By Andrew Fornier
The term “Facebook game” does not typically inspire interest in the vast majority of seasoned gamers out there, who see the social networking site as a festering ground for casual offerings like Farmville and . Long identified as a gateway arena for so-called “games” that require little more than clicking a few buttons onscreen every hour or so, Facebook’s unfortunate reputation among the more hardcore gaming audience is mostly deserved. This is quite a shame, because Facebook’s global reach is so widespread, encompassing hundreds of millions of potential players, that it seems such a waste not to give them something on the level of, say, World of Warcraft to tinker with.
Kabam, a company based in California, thought just as much, and set out to revamp the image of social networking games into something that hardcore gamers could also appreciate. The result is a rapidly emerging sub-genre known as Massively Multiplayer Social Games (MMSGs), games that can run properly on a social networking platform like Facebook, but have the deep and engaging gameplay that you can get from a full-fledged online RPG. Their pioneer product, Kingdoms of Camelot, won the distinction of being IGN’s Reader’s Choice Facebook Game of 2010, showing everyone that it was not only possible to develop a better class of games for social networks, but also that there would be plenty of people eager to play them. For those who haven’t tried it yet, Kingdoms of Camelot is an epic game that has you raising a kingdom from scratch, with all the conquering, army training and alliance-forming that comes with the territory. Kabam has since expanded its repertoire to include Global Warfare, a modern military strategy game set in the near future; Glory of Rome, an empire-building game set around the period of its ancient namesake; and Dragons of Atlantis, another kingdom-builder that takes place in the lost world of Atlantis, and allows you to raise a dragon as the primary guardian and enforcer of your realm.
You’ll notice that the games all seem to follow a particular formula, that of being the benevolent or tyrannical ruler of one’s domain. One might speculate that this is the only kind of game that Kabam seems determined to create and support, but it does make sense considering (a) the use of a social networking site like Facebook as a game platform and (b) the fact that Kabam is a relatively new company testing the waters before diving into new uncharted waters. The empire-builder type of game is the next logical step up from the typical resource management games that you see on Facebook today, so it doesn’t scare away Farmville enthusiasts who may want to try something a bit more complex. Instead of planting and harvesting rutabagas, why not train a knight to defend your kingdom, and “harvest” the reward of a powerful soldier who improves as the game progresses? Also, the alliance/competition aspect of the game emphasizes the fact that social networking is built into the system, since you are practically forced to interact with other people, either in a friendly or antagonistic manner, whether or not you want to. It also makes sense in the context of the games themselves – as a leader of a civilization, you should expect that other leaders will want to take advantage of you one way or another.
In any event, there’s nothing stopping Kabam from veering into true RPG gaming, or other MMSG experiences that would be viable given the limitations of the Facebook interactive system. After all, the company has proven itself abundant in its ability to deliver quality games. Who knows what else they’re cooking up in their research and development centers right now?
Kabam is pretty serious about its commitment to producing what it calls “hardcore social games”. In May of 2011, it announced its acquisition of US$85 million to finance its continuing expansion and development of products for the social networking hardcore audience. It has also increased its workforce considerably, from 25 to over 400 employees in just 16 months. With those numbers on its board, you can be certain that Kabam will be delivering bigger and better in the future, transforming the gaming landscape of Facebook into a dimension where both casual commanders and hardcore hierarchs can bombard and invade each other to their hearts’ content.
[Tukkolabs]
Kingdoms of Facebook: the Realms of Kabam
By Andrew Fornier
The term “Facebook game” does not typically inspire interest in the vast majority of seasoned gamers out there, who see the social networking site as a festering ground for casual offerings like Farmville and . Long identified as a gateway arena for so-called “games” that require little more than clicking a few buttons onscreen every hour or so, Facebook’s unfortunate reputation among the more hardcore gaming audience is mostly deserved. This is quite a shame, because Facebook’s global reach is so widespread, encompassing hundreds of millions of potential players, that it seems such a waste not to give them something on the level of, say, World of Warcraft to tinker with.
Kabam is pretty serious about its commitment to producing what it calls “hardcore social games”. In May of 2011, it announced its acquisition of US$85 million to finance its continuing expansion and development of products for the social networking hardcore audience. It has also increased its workforce considerably, from 25 to over 400 employees in just 16 months. With those numbers on its board, you can be certain that Kabam will be delivering bigger and better in the future, transforming the gaming landscape of Facebook into a dimension where both casual commanders and hardcore hierarchs can bombard and invade each other to their hearts’ content.
[Tukkolabs]