Syfy is jumping into the rapidly growing arena of social games
According to an exclusive from Broadcasting & Cable, the NBC Universal network, which held its upfront presentation Tuesday at a performance of the Broadway show Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark, says that the collection of games from Syfy Ventures, will be completely sponsorable
The first social games made under the Syfy Games label will launch later this year and it will be available on Facebook in the US Syfy also plans to expand onto other social networks in other territories around the world So it’s a safe bet that whenever you are, it doesn’t matter Syfy will probably have a game that appeals to your geekiness, and they will use it to find you and get you to interact with them
Syfy’s games will deal with the usual topics that they handle well like sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal, action/adventure and super hero Some of the games will be based on Syfy’s programming Others will be based on original content Syfy has an estimate by research company ThinkEquity that the worldwide market for social media games will hit $61 billion in 2011 and $121 billion by 2014 It appears using games to infiltrate people’s social networks is quite profitable “This bold business expansion into games publishing secures a key foundation for the powerful Syfy brand in the burgeoning social games space,” said Dave Howe, president of Syfy “By providing our fans on social networks and other platforms with a distinctive, premium gaming experience, we are creating a perfect complement to our existing Syfy Games portfolio”
Let’s hope that none of these games on Facebook turn out to be mini spy programs like some social games have been in the recent past The last thing we need on the social networks is more spy stuff, but NBC Universal/Comcast could still sneak some of their trickery in there somewhere Syfy will be the exclusive publisher of these new games in all markets Their end of the monstrous NBC/Comcast tentacle will work with an independent game developer to bring their concepts to markets The games could also expand onto other game platforms, as well as onto Syfy’s TV, motion picture and digital platforms If you didn’t already know, Syfy Ventures already has produced gaming with the massively multiplayer online game Trion Worlds and with THQ’s Red Faction: Origins “As social games rapidly evolve from generic, mass-market offerings into higher quality, exciting entertainment experiences, Syfy Games is uniquely positioned to deliver engaging games that will resonate with players,” added Alan Seiffert, senior VP of Syfy Ventures
Amir Efrati of the WSJ explained that Google’s foray into the social gaming world highlighted the company’s “latest attempt” to capture users and advertising dollars which are “increasingly flowing” to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. 