Social Gaming Roundup: Electronic Arts, Mobage, Layoffs, & More

Electronic Arts at $56 ARPPU in Sports Social Games -- Earlier this week, Electronic Arts released its first-quarter earnings report which notes a profit of $221 million, compared to $96 million last year. According to EA Sports president Peter Moore, these games have reached an average revenue among paying users of $56; a number greater than that of players on consoles. Three Melons Hit by Layoffs -- According to Gamasutra, Disney-owned social games studio, Three Melons has been suffering layoffs as of late. The Argentina-based studio has seen 30 layoffs thus far "and counting," says a source from inside the company. Disney has not confirmed the number. Google+ Prepares Social Games Launch -- According to AllThingsD, Google may be announcing its social gaming plans as early as next month. Moreover, while the company is evidently approaching developers regarding their games coming to Google+, say anonymous sources, multiple other sources are stating that Google will take less than a 30 percent cut of social gaming revenue. Mobage Comes to U.S. -- Tokyo-based DeNA has launched its social games platform, Mobage, in the United States. Run by ngmoco, the platform is now available on Android Market with roughly 20 free games available. Read more on our sister site, Inside Mobile Apps. [Update] Zombie Farm Goes Social -- The Playforge's Zombie Farm has received a significant social update this week. The mobile farming simulation title, with zombies, has added in several social mechanics such as visiting friends, connecting to a social community, playing games of "Zombie Tag," and sending gifts. PlayMob Looks to Hook Players on Virtual Goods With Charity -- PlayMob is looking to user charities to get social games players into buying virtual goods, reports TechCrunch. Essentially, players will purchase the virtual goods by donating to charity. Through the service, developers can choose which goods they wish to donate with, with a minimum of 50 percent of revenue going to charity, while the charities themselves receive a reduced costs of fundraising and PlayMob earns a flat fee of 10 percent. Zynga Game Cards Come to Middle East & North Africa -- Zynga game players in both the Middle East and North Africa will now have access to Zynga Game Cards, reports VentureBeat. Through a new partnership with Zynga, Gate2Play will distribute the game cards throughout stores in the regions as well as make them available through virtual "e-PINs." Kontagent Partners With Quepasa -- Analytics company Kontangent has announced a new partnership with Latin social network Quepasa. Through the new partnership, Kontangent will acquire exclusive rights to power Quepasa's casual games portal, Quepasa Games, with its analytics platform kSuite. THQ Betting More Heavily On Social Games Following Q1 FY2012 Loss -- THQ was disappointed by its $38.4 million net loss posted in Q1 FY2012, but it plans to put more effort into bringing its brands to social networks in order to reach a "critical mass" of users. The studio's next social game, MargaritavilleOnline, is due out in fall.

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Social Gaming Roundup: Electronic Arts, Mobage, Layoffs, & More

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