Facebook pulls app directory, makes finding new games that much harder

Apparently, I'm one of the only people that actively used the App Directory on Facebook. Back in December, we brought you an in-depth look at discovering new Facebook games by using the directory, as you could browse applications based on popularity, or even date added. Now, though, the entire App Directory has been removed from the service, and with it goes your ability to use it to find new games.

AllFacebook noticed the removal as well, as they have pointed out a new blog post on the Facebook Developers Blog that explains a bit as to why the directory was ditched.

"Many developers have been confused about what it means to submit to the App Directory and frustrated by the length of time it took to get approved. As we have looked into this issue, we found that the App Directory drove less than 0.5% of all app installs while a significant number of app installs came as a result of Facebook search. Until now, to be visible in search, you had to submit your app to the App Directory.

Today, we are announcing two updates to decouple the search submission from the directory to make it easier for you to get your app into the Facebook search index:

1. We are removing the App Directory (in its current form) since it does not drive a significant amount of traffic to your apps.
2. We are creating a new, simplified way to get your app into the Facebook search index."

In short, this means that for now, the search bar has been given much more prominence in the app discovery process. Sure, sidebar ads will still likely trigger many more app installs, but now, app developers can submit their apps to the Facebook search index without approval, allowing users to get to them faster. Sounds great, right? Well, it would be, if search currently functioned properly.

I know I can't be the only person who types something like "FrontierVille" into the search bar to find a specific Zynga-run fan page, only to be greeted by user-created or even spam apps/fan pages that may have absolutely no relevance to what I'm searching for. If apps no longer have to go through an approval process to be added to search (and everything really is as open as it seems), doesn't this open the door for so much more clutter? Hopefully, this will all just be a temporary solution to some much larger feature being added to the site that will make finding new apps an enjoyable process, rather than a chore.

FrontierVille: Zynga enables quick posting of item requests to save you time

In an effort to save users some time when beg... err, asking for the many items we need in FrontierVille on a daily basis, Zynga has started to roll out an optional system of Quick Posting to certain pop-ups.This Quick Post method isn't anything sinister - unlike how it sounds, this won't see you posting tons of unknown items to your news feed, that you didn't approve or even know existed. This will simply save you the step of waiting for the Facebook news post window to appear before being able to confirm that yes, you do want to post a request asking for more Salt Licks, as in the image above.

To be especially clear, you'll still play the game as normal, clicking on the "Ask friends" or "Publish" buttons (among others) that would normally pop-up a Facebook confirmation window, but this last step will be skipped. You have to manually choose what to post, as usual, as FrontierVille won't simply post anything without you telling it to (at least where this new feature is concerned). Again, this is a voluntary step, and you can continue in your old ways if you'd prefer. If you'd like to save a few clicks though, the option should be rolling out to all players soon.

[Image Credit: WebGameTips]

Will you enable quick posting of your item requests, or do you like adding personal messages before your news feed items are posted?

E3 2011: Fruit Ninja Frenzy takes a slice out of Facebook this summer

At this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, we had a chance to go hands-on with Halfbrick's upcoming port of the popular iOS game Fruit Ninja - Fruit Ninja Frenzy - on Facebook. As of this writing, you can Like of the game's official fan page, and you can "play" an incredibly short version of the game, slicing one single fruit just to see what the mechanic would look like (you hold down the left mouse button and then slice just as you would when drawing your finger across a touch screen).

For this E3 demo, however, we got to take a look at a fairly final version of the game, which is more comparable to Bejeweled Blitz and other one-minute games than anything else. In Fruit Ninja Frenzy, the same basic gameplay from the mobile version has been retained, but has been chopped (no pun intended) into 60-seconds of bite sized fruity goodness. Your goal is still to slice as many pieces of fruit as you can in the 60 seconds to earn points. You'll earn combo points for slicing multiple fruit at once, and you'll need to what out for bombs that will remove points from your score.

While all of that remains the same, the Facebook elements here give you an overall profile and score. Sure, each game has an individual score, which allows you to climb your leaderboard of friends that have posted scores, but you'll also earn a tenth of your points as Juice, a new currency in the game (that is, if you scored 100 points, you'd receive 10 Juice). Another currency, Starfruit, allows you to unlock Smoothies, which are power-ups that can be activated before each run at the game.

This power-up system will be familiar to Bejeweled Blitz fans, as they allow you to make bombs harmless (they'll show up as dimmed outlines and can't be sliced), add more time to your clock and so on. You'll start with only one power-up slot free, but can eventually expand to three by spending more Starfruit, which can be earned through simply playing the game or purchasing it outright.

For iOS fans, the game will connect to the iOS version, just as the way Bejeweled Blitz works on iPhone. The Frenzy gameplay will be available in the palm of your hand, and if you happen to beat your high score posted on Facebook, it will be updated via this cross-platform support. Additionally, just as with the iOS version(s) of the game, you'll be able to unlock achievements, blades and other unlockables on Facebook, giving you an incentive to keep going (as if you really needed any extra persuasion).

Does Fruit Ninja Frenzy break the mold when it comes to 60-second gameplay on Facebook? Not really, but it doesn't have to. The game has become so iconic to mobile players, and the gameplay was incredibly smooth here, making for a seamless transition. I can't wait to be able to spend five minutes (or more, let's face it) here and there slicing and dicing my way through fruit to earn bragging rights among friends.

Disney-branded Facebook games coming in 2012, Playdom head says

Can we all just say, “finally?” During a panel named “The Rise of Social Games” at the f8 Facebook Developers Conference in San Francisco, Disney Interactive and Playdom head John Pleasants revealed that two to four Facebook games surrounding Disney xd brands will hit Facebook in 2012. The general topic of the panel was the fact that branded social games are taking off.

Pleasants was joined on the panel by Kabam CEO Kevin Chou, EA Interactive head Barry Cottle and Zynga CBO Owen Van Natta. Facebook director of games partnerships Sean Ryan moderated the panel with the preface that branded games will take over the Facebook platform. And he might be right: EA just released The Sims Social, Zynga will soon re-brand its new Adventure World with Indiana Jones and Kabam recently announced The Godfather: Five Families.

Playdom, which Disney acquired in July 2010 for a whopping $740 million, is ahead of the pack with two branded games on Facebook: ESPNU College Town and ESPN Sports Bar & Grill. Both games performed well, thanks to advertising through the ESPN TV network. While Disney owns the ESPN brand, notice how neither of those actually involve the insanely popular Disney characters we’ve come to love.

Honestly, we’re surprised this didn’t happen sooner. Consider this: Disney has its own cable TV channel through which it could, in theory, advertise whatever it wants. Pleasants didn’t get into why it’s taken this long for disney channel games to throw its cast of characters into Facebook games, but did reveal the power of the Disney name.

Gnome Town, which Playdom launched in the summer–and we enjoyed quite a bit–peaked at 530,000 daily players. But just plopping the Disney logo on top of the existing one made users more likely to spend in the game just through trust of the company’s name, according to Pleasants. “We think it’s an advantage, if you put game play first,” Pleasants said.

It’s comforting to hear this emphasized by these developers. (Kabam’s Chou shared the same sentiment.) Branded games on Facebook are OK in my book, but the last thing anyone wants to see is the genre become a branding machine.

Disney-branded Facebook games coming in 2012, Playdom head says

Can we all just say, “finally?” During a panel named “The Rise of Social Games” at the f8 Facebook Developers Conference in San Francisco, Disney Interactive and Playdom head John Pleasants revealed that two to four Facebook games surrounding Disney xd brands will hit Facebook in 2012. The general topic of the panel was the fact that branded social games are taking off.

Pleasants was joined on the panel by Kabam CEO Kevin Chou, EA Interactive head Barry Cottle and Zynga CBO Owen Van Natta. Facebook director of games partnerships Sean Ryan moderated the panel with the preface that branded games will take over the Facebook platform. And he might be right: EA just released The Sims Social, Zynga will soon re-brand its new Adventure World with Indiana Jones and Kabam recently announced The Godfather: Five Families.

Playdom, which Disney acquired in July 2010 for a whopping $740 million, is ahead of the pack with two branded games on Facebook: ESPNU College Town and ESPN Sports Bar & Grill. Both games performed well, thanks to advertising through the ESPN TV network. While Disney owns the ESPN brand, notice how neither of those actually involve the insanely popular Disney characters we’ve come to love.

Honestly, we’re surprised this didn’t happen sooner. Consider this: Disney has its own cable TV channel through which it could, in theory, advertise whatever it wants. Pleasants didn’t get into why it’s taken this long for disney channel games to throw its cast of characters into Facebook games, but did reveal the power of the Disney name.

Gnome Town, which Playdom launched in the summer–and we enjoyed quite a bit–peaked at 530,000 daily players. But just plopping the Disney logo on top of the existing one made users more likely to spend in the game just through trust of the company’s name, according to Pleasants. “We think it’s an advantage, if you put game play first,” Pleasants said.

It’s comforting to hear this emphasized by these developers. (Kabam’s Chou shared the same sentiment.) Branded games on Facebook are OK in my book, but the last thing anyone wants to see is the genre become a branding machine.

Study: In the year 2013, we'll have over 73 million U.S. social gamers

Every time one of these studies comes in, it feels like we're all at the World's Fair, doesn't it? (And we'll play them while being driven in our hover cars!) A study by eMarketer released today reveals the projection that, by 2013, there will be 73.6 million social gamers in the U.S. of A. This number will explode from today's estimated 61.9 million Facebook gamers in the country, which already sounds a bit low to us. And because of these growing numbers, eMarketer thinks it's thanks to shifting demographics.

"Gone are the days when only males ages 18 to 34 were hardcore gamers or only moms were pelting their Facebook friends with requests for hens or heifers in social games like FarmVille," eMarketer senior analyst Lisa E. Phillips--and author of this very report, "Online Gaming Audience: Lines Blur as the Market Grows--said. "Today's core gamers are also playing casual games. More women are using game consoles beyond the Nintendo Wii, and their game choices include many genres."

And, you know what, she might be right. Just recently, it was estimated that by the same time, 2013, hardcore social games will grow five-fold. Not to mention that there already are nearly 80 million strategy gamers on the platform. While the casual, FarmVille-loving sector will certainly continue to grow, this is hardly the last we've heard from the "hardcore" gaming crowd on Facebook. Check out even more about these rapid yet expected demographic shifts right here.

Do you think Facebook gaming is going to change the general games landscape this drastically? Do you think all forms of gaming would be better or worse if they took onto the general language of Facebook games? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment