Facebook cracks down on offer providers

It looks like the ban hammer has hit its mark on two of the biggest in-game offer providers on Facebook: Gambit and Tatto Media. Earlier in the month Facebook announced that it had shut down in-game offer providers for some shady and misleading offers, but didn’t name names. This week the social network did. Both Gambit and Tatto Media have been accused of serving up offers in games that have hidden obligations or fees. The reason for the bans, according to an excellent report on VentureBeat, was ” repeat violations of Facebook’s guidelines for offers.”

If you take into account that 30 percent of revenues in the $1 billion virtual goods business are derived from such offers, then this is a very serious matter that needs to be addressed now, because it shows a weakness in that business model. Game providers like Zynga, Playfish and others have started cracking down on these kinds of dubious offers as well - though Facebook has certainly done its fair share of forcing these companies to do the right thing.

Ultimately in-game offers need to be re-thought and refreshed so that users aren’t roped into products and services without knowing what all of the details are. Some examples of this might include a service that doesn’t tell you until it is too late that you have signed up for a lengthy and expensive subscription, or a product that is mailed to you unsolicited with a questionable amount of time to return. At the end of the day players have to ask themselves if the virtual currency they might earn by participating in an offer is really worth the risk and ultimate costs (goods and services they didn’t know they purchased).

You can learn more by checking out this excellent VentureBeat article on the topic.

Xbox Live Facebook-Twitter update deployed

You have been hearing about it for what seems like an eternity, but today the update to Xbox Live that adds support for Last.fm, Twitter and Facebook integration, streaming HD movies and more is now live on Xbox Live. Simply logging in will give you all these features and more. Hopefully this is the last time we’ll ever have to mention this to you too.

With today’s update Facebook users will be able to update their status to share what they are doing (what movie they are watching, game they are playing, etc.), connect with friends and view Facebook streams, check out status updates and photos, compare Xbox LIVE and Facebook friends lists, etc. in a custom-built interface for Xbox 360. Twitter users can expect similar functionality. allowing you to share tweets and status updates from that popular service.

Microsoft will also launch Zune video in streaming high definition (1080p) with 5.1 channel surround sound - an experience that you can share with up to seven friends. Last.fm support is in there as well, allowing Xbox Live users to explore radio stations, skip, ban or love tracks and more. Finally Xbox LIVE will get News and More, a new section of the Inside Xbox channel that delivers content from MSNBC, The New Yorker and Dilbert.

Get the update by simply logging on to Xbox Live today.

Xbox 360: 10 million strong in Europe

Microsoft announced this week that it has achieved console sales of 10 million across Europe, the Middle East and Africa in just four years.

Microsoft claims that that Xbox 360 is the only console to achieve year-on-year growth across the region this year. Microsoft also claims more than 20 million Xbox LIVE active members worldwide and over 1 billion downloads of content to date, with movie downloads doubling in the last year alone.

“Reinventing entertainment through, play, watch, connect and share. This is the vision that we have for Xbox 360 and today that vision is the reality for 10 million Xbox owners,” said Chris Lewis, vice president Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft Europe. “European consumers are very discerning and demand a connected entertainment experience. That’s why we focused on providing content that is right and relevant for them and entertainment beyond just gaming to movies, music and social networking.

Next week will bring instant streaming high definition movies, Facebook and Twitter integration and a personalized music channel to Xbox 360 owners. Despite today’s news it has to be a bit disconcerting to know that the Wii has returned to the top of the retail charts in Oct. - even after Microsoft slashed the price of its consoles earlier in the year.

Welcome to Hospital Town on Facebook

Australian Facebook game developer 3 Blokes Studios has released a brand new Facebook game called Hospital Town today. Hospital Town lets players create their a hospital complete with specialty rooms including a plastic surgery, X-ray room, and a psychiatrist’s office. Each room treats different ailments like sprained ankles, nose jobs or general ailments. Players earn money by treating patients, which allows them to buy new items and further expand and customize their hospital. Hospital Town also includes a number of mini-games like a spot-the-difference X-ray game, a whack-a-mole style mole scan mini-game and a stomach operation mini-game that requires a steady hand. 3 Blokes promises to add new content regularly, including more items to buy and new mini-games to play.

The game looks pretty cute at first glance. You can add it to your Facebook space by visiting apps.facebook.com/hospitaltown.

Next major Xbox Live update rolls out Nov. 17

We are a mere 5 days away the update from Microsoft that will add support for Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm and Zune on Xbox Live. Microsoft passed along a note to say that Nov. 17 will see this update officially go live.

Those have been involved in the beta already know that the updates allows Xbox Live subscribers to connect the dots when it comes to their favorite social networks. Facebook users will be able to update their status to share what movie, game or entertainment you partaking in, connect with friends and view Facebook streams, check out status updates and photos, compare your Xbox LIVE and Facebook friends lists and more. Microsoft promises seamless integration within a custom-built interface for Xbox 360.

Microsoft will also launch Zune video on Xbox LIVE featuring instant on HD in 1080p and 5.1 channel surround sound. You can also share the experience with up to seven friends through voice chat and Avatar integration on the TV screen, which is kind of scary. Twitter integration will also be in the latest update allowing you to tweet and reply to tweets right on your Xbox 360. You can even view friend profiles, trends and conversations, or search to see who’s tweeting about your favorite game.

Last.fm support will be added, allowing users to explore radio stations, skip, ban or love tracks and some special Gamer Stations with game-related types of music selected specifically for the gaming community (Available in the U.S. and UK). Finally Xbox LIVE will get News and More, a new section of the Inside Xbox channel offering a regularly-updated stream of content from MSNBC, The New Yorker and Dilbert.

Look for the update to go live on Nov. 17.

EA acquires Playfish for $275 million

Electronic Arts has acquired Playfish, the makers of the Facebook games Crazy Planets, Pet Society and many other social gaming properties. EA says that this acquisition accelerates the company’s position in social entertainment and strengthens its focus on the transition to digital and social gaming. Playfish will operate under EA Interactive, a division of EA focused on the web and on wireless.

EA has acquired Playfish for approximately US $275 million in cash and approximately $US 25 million in equity retention arrangements. In addition, the sellers are entitled to additional variable cash consideration, up to a maximum of US $100 million, contingent upon the achievement of certain performance milestones through December 31, 2011. This puts the total price tage to right around $ US 400 million.

Playfish claims an installed base (collective number of games) of more than 150 million, played worldwide on platforms such as Facebook, MySpace, Google, Bebo, iPhone and Android. Playfish currently has over 60 million monthly active players across its ten titles – including Facebook hits Pet Society, Restaurant City, and Country Story – driving more than 1 billion game play sessions every month.

On a related note, leading global venture capital firms Accel Partners and Index Ventures announced that they have sold their holdings in Playfish to EA.�

Spore Islands opens on Facebook

If Civilization can be on Facebook than any game can do it right? That’s probably EA and Maxis studios’ way of thinking. Today EA announced that it is bought Spore Islands to Facebook. In Spore Islands Facebook users compete against each other in a 2D world that uses social gaming as its lynch pin.

Spore Islands focuses on player-to-player interaction; users choose their own island to live on, create creatures and evolve them, invite friends to live on their island with them, and send their creatures to friends’ islands. The goal of the game is to dominate as many islands as possible. Players can earn and purchase DNA points that they can use to modify their creature’s stats or customize their creature’s appearance with accessories such as hats, animations, holiday-themed items, and more. Players’ progress is tracked on both Global and a Friends-only leaderboards, which can be viewed by players and their friends, u

Get into the action by installing the application from apps.facebook.com/sporeislands.