总得分。

Pac-Man vs Pac-Man S by DAU(from AppData)

从AppData数据来看，经典版本的《吃豆人》在MAU和DAU上均胜过《吃豆人 S》，这一点足以说明正宗就是《吃豆人》在Facebook打败其他同类竞争者的重要原因之一，该游戏面世31年以来，其品牌和音效一直为大众所熟知。

Pac-Man S vs Pac-Man(from insidesocialgames)

该公司营销副总裁Carlson Choi表示，他们推出两个版本的游戏，主要是为了试水Facebook游戏领域，《吃豆人 S》版本让他们收获了宝贵的经验，更加了解用户的需求，未来将在该版本中添加更多元素，但《吃豆人》这个版本将保持其正宗性，不会再做调整。

7）在本周DAU增长最快的Facebook游戏榜单上，Zynga新作《Empires & Allies》仍稳居榜首，目前DAU达714万；Kabam之前推出的策略游戏由于一些推广活动而获得不少DAU和MAU，其最新游戏《Samurai Dynasty》和《Edgeworld》虽然不在推广活动范围之列，但也顺利跻身前20名。在过去30天中，Kabam所有游戏的DAU已经突破100万。

Top Gainers This Week-Games(from AppData)

中国网游公司完美世界推出的首款Facebook游戏《Perfect Getaway》位居第10名，该游戏支持玩家扮演一艘豪华游轮上的经营者，为乘客提供游乐设施、餐饮等服务。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

1）Zuck Confirms That Facebook Now Has 750 Million Active Users

Leena Rao

We initially reported that Facebook had reached 750 million users, but today, founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed that the social network had reached the milestone. Zuck added that sharing is growing at an “exponential rate.”

Zuckerberg said Facebook didn’t report the milestone because they don’t thing that’s the metric they should be using to determine user engagement. He also said that he hoped that Facebook would reach a billion users soon.

Facebook hasn’t officially released an updated user count since it reached 500 million users nearly a year ago, so it’s interesting that the social network confirmed its massive userbase. Facebook’s user count is defined as a user who has logged in within the last 30 days, which shows that these 750 million users are actually actively using the site. （source:techcrunch）

2）Facebook gives in to Consumer Watchdog over Credits … sort of

by Joe Osborne

Consumer Watchdog has a bit of bite to that bark, after all. Facebook has changed its Facebook Credits terms oh-so-slightly after the non-profit consumer interest group called the company out on violating anti-trust laws last week, according to a press release.

Of course, Watchdog sniffed Facebook out as soon as Credits became the only official currency on Facebook last week. Both of Watchdog’s formal attacks show that it isn’t terribly pleased with how Facebook is essentially caging its developers by controlling how they price virtual goods on other platforms.

But now, Facebook has downgraded that ball and chain from steel to copper with its single revised line in its developer terms. The revised line reads, “You may not charge a logged-in Facebook user of your game app on Facebook a higher price in Credits for an item, virtual currency, or service than you would charge a logged-in Facebook user on another platform or service via another payment method.”

Sure, Facebook has changed the terms of its, um, terms, but has merely taken an implicit limitation and transformed it into an implied one. Developers can undercut Facebook all they want on other platforms, but those games better not use Facebook Connect. Funny thing–that’s where all of the players are.

It almost goes without saying that Watchdog is still calling for the Federal Trade Commission to intervene. At this point, developers’ only hope of avoiding Facebooks’ reportedly dastardly policies is for Google Games (and its rumored 20 percent cut) to take off in a big, big way. Like … 250 million players big.（source:games）

3）Sunshine Ranch Maker Rekoo Japan Launches New Social Game On Mixi

by Dr. Serkan Toto

Tokyo-based social gaming company Rekoo Japan (the parent company has its HQ in China) has released a new game on Mixi, dubbed “Tsukuro! Densha Town” (“Let’s build a train town”). The maker of mega hit game Sunshine Ranch is conducting some kind of “test run” for its newest title first to monitor usage.

In the game, players take on the role of a train station master who has to build a city around the station, manage and expand the station by buying new trains, generate revenue, etc. to increase the population. It’s also possible to let trains travel to cities that friends on Mixi have built.

Tsukuro! Densha Town is currently available on Mixi for PCs only.（source: serkantoto）

4）Facebook video calling could lead to improved multiplayer gaming

By Andrew Webster

Just last week, I was playing a game of Vorp, a competitive action game on Facebook, with the developers. Most of the players were on Skype, and so we were able to both coordinate with team members and trash talk opponents. Video and voice chat is a common feature in many multiplayer games, and with today’s news that Skype video calls are coming to Facebook, it could well become a common part of social games, too.

It’s a feature that won’t be suitable for most Facebook games, obviously. The biggest games like Empires & Allies and CityVille rely on asynchronous gameplay, so you don’t have to worry about chatting with other players. But more and more games are including real-time multiplayer aspects. And not just action games like Vorp, but strategy games like CivWorld and Global Warfare, which feature persistent text chat rooms so that you can keep in contact with other players.

Right now, or at least very soon when it launches, the video chat will be built directly into the chat window on Facebook, and won’t support either group chat or purely audio chat. But since these are large parts of the Skype experience, it seems likely that they’ll eventually come to Facebook, as well. So soon you’ll be able to chat and play games with your friends, all within the confines of Facebook.

The just launched Google+ social network already features a similar feature, called Hangouts, which lets up to 10 users video chat together. So real-time communication is becoming an important part of social networks. And while gaming may not be the first thing to come to mind when you think of video chat, the potential is there.

With the technology in place and new games cropping up regularly that include real-time multiplayer, social games could soon become a whole lot more social.（source:gamezebo）

5）Bejeweled Blitz Cat’s Eye Gems blow up in Facebook Credits from Walmart

by Joe Osborne

C’mon, everyone loves laser-eyed cats and cheap shopping, so PopCap’s deal with Walmart should go hand-in-hand for most Bejeweled Blitz nuts.

If you buy a Facebook Credits gift card from Walmart and redeem it between today and Aug. 2, you’ll receive a free Cat’s Eye Gem in the game to blast unsuspecting gems with.

The promotion doesn’t seem to require any particular value in Facebook Credits, and the Walmart gift cards are available in $10, $15 and $25 increments. To put this deal into perspective, 100 Facebook Credits–or $10 worth–can net you 540 thousand Coins.

That’s enough Boosts to last you, well, probably forever considering you earn Coins for every match you play. And with a deadly-yet-adorable Cat’s Eye, you’re sure to be on your way to some seriously explosive Bejeweled scores.（source:games）

6）Namco Bandai Uses Pac-Man Franchise to Test Facebook Waters, Looks to More Established IPs

By AJ Glasser

Between the two companies, Namco and Bandai have a rich history of established video games from which to draw ideas for Facebook products. The now-merged developer/publisher that is Namco Bandai this year brought one its oldest brands, Pac-Man, to Facebook in two separate games. Though unique, both serve as a way to test the social game audience and Pac-Man’s own fanbase.

The first game, Pac-Man, is a faithful rendition of the original arcade game. Users move the titular yellow character around a maze, consuming dots and bonus items while trying to avoid ghosts or to eat the ghosts after consuming a special flashing dot. The game monetizes almost in the same way as the classic arcade product with the user “inserting” Facebook Credits to continue the game if they run out of lives while playing. There is leaderboard support. Read the full review.

The second game, Pac-Man S, is a product that introduces power-ups and also uses leaderboards as a means to monetize and encourage socialization. Players still control the game in much the same way, but play is limited to two minutes in which time the player must score as many points as possible. The power-ups directly affect total score, which in turn impacts player rankings. Read the full review.

Carlson Choi, Namco Bandai’s VP of Marketing, tells us that though one game is considerably smaller than the other in overall size and the smaller game is still missing some key elements, Pac-Man’s introduction to Facebook is a successful learning experience for the company.

“We took a lot of time when we first looked at the project and we decided on two different approaches,” he says. “One is the classic Pac-Man everyone knows. Then there’s the S iteration where we want the consumer engaged using microtransactions and awards. S is really interesting for us because it’s an area where we can fail and learn from that and add an experience that make sense to the consumer. You’re going to see more things coming on S, but not on Pac-Man because we want to retain the authenticity of that product.”

Authenticity is what gives Pac-Man on Facebook the edge over its many pretender products. At 31 years old, the brand is easily recognizable even among non-gamers, as are the sound effects and music. Authenticity is also a quality that allows Namco Bandai to rely on the franchise’s existing fan base as opposed to spending resources on advertising for the game.（source:insidesocialgames）

7）Perfect Getaway Sails on This Week’s List of Fastest-Growing Games on Facebook by DAU

By AJ Glasser

Empires & Allies maintains the lead while an assortment of casino and strategy games creep up our top 20 list of fastest-growing games by daily active users.

A suite of Kabam’s established strategy games makes an appearance in the rankings this week as the developer appears to be benefiting from some sort of user acquisition campaign that also gives it a lift in monthly active users. Its newer games, Samurai Dynasty and Edgeworld, do not appear to be part of the campaign, however as neither game turns up in the top 20. Kabam’s DAU across all its games broke the 1 million mark in the last 30 days.

Debuting at number 10, meanwhile, is luxury cruise industry simulation Perfect Getaway, which appears to have officially launched following three month alpha period. The game puts players in the role of a cruise operator responsible for keeping ship passengers entertained and fed by building a series of attractions and food stands, much like LOLapps’ Ravenwood Fair. Perfect Getaway comes from Perfect World Entertainment, a massively multiplayer online developer and publisher originally based in China. As far as we can tell, this is the company’s first Facebook effort.（source:insidesocialgames）