Hasbro/Zynga Partnership

[kitsune9]

Hasbro Zynga partnership sees virtual and real worlds combine

What does this have to do with D&D? Nothing on the surface right now; however, whenever you see these kinds of partnerships, these are percursors toward mergers or acquisitions if the partnership works out really well.

These partnerships tend to go both ways too. So Hasbro is making toys based off of Zynga's stuff, and Zynga may make some clone games of Hasbro's stuff.

Anyways, we'll see what happens here in a few months.

 

[Nytmare]

And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

And the stars of the heavens fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

And the heavens departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every grognard, true roleplayer, and power gamer, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the corruption of the great red dog:

For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

 

[kitsune9]

Well Nytmare, I wasn't quite sure the partnership would result in Revelations coming to pass. Nothing so drastic I think. I was thinking more a little less ambitious along the lines of a business perspective. We'll see if Zynga's products is a $50-$100 mm product line for Hasbro and if Zynga gets an additional revenue stream will revaluate their stock above the $13 level.

 

[Droogie]

hmm. Monopoly on Facebook, methinks?

 

[Relique du Madde]

OH GOD NO... I can see it now...

***********************

You need 10 friends to buy the +1 Dagger of Throwing. Please recruit more friends today!

Dave needs 30 adventurers to journey into the cave of chaos.
Would you like to join? [ Accept ] [ Refuse ]

Need more gold to buy armor? Buy 20 for 10 Zynga Bucks right now!

Lord Omega Supreme has stormed your keep with 100 adventurers! Spend 5 Zynga Bucks to retaliate immidately!

Joe Vicks would like you to play Dungeons And Dragons. [ Accept ] [ Refuse ]
Micheal Jones would like you to play Dungeons And Dragons. [ Accept ] [ Refuse ]
Fubarsexy Motha would like you to play Dungeons And Dragons. [ Accept ] [ Refuse ]
-Sent via Tapatalk

 

[trancejeremy]

I thought there was already a Facebook version of D&D? Neverwinter Nights, sort of like the old AOL game (as opposed to the Bioware games).

 

[Ketjak]

No, no - Hasbro will sell board games based on Zynga properties. However, the initial game comes with only one playing piece and an 8x8 board. To play with additional pieces you have to send Hasbro $1.99 for one piece, $2.99 for three, or only $5.99 for eight more pieces.

An extra board that turns the playing surface into an 8x16 surface runs $4.99; two additional boards only cost $7.99.

Best of all, if you pay in Zynga Bucks your pieces get +1 movement for 24 hours. If you play every 4 hours, but not longer than 5 hours between sessions, you gain an additional 2 points for every square your pieces control.

I can't wait to play.

- Ket

 

[trancejeremy]

I wonder if they will partner up with the makers of Angry Birds? They could come out with a Angry Aviary MM supplement for D&D

 

[nedjer]

What they're up to is social leverage through the tiresomely named gamification. By binding together your out-game social networking activity, your mates' similar social network activity, your shared gameplay, shared in-game and out-game reward systems, user-generated media, your music, augmented reality media and . . . they can form uber-premium subscription models where moving from or dropping a subscription becomes akin to plucking your own heart out.

For those with the cash (and we're not talking yachts or Ascot here) it'll be a very slick, hugely integrated set-up which pours shiny graphics over everything.

However, the have-nots kind of get the last laugh as uber-subscriptions are a marketeer's dream. Once locked-in these systems can easily and transparently manipulate you into making purchases, encouraging others to make purchases, lots of keeping-up with the Jones' and exclusivity power-ups . . . so much so that the reach extends out into the physical world as you're coaxed into going to a concert or ordering a physical toy.

The downside can look like the exclusion of those who're left out, because they can't pay. Happily, they're on a total win, as their leisure choices and the nature of their friendships won't be subconsciously dictated to them.

An example of how this works came-up a few weeks ago in a programme where a guy was playing a Fbook social game involving collecting virtual craps. The player 'won' a duck and became so over-excited at receiving this precious pixellated crap that he immediately spent real money buying a virtual display case to show others he was the top/ big . He was as pleased as punch - and utterly oblivious and uncaring when the interviewer basically asked if he realised he was buying expensive shiny .

Got to find it . . . here.