Announcing Inside Virtual Goods: The Future of Social Gaming 2010

2009 will be remembered as the year that casual gaming stormed social platforms and changed the way millions of people socialized with friends online. With an up-to-$400 million acquisition of Playfish by Electronic Arts, hundreds of millions of dollars in venture investments, and some of the highest engagement numbers that online entertainment has ever seen, social games are now impacting businesses across the media landscape. It’s become clear that there are substantial opportunities for social game developers with virtual goods revenue models, but the market is still evolving rapidly. Get the Annual Membership Get Annual Membership (Includes Report + 3 Additional Quarterly Issues): $2,495 $1,995 USD* OR Buy Single Report: $995 $795 USD* * Pre-order discount ends January 25, 2010. All pre-ordered reports will be delivered on January 26, 2010. That's why I'm excited to announce today a new exclusive original research report with co-author Charles Hudson in our Inside Virtual Goods series that is exclusively focused on the future of the social gaming market, entitled Inside Virtual Goods: The Future of Social Gaming 2010. It will be released on Tuesday, January 26, but is available for discount pre-order now. How big is the market, and where will social gaming go in 2010? How will existing players fare as Facebook shifts the social gaming landscape, and larger and more sophisticated players enter the market? Inside Virtual Goods: The Future of Social Gaming 2010 provides deeper insight into social game monetization, development, customer acquisition, and the key questions facing the space in 2010 than you’ll find anywhere else. About the Report Inside Virtual Goods: The Future of Social Gaming 2010 gives you an inside view of the future at this critical juncture in the intersection of social networking and online games. We have compiled months of original research from dozens of top executives and entrepreneurs from all parts of the social gaming ecosystem to produce eye-opening source data and analysis that is not available anywhere else. At over 80 pages, Inside Virtual Goods: The Future of Social Gaming 2010 takes the closest look at the present state of social games and the future of what’s shaping up to be a very fundamentally strong and profitable industry. What We Cover Emerging Social Game Development and Studio Models – There is an emerging consensus around how social game developers are choosing to organize themselves for game development. How do small, medium, and large developers organize their teams? What do development cycle times for original titles and "expansion packs" look like? What is the role of testing and metrics in the development process? Social Game Design and Mechanics – The emergence of a few key game genres with proven mechanics and monetization have spawned dozens of fast followers. Understand how publishers are continuing to innovate as we head into 2010. Monetization Data and Payment Trends - Now that developers have proven the virtual goods model, what are ARPUs really like for different game genres? What is the lifetime value of users, and how long do players stick around? We take an in depth look at monetization methods and rates, and shed light on where payments are headed in the coming quarters. One more note on monetization – you may be wondering about everything you’ve heard about offers and alternative payments for virtual goods. We cover: The offers ‘scandal’ and what will it mean going into 2010 Changes that advertisers and payments companies have – and haven’t – made How both direct and alternate payment methods are most likely to grow or contract in the coming year. Customer Acquisition and Marketing Trends – As the social gaming landscape has evolved over the past two and a half years, so have the ways that developers acquire and retain new users. How have user acquisition costs changed, and what do Facebook’s changes spell for the future of the marketing funnel? We take an in depth look at data and trends. Facebook’s Platform Changes, Credits, and What’s In Store for the Future – Just when social game developers were settling in, Facebook announced major adjustments that will dramatically alter the way social games reach users through Facebook. Continued change is likely – what will it be, and how will it impact the industry? In addition, as Facebook rolls out its much-discussed Credits currency, how will monetization and the payments landscape be affected? Finally, will we see another dominant platform emerge? Our overview covers these developments, their impact on the industry, and what else is in store. What you get In addition to our deep dive into key aspects of the social gaming ecosystem, the report also offers extended coverage on: A brief history on the evolution and growth of this space in the US, including a description of all key players and how they rose to the top. Total social gaming market size estimates for 2010, including estimates on the “big three” developers. Our take on the key issues facing the growth of social gaming, including our outlook and projections for 2010. See the full table of contents below: Table of Contents Section I: Overview 1. The Evolution of Social Gaming What is Social Gaming? Why do Social Games Work? A Brief History of the Major Eras in Social Gaming Era I - The Virality Era Era II - The Emergence of Paid Distribution Era III - Rise of the Big 3 and the Network Model 2. Social Game Development and Design Processes Studio Composition Small Developers Medium and Large Developers Platform Services Development Cycle Time Expansion Packs True Serial Developing Franchise Titles Role of Testing and Metrics Multi-platform Development 3. Social Game Design and Game Mechanics Emergence of Key Genres Fast Followers vs Innovators Templates / Engines Intellectual Property Barriers to Entry 4. Monetization How do social games monetize? Virtual Goods Functional Virtual Goods Decorative Virtual Goods Consumables Advertising Sponsorships White Label Games Branded Virtual Goods Monetization Rates How do social game developers manage their businesses? Social RPGs Farm Games Pet Games Aquarium Games Poker Games Flirting Games Arcade Games Monetization rates of key social game genres How has monetization changed over the last year? Consumer Demographics Payments Breakdown Understanding Offers and the Offer Controversy The Offer Controversy Offers in Social Games Increased Competition Mobile and Alternative Direct Payments Large Payment Platforms Direct Payments vs Offers Direct Payments Breakdown in Social Games Direct Payments Mobile Payments Pre-Paid Cards New Payment Providers Lifetime Value of Social Game Players (LTV) - What do we know? How long do players stick around? When in their lifecycle do users monetize best? Seasonality and monetization lifecycles in social games Banner advertising's role 5. Customer Acquisition and Marketing The Rise, Fall, and Re-rise of Viral Acquisition Cross Promotion Paid Acquisition Facebook Ads Third-party Facebook Platform Ad Networks Network Strategy and Economies of Scale 6. 2010 Market Size and Top Developers Revenue Estimates 2010 Social Gaming Market Size Top Developer Revenue Estimates Zynga Playfish Playdom Crowdstar Section II: The Future 1. Facebook Platform Changes and the Relationship Between Facebook and Application Developers Impact of Platform Changes Developers and Advertising Spend 2. What does the emergence of the big 3 mean for small and medium sized developers? Marketing and Customer Acquisition The CrowdStar Example Can an independent developer dominate a category? 3. Facebook Credits, Offers, and the Changing Monetization Landscape Impact of Facebook Credits Offers and Performance Advertising Role of Alternative Payment Systems 4. Off-Network Games with Facebook Connect Intersection of Social and Mobile Open Internet - Farmville.com and Facebook Connect 5. Will Another Platform Other Than Facebook Emerge? MySpace Twitter Global Social Networks Global Portals Search Engine Application Platforms 6. Investment Landscape Venture Capital M&A and IPO Landscape 7. Competitive Response in the Broader Media and Games Industry Casual game developers Console Games Companies Casual MMOs and Virtual Worlds Diversified Media Companies More Data, More Actionable Insights In 2009, social games began to show what kind of value can be created on top of social networks. 2010 will be an even more important year. Social gaming, powered by virtual goods, is this year’s industry to watch. If you’re involved, or are considering jumping in, Inside Virtual Goods will be one of your most important tools. One year of original data and exclusive in-depth reports delivered on a quarterly basis is $2,495 and contains: A detailed overview of the current state of the industry Specific estimates on market size by segment Diagnosis of key opportunities and issues by segment Get The Annual Membership Get Annual Membership (Includes Report + 3 Additional Quarterly Issues): $2,495 $1,995 USD* OR Buy Single Report: $995 $795 USD* * Pre-order discount ends January 25, 2010. All pre-ordered reports will be delivered on January 26, 2010. Although the report will not be released until next Tuesday, January 26, we are offering a special pre-order discount for those who purchase now. A one year subscription is $1,995 until January 26, at which point the price will go to US $2,495. The one year subscription includes three quarterly updates on key developments in the space. Or, you can download just this report. The pre-order price is $795 until January 26, at which point the price will go to US $995. About the Authors Justin Smith Founder, Inside Network Justin Smith is the founder of Inside Network, the first company dedicated to providing news and market research to the Facebook platform and social gaming ecosystem. Justin serves as co-editor of Inside Facebook and Inside Social Games, and manages Inside Network's AppData and PageData services as well. Prior to Inside Network, he was formerly Head of Product at Watercooler, one of the leading application developers on the Facebook Platform. Prior to Watercooler, Justin was an early employee at Xfire, the largest social utility for gamers, which was sold to Viacom in 2006. Justin holds a degree in Computer Systems Engineering from Stanford University. Charles Hudson VP Business Development, Serious Business & Host, Virtual Goods Summit Charles Hudson is VP of Business Development for Serious Business, a leading social games developer on the Facebook platform. In addition to his work at Serious Business, Charles Hudson organizes two of the leading conferences in the social gaming and free-to-play games industries, the Social Gaming Summit and Virtual Goods Summit. Prior to Serious Business, he was formerly the Sr. Director for Business Development at Gaia Interactive, a leading online hangout for teens. Prior to Gaia, Charles worked in New Business Development at Google and focused on new partnership opportunities for early-stage products in the advertising, mobile, and e-commerce markets. Prior to joining Google, he was a Product Manager for IronPort Systems, a leading provider of anti-spam hardware appliances that was acquired by Cisco Systems for $830 million in 2007. Charles holds an MBA and BA from Stanford University.

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Announcing Inside Virtual Goods: The Future of Social Gaming 2010

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