Social games news roundup: Kixeye resurrects 3 Blokes, Monster Galaxy expands and Russia gets even bigger

Kixeye brings 3 Blokes back as Kixeye Australia — Social developer Kixeye announced it's opening an Australian extension staffed with the remnants of developer 3 Blokes Studios. Given that 3 Blokes boasted the creators of Rome: Total War in its ranks and the fact that the studio was shut down in April by RockYou, the studio seemed a natural fit for Kixeye to bring on. George Fidler, who previously ran Creative Assembly, will assume the duties of general manager and Kixeye Australia is looking to fill approximately 10 more positions. Monster Galaxy comes to Gaia Online — Gaia Interactive is bringing its popular monster-battling title Monster Galaxy over from Facebook to its own game portal Gaia Online. The Facebook version of the game isn't going anywhere, but the Gaia Online version doesn't require players to log in with Facebook Connect. Gaia Interactive also promises it will release details about its upcoming Monster Galaxy movie in the near future. Russian social game market tripled last year — Mail.Ru Games reports Russia is continuing to grow as a social game territory, and at an impressive rate. The 2011 total revenue from social games in Russia reached $236 million, compared to $84.3 million in 2010. Distribution of income was somewhat uneven, however: Mobile carriers took 40 percent of this figure, social networks got 27 percent and social game developers brought home 33 percent. Zynga Japan launches new social game with original IP [Launch] — Zynga Japan is rolling out a new role-playing game called Ayakashi — Onmyouroku ("Ayakashi — The Yin-Yang Chronicles"). This title is mobile-only, free-to-play and is currently available on Android, though an iOS version is coming. Dr. Serkan Toto reports the game is a social card battle title where players control an exorcist who fights ghosts and other players. American McGee comes to Kongregate [Launch] — Spicy Horse Games' new free-to-play online game BigHead BASH just went into open beta on Kongregate. The game takes place in a toy shop where players collect, customize and battle toys controlled by the both the computer and other players. Special Alice: Madness Returns toys will arrive in the game on June 19. Become the lord of history with Historvius [Launch] — History buffs now have their own location-based social game to enjoy, thanks to Historvius.com's new social travel game. The game sounds like a historical version of foursquare, as users who visit real-world historical sites are awarded points, titles and badges. Kleenex raises hay fever awareness with Facebook game [Launch] — Kleenex wants you make Facebook users aware of hay fever (and buy a few extra boxes of facial tissue) with its new social game, Care For Your Nose. Developed by We Are Social, the game requires users to empty a box of Kleenex as quickly as possible and takes advantage of the new "Feed Gaming" feature Facebook rolled out last week. Badgeville raises $25 million in funding — Gamification company Badgeville closed a Series C round of venture financing this week. The round was led by InterWest Partners and included prior investors, bringing in $25 million. The company's total financing over the past 20 months is now at $40 million. New Game Town cuts its teeth with vampire mobile social game [Launch] — Developer New Game Town just unveiled its newest HTML 5 title, True Night. The game is a vampire RPG where players take on the roles of fledgling bloodsuckers fighting for survival and dominance in the world. The game's available on the MocoSpace Games Platform and can be played on any HTML 5 compatible phone or tablet. New social game promotes STI awareness within gay community — Britain's Health Protection Agency recently revealed sexually transmitted infections are on the rise among gay men, and The Terence Higgins Trust has launched a new Facebook game to help raise awareness about the problem. Gay Star News reports the game is a platforming title called Man Up, where players bounce from bed to bed in order to rack up points. Points can be banked, but only when players visit an in-game clinic.

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Social games news roundup: Kixeye resurrects 3 Blokes, Monster Galaxy expands and Russia gets even bigger

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