Saturday, December 12, 2009
PetVille adds a sharing star
Just a week old and Zynga's latest addiction, PetVille, is already going through some design changes. When logging into the game today, players will find that a new yellow star icon that lets you notify your neighbor when you've groomed them or gained a Good Housekeeping bonus by cleaning their home. Adding an option to notify neighbors of your actions may be an experiment with allowing players to opt into notifying players, and less of the automated updates that usually occur with other social games on Facebook.
Facebook update causing problems for PetVille (and others)?
Don't be surprised if you try to login to your favorite Facebook (or Facebook Connect enabled) game today and find an error staring you in the face. Facebook just released an new update, and we've started to hear stories about companies who've been scrambling to make sure their games keep working as usual. Facebook also acknowledges that the new update is causing problems, though what kind of problems isn't really specified.
PetVille, the new pet simulation game from Zynga, also looks like it may have been affected by the Facebook updates -- we just logged in to the game, only to be greeted with an error message that says "We have noticed connection issues with Facebook that will cause loading problems and inconsistency with your Neighbor list. We expect to be back to normal soon. Thanks for bearing with us."
Maybe this problem will only be short-lived, but it also shows just how reliant companies like Zynga and, frankly, much of the Web, has become on Facebook and a small change on the social network can cause a lot of disruption for business and for consumers. Which makes you wonder: is Facebook really a stable enough to host all of our favorite games?
PetVille, the new pet simulation game from Zynga, also looks like it may have been affected by the Facebook updates -- we just logged in to the game, only to be greeted with an error message that says "We have noticed connection issues with Facebook that will cause loading problems and inconsistency with your Neighbor list. We expect to be back to normal soon. Thanks for bearing with us."
Maybe this problem will only be short-lived, but it also shows just how reliant companies like Zynga and, frankly, much of the Web, has become on Facebook and a small change on the social network can cause a lot of disruption for business and for consumers. Which makes you wonder: is Facebook really a stable enough to host all of our favorite games?
Thursday, December 10, 2009
PetVille holiday items coming soon
Today, PetVille players will see that the game's top news story is that Christmas-themed holiday gear is coming soon. Of course, that's in addition to the Santa, Mrs. Claus, reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, elf and Gingerbread Man costumes already available in the Costumes area of the game's Clothing Store and the snowman snow globe and the Leg Lamp from A Christmas Story -- both located in the Furniture Store.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
One Week After Launching, Zynga’s PetVille Reaches Nearly 6 Million Facebook Users
Zynga apparently started promoting its new pet-caring game, PetVille, on Sunday, just a few days after launching it. Now, the game has nearly 6 million users.
This is not the first time that Zynga has had a social game become this big, this fast — it saw similar results with its two most recent releases, Café World and then FishVille. Its tactics typically include featuring the newest Zynga game on the toolbar it runs across all its games (meaning access to tens of millions of its usrs), as well as buying Facebook advertising. As we noted earlier this week, PetVille has gotten prime real estate on the toolbar.
But if anything, the huge growth in just a few days suggests the company is putting extra effort into making this one big. While the game actually went online on the third, promotion didn’t kick in until Sunday, judging by the numbers.
Interestingly, PetVille comes shortly a new potential rival to Zynga, CrowdStar emerged with a new pet-caring game, called Happy Pets. That company had a huge hit earlier this fall with Happy Aquarium, a virtual aquarium-caring game that has inspired a number of others, including FishVille. CrowdStar chairman Peter Relan recently told us this: “Every time they enter a category where we have gotten big, we’ll launch an entirely new game within weeks.” He told us to expect a new one this month.
Like many in the social gaming world, we believe that there’s room for many different developers to build a lot of popular games. But a lot of those games will likely continue to be made by Zyng
This is not the first time that Zynga has had a social game become this big, this fast — it saw similar results with its two most recent releases, Café World and then FishVille. Its tactics typically include featuring the newest Zynga game on the toolbar it runs across all its games (meaning access to tens of millions of its usrs), as well as buying Facebook advertising. As we noted earlier this week, PetVille has gotten prime real estate on the toolbar.
But if anything, the huge growth in just a few days suggests the company is putting extra effort into making this one big. While the game actually went online on the third, promotion didn’t kick in until Sunday, judging by the numbers.
Interestingly, PetVille comes shortly a new potential rival to Zynga, CrowdStar emerged with a new pet-caring game, called Happy Pets. That company had a huge hit earlier this fall with Happy Aquarium, a virtual aquarium-caring game that has inspired a number of others, including FishVille. CrowdStar chairman Peter Relan recently told us this: “Every time they enter a category where we have gotten big, we’ll launch an entirely new game within weeks.” He told us to expect a new one this month.
Like many in the social gaming world, we believe that there’s room for many different developers to build a lot of popular games. But a lot of those games will likely continue to be made by Zyng
Monday, December 7, 2009
PetVille nears 1 million players in four days
PetVille, the new Facebook game from Zynga, quietly launched on December 3. The pet simulation game lets you custom create a pet, their home and then set out to earn as many coins as possible by performing different tasks, such as cleaning your pet and visiting neighbors.
Over the weekend, we noticed that Zynga turned on the publicity machine, running ads for the game on Facebook and in its other games, and the number of players climbed from a modest 22K to nearly one million in the past few days, according to AppData.
The question remains, will this game take over Pet Society's position as top pet game on Facebook? The rival Facebook game has been holding steady at around 21 million players for the past month, so PetVille still has a ways to go before it's in barking distance.
Over the weekend, we noticed that Zynga turned on the publicity machine, running ads for the game on Facebook and in its other games, and the number of players climbed from a modest 22K to nearly one million in the past few days, according to AppData.
The question remains, will this game take over Pet Society's position as top pet game on Facebook? The rival Facebook game has been holding steady at around 21 million players for the past month, so PetVille still has a ways to go before it's in barking distance.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
PetVille Getting Started Guide: How to Make Cash Fast
PetVille might let you take care of an adorable animal, but -- like most social games -- the game's all about collection coins that can be used to improve your animal's overall welfare (not to mention its house and clothing options). The new game from Zynga launched on Facebook on December 2, and while we're sure they have plenty more bodacious features in store for the game, here's a few ways you can make cash fast in the game.
1. Clean Your Neighbor's House
Visit neighbors daily to help them clean up their pad neat and tidy, and in exchange, you'll be rewarded with "love points" aka experience points and cold hard coin. To help neighbors clean, you simply need to find five items lying around the house and then click on them. Once clicked, they'll disappear and turn into coins. Never thought cleaning a friend's house could be this fun ... or profitable.
2. Refresh Wilted Flowers
When you arrive at your pet's house, you'll notive a vase filled with wilted flowers. To change out the wilted flowers, click on the vase and a pop-up menu will offer a selection of flowers to choose from. Different flowers cost different amounts and take varying amounts of time to wilt.
3. Feed Your Pet in a Timely Fashion
In our previous How to Feed You PetVille Pet post, we went over the nuances of food. Basically, some foods will keep your pet satiated longer than others, whether for a matter of minutes or for a few days. If you refill your pet's food bowl in a timely manner, you will be rewarded with coins, aka a Kibble Time Bonus.
4. Feed Your Pet Treats ... Often
Like FarmVille and other games, there's a gifting option in PetVille, where you will be able to give and receive treats. Once you get these treats, feed them to your pet, and not only will your pet do somethng amusing -- like juggle -- but you will get different coins, more of them the more valuable the treat.
5. Visit Your Neighbors Until You Run Out of Energy
Unlike other social games, where you can only visit your neighbors once a day to reap any financial rewards, PetVille lets you go back again and again. Once you show up at a neighboring pet's house, you'll be able to greet them with a high five, dance, tickle and more. And, of course, once you do that -- you'll be rewarded with money. There's one caveat: you can only keep revisiting neighbors until your energy runs out, then you'll have to wait -- Mafia Wars style -- until it's replenished again the next day.
6. Wash Your Pet, and Other Pets, Too
Just like real-life pets, PetVille animals get dirty and need to be washed. Once you start the game, you're supplied with a bar of soap. Click on the bar of soap to pick it up, then rub it over your pet to get the lather going. As your pet gets cleaner, you'll start racking up coins (and experience points) for your due diligence. You can wash other pets when you visit their houses for a few extra coins as well. Right now, you can go back to the same friend's house over and over, and get a few coins everytime you give them a scrub -- so keep making repeat visits to keep racking up cash.
1. Clean Your Neighbor's House
Visit neighbors daily to help them clean up their pad neat and tidy, and in exchange, you'll be rewarded with "love points" aka experience points and cold hard coin. To help neighbors clean, you simply need to find five items lying around the house and then click on them. Once clicked, they'll disappear and turn into coins. Never thought cleaning a friend's house could be this fun ... or profitable.
2. Refresh Wilted Flowers
When you arrive at your pet's house, you'll notive a vase filled with wilted flowers. To change out the wilted flowers, click on the vase and a pop-up menu will offer a selection of flowers to choose from. Different flowers cost different amounts and take varying amounts of time to wilt.
3. Feed Your Pet in a Timely Fashion
In our previous How to Feed You PetVille Pet post, we went over the nuances of food. Basically, some foods will keep your pet satiated longer than others, whether for a matter of minutes or for a few days. If you refill your pet's food bowl in a timely manner, you will be rewarded with coins, aka a Kibble Time Bonus.
4. Feed Your Pet Treats ... Often
Like FarmVille and other games, there's a gifting option in PetVille, where you will be able to give and receive treats. Once you get these treats, feed them to your pet, and not only will your pet do somethng amusing -- like juggle -- but you will get different coins, more of them the more valuable the treat.
5. Visit Your Neighbors Until You Run Out of Energy
Unlike other social games, where you can only visit your neighbors once a day to reap any financial rewards, PetVille lets you go back again and again. Once you show up at a neighboring pet's house, you'll be able to greet them with a high five, dance, tickle and more. And, of course, once you do that -- you'll be rewarded with money. There's one caveat: you can only keep revisiting neighbors until your energy runs out, then you'll have to wait -- Mafia Wars style -- until it's replenished again the next day.
6. Wash Your Pet, and Other Pets, Too
Just like real-life pets, PetVille animals get dirty and need to be washed. Once you start the game, you're supplied with a bar of soap. Click on the bar of soap to pick it up, then rub it over your pet to get the lather going. As your pet gets cleaner, you'll start racking up coins (and experience points) for your due diligence. You can wash other pets when you visit their houses for a few extra coins as well. Right now, you can go back to the same friend's house over and over, and get a few coins everytime you give them a scrub -- so keep making repeat visits to keep racking up cash.
PetVille kitchen unlocks at level 8; you won't believe what else we found
Once you reach level 8 in the new Facebook game, PetVille, you automatically unlock a second room in your pet's house. We discovered that the new room is pre-populated with a kitchen, including a fridge decked out with alphabet magnets that spell out PETVILLE and ZYNGA and ... a picture of Tiger Woods' head?
OK, we added the Tiger's head just for kicks -- that's not actually in the game. (Be sure to check out our roundup of Tiger Woods Web games).
The kitchen doesn't seem to have any functionality other than just for looks; we wanted to open the refrigerator and find it packed with treats for our pet. Or at least move the magnets around to spell "Let Live" on behalf of poor Tiger.
Since Zynga's usually open to player requests -- we're officially putting in ours for fully functional magnets and Frigidaire in the near future.
OK, we added the Tiger's head just for kicks -- that's not actually in the game. (Be sure to check out our roundup of Tiger Woods Web games).
The kitchen doesn't seem to have any functionality other than just for looks; we wanted to open the refrigerator and find it packed with treats for our pet. Or at least move the magnets around to spell "Let Live" on behalf of poor Tiger.
Since Zynga's usually open to player requests -- we're officially putting in ours for fully functional magnets and Frigidaire in the near future.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
PetVille: The Cutest Virtual Pet Game on Facebook
The minds behind our favorite Facebook time sinks, FarmVille and FishVille, have ventured into new territory this week, releasing a new pet simulation game, PetVille. We were immediately impressed by how polished this game looks right at launch; something that PetVille General Manager Steven Lurie points out when talking about his brand new game.
"The enhanced art style and beautiful graphics are another example of how Zynga is continuing to bring innovation to games on social networks," Lurie says. "PetVille embodies some of the best features from other successful Zynga games, and puts them into a dynamic and fun pet environment. Create a pet avatar, care for it, visit friends and earn coins so you can decorate. Let's see what you can create in your house!"
PetVille works like most other pet simulators on Facebook, rival game Pet Society as a prime example. As Lurie mentions above, start the game by custom creating a pet, then customizing its pad. Once that's done, it's time to get to work earning virtual coins to buy new items and level up your character. Collecting coins requires visiting your pet's pad regularly to make sure the food bowl is full and any withered flowers have been replaced. You're also encouraged to visit all of your PetVile friends -- each visit uses up a bit of energy that is replenished daily -- where you can rake in coins by interacting with other pets and then helping them clean up their houses. As you do more, you're character will also level up, giving it access to new items in the stores, more types of food and more rooms in their houses.
Probably the most remarkable part of PetVille is the game's overall polish; it looks so good it's almost hard to believe it's a Facebook game that you can play for free. The environments are colorful and fun, and the pets are extremely animated, turning cartwheels unexpectedly and moving in close and knocking on your screen to get your attention if you go idle.The customization options for both the pets and the homes are rather robust, so you can really spend a decent amount of time making everything just the way you like. We also like that you can go in and alter your pets appearance as much as you like; it's a small touch, but something that makes the game that much more enjoyable.
Shopping is the main activity in the game right now, and there are separate stores for clothes, furniture, hardware (walls, doors) and pet customization. The stores are brimming with options; the clothing store alone had three sections: one for sportswear, costumes and haute couture for pets. The furniture and hardware store will let you create a multitude of styles for your pet's house -- from a stark mid-century modern living room to a pink girly girl bedroom with a gigantic walk-in closet. Many of the items will be available to buy right away and others are locked until you reach a certain level.
Like other social games, players will have the option to buy additional coins in PetVille using credit cards or PayPal. You can buy 3K to 80K coins by spending $5 to $50 on real-life cash. Unlike Zynga's other games, we were surprised to see that PetVille does not yet include a way to get virtual coins for free, by, for instance, signing up for Netflix or filling out a survey online. The company got in a lot of hot water for a few of the free coins offers they had in FarmVille and FishVille in recent weeks, so maybe they're holding off on adding those for now.
The biggest hole in PetVille right now is that after all of the visiting, shopping and customization is done, there's not much left to do. You can feed your pet treats, and they'll celebrate by playing guitar, juggling or shrinking -- but there's no real way to play with your pet in a more traditional sense. In Pet Society, owners can play catch with their pets, see how many times they can jump rope, etc., and we'd like to see more of this in PetVille as well.
Of course, the big question remains: will PetVille take over FarmVille as the king of all Facebook games? FarmVille now has about 68 million active players, setting a high bar for all other social games. Cafe World and FishVille have also risen in the ranks, but haven't come close to replicating the farm simulation's game popularity. Time will tell, but based on our first impressions we're certain that millions of addicted social gamers will have a hard time resisting the call of these adorable pets.
"The enhanced art style and beautiful graphics are another example of how Zynga is continuing to bring innovation to games on social networks," Lurie says. "PetVille embodies some of the best features from other successful Zynga games, and puts them into a dynamic and fun pet environment. Create a pet avatar, care for it, visit friends and earn coins so you can decorate. Let's see what you can create in your house!"
PetVille works like most other pet simulators on Facebook, rival game Pet Society as a prime example. As Lurie mentions above, start the game by custom creating a pet, then customizing its pad. Once that's done, it's time to get to work earning virtual coins to buy new items and level up your character. Collecting coins requires visiting your pet's pad regularly to make sure the food bowl is full and any withered flowers have been replaced. You're also encouraged to visit all of your PetVile friends -- each visit uses up a bit of energy that is replenished daily -- where you can rake in coins by interacting with other pets and then helping them clean up their houses. As you do more, you're character will also level up, giving it access to new items in the stores, more types of food and more rooms in their houses.
Probably the most remarkable part of PetVille is the game's overall polish; it looks so good it's almost hard to believe it's a Facebook game that you can play for free. The environments are colorful and fun, and the pets are extremely animated, turning cartwheels unexpectedly and moving in close and knocking on your screen to get your attention if you go idle.The customization options for both the pets and the homes are rather robust, so you can really spend a decent amount of time making everything just the way you like. We also like that you can go in and alter your pets appearance as much as you like; it's a small touch, but something that makes the game that much more enjoyable.
Shopping is the main activity in the game right now, and there are separate stores for clothes, furniture, hardware (walls, doors) and pet customization. The stores are brimming with options; the clothing store alone had three sections: one for sportswear, costumes and haute couture for pets. The furniture and hardware store will let you create a multitude of styles for your pet's house -- from a stark mid-century modern living room to a pink girly girl bedroom with a gigantic walk-in closet. Many of the items will be available to buy right away and others are locked until you reach a certain level.
Like other social games, players will have the option to buy additional coins in PetVille using credit cards or PayPal. You can buy 3K to 80K coins by spending $5 to $50 on real-life cash. Unlike Zynga's other games, we were surprised to see that PetVille does not yet include a way to get virtual coins for free, by, for instance, signing up for Netflix or filling out a survey online. The company got in a lot of hot water for a few of the free coins offers they had in FarmVille and FishVille in recent weeks, so maybe they're holding off on adding those for now.
The biggest hole in PetVille right now is that after all of the visiting, shopping and customization is done, there's not much left to do. You can feed your pet treats, and they'll celebrate by playing guitar, juggling or shrinking -- but there's no real way to play with your pet in a more traditional sense. In Pet Society, owners can play catch with their pets, see how many times they can jump rope, etc., and we'd like to see more of this in PetVille as well.
Of course, the big question remains: will PetVille take over FarmVille as the king of all Facebook games? FarmVille now has about 68 million active players, setting a high bar for all other social games. Cafe World and FishVille have also risen in the ranks, but haven't come close to replicating the farm simulation's game popularity. Time will tell, but based on our first impressions we're certain that millions of addicted social gamers will have a hard time resisting the call of these adorable pets.
PetVille Getting Started Guide: How to Feed Your Pet
That's right, there's another game on Facebook begging for your attention -- PetVille. The brand new game from Zynga -- best known for their runaway hit FarmVille -- puts a virtual pet in your charge. Your goal is to keep your pet fed and earn coins, which can be used to buy new items for both your pet and his/her house.
Getting started in PetVille is a relatively simple process, provided you already have a Facebook account. After logging into Facebook, visit this URL to get to the game. After customizing your pet, you'll need to learn how to feed your pet.
1. Start by clicking on your pet's food bowl, which is located in your pet's house.
2. Select which type of food you'd like to feed your pet. Keep in mind that different types of food will keep your pet fed for different amounts of time. Also note that you can change the look of your pet's food bowl in this menu as well.
3. Once you feed your pet, you will get a Kibble Bonus (of a certain number of coins, depending on which food you bought) which can be used to purchase more food, items for your pet and its house.
4. Important: if your pet runs out of food, and you aren't around to refill the bowl, then your pet might run away. Don't worry -- you're pet's not gone for good, you'll just have a pay a nominal fee to get it back in action.
5. When you start the game, you'll have access to a few different flavors of food, such as grape, peppermint, raspberry and banana -- which will keep your pet fed for 2 minutes to four hours. As the game progresses and your pet levels up, you'll be unlock more foods that can sustain your pet for several hours or days at a time.
Check out the entire list of foods and how much they cost and how long they'll last after the jump. (This will be a running list for now, if you have any additional information, please let us know in the comments below).The current flavors of food includes the following:
Grape
Cost: 5 coins
Lasts: 2 minutes
Award: 10
Peppermint
Cost: 15 coins
Lasts: 5 minutes
Award: 35 coins
Raspberry
Cost: 25 coins
Lasts: 2 hours
Award: 95 coins
Banana
Cost: 40 coins
Lasts: 4 hours
Award: 160 coins
Blueberry
Cost: 75 coins
Lasts: 8 hours
Award: 275 coins
Peaches 'N Cream
Cost: 100 coins
Lasts: 12 hours
Award: 340 coins
Orange
Cost: 175 coins
Lasts: 24 hours
Award: 535 coins
Mint Choco Chip
Locked until Level 8
Bubblegum
Locked until Level 11
Berry Swirl
Locked until level 14
Orange Cream
Locked until Level 17
Neopolitan
Locked until Level 21
Smiley
Locked until Level 25
Lucky
Locked until Level 29
Moonberry
Locked until Level 33
Hugs 'N Kisses
Locked Until Level 37
Getting started in PetVille is a relatively simple process, provided you already have a Facebook account. After logging into Facebook, visit this URL to get to the game. After customizing your pet, you'll need to learn how to feed your pet.
1. Start by clicking on your pet's food bowl, which is located in your pet's house.
2. Select which type of food you'd like to feed your pet. Keep in mind that different types of food will keep your pet fed for different amounts of time. Also note that you can change the look of your pet's food bowl in this menu as well.
3. Once you feed your pet, you will get a Kibble Bonus (of a certain number of coins, depending on which food you bought) which can be used to purchase more food, items for your pet and its house.
4. Important: if your pet runs out of food, and you aren't around to refill the bowl, then your pet might run away. Don't worry -- you're pet's not gone for good, you'll just have a pay a nominal fee to get it back in action.
5. When you start the game, you'll have access to a few different flavors of food, such as grape, peppermint, raspberry and banana -- which will keep your pet fed for 2 minutes to four hours. As the game progresses and your pet levels up, you'll be unlock more foods that can sustain your pet for several hours or days at a time.
Check out the entire list of foods and how much they cost and how long they'll last after the jump. (This will be a running list for now, if you have any additional information, please let us know in the comments below).The current flavors of food includes the following:
Grape
Cost: 5 coins
Lasts: 2 minutes
Award: 10
Peppermint
Cost: 15 coins
Lasts: 5 minutes
Award: 35 coins
Raspberry
Cost: 25 coins
Lasts: 2 hours
Award: 95 coins
Banana
Cost: 40 coins
Lasts: 4 hours
Award: 160 coins
Blueberry
Cost: 75 coins
Lasts: 8 hours
Award: 275 coins
Peaches 'N Cream
Cost: 100 coins
Lasts: 12 hours
Award: 340 coins
Orange
Cost: 175 coins
Lasts: 24 hours
Award: 535 coins
Mint Choco Chip
Locked until Level 8
Bubblegum
Locked until Level 11
Berry Swirl
Locked until level 14
Orange Cream
Locked until Level 17
Neopolitan
Locked until Level 21
Smiley
Locked until Level 25
Lucky
Locked until Level 29
Moonberry
Locked until Level 33
Hugs 'N Kisses
Locked Until Level 37
PetVille Debuts on Facebook: Like FarmVille for Cute Pets
Just a couple of weeks ago, popular Facebook games maker Zynga trademarked the name PetVille, hinting at the theme for their next wildly popular casual game on the social network and other platforms (Myspace, iPhone, etc.). Today, Games.com reports that PetVille has launched.
Zynga is also the maker of FarmVille, which just yesterday was touted by a Facebook spokesperson as being bigger than Twitter in terms of an active userbase. The company followed up on the formula early last month with an aquatic-themed title dubbed FishVille, and now PetVille joins the ranks of of other popular pet simulation games like PlayFish’s Pet Society, which borrow mechanics from popular casual Nintendo titles like Nintendogs and Animal Crossing.
In PetVille, you create and customize your own sugary cute animals, feed and care for them, and earn through gameplay (or buy) the resources to decorate your home, buy better food, give gifts to other players and so on. In the tradition of other Zynga titles and other casual social games on Facebook,MySpace
Check out a demo video of PetVille below and let us know your thoughts. Are you hopelessly drawn to any of these casual titles? It’s okay to admit it: You’re among friends here. Friends who may help you on your FarmVille farm.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Zynga's Next Big Game -- PetVille
We were tipped off to a document today that shows Zynga has applied for a trademark on the name "PetVille" in the UK.
The application was filed with the UK Intellectual Property Office on September 7, and was reportedly listed in the UK Trade Marks Journal in October 2009.
*The art above is not the logo for the game.
The document says the trademark can be used for "Downloadable computer game software for use on wireless devices and computers; computer game software, video games, online games, and game related applications... ' and "Entertainment services, namely, providing computer games, enhancements for computer games, game applications and development tools... providing an Internet website portal in the field of computer games, gaming, social networking and virtual communities..."
We also ran a search through the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, and found no publicly available documents linking Zynga to a trademark application for PetVille in the the states. That doesn't necessarily mean that this process isn't in the works, but this is based on the information currently available on the USPTO Web site. Update: We contacted Zyngafor comment and will update when the company replies and the response was "no comment."
It's not totally out of the realm of possibility that Zynga would be thinking about launching a pet-based game. If you look at the company's existing portfolio, a pet game would be a welcome edition, especially considering the success of Playfish's Pet Society and some positive buzz around the new Happy Pets game from CrowdStar.
This also follows a well-established pattern for Zynga (and to be fair, many other social gaming startups) -- launching games inspired by others. FarmVille has been called out for being a little too similar to Farm Town and was also slapped with a lawsuit that claimed Mafia Wars was a copyright infringement of text-based gangster game, Mob Wars.
The application was filed with the UK Intellectual Property Office on September 7, and was reportedly listed in the UK Trade Marks Journal in October 2009.
*The art above is not the logo for the game.
The document says the trademark can be used for "Downloadable computer game software for use on wireless devices and computers; computer game software, video games, online games, and game related applications... ' and "Entertainment services, namely, providing computer games, enhancements for computer games, game applications and development tools... providing an Internet website portal in the field of computer games, gaming, social networking and virtual communities..."
We also ran a search through the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, and found no publicly available documents linking Zynga to a trademark application for PetVille in the the states. That doesn't necessarily mean that this process isn't in the works, but this is based on the information currently available on the USPTO Web site. Update: We contacted Zynga
It's not totally out of the realm of possibility that Zynga would be thinking about launching a pet-based game. If you look at the company's existing portfolio, a pet game would be a welcome edition, especially considering the success of Playfish's Pet Society and some positive buzz around the new Happy Pets game from CrowdStar.
This also follows a well-established pattern for Zynga (and to be fair, many other social gaming startups) -- launching games inspired by others. FarmVille has been called out for being a little too similar to Farm Town and was also slapped with a lawsuit that claimed Mafia Wars was a copyright infringement of text-based gangster game, Mob Wars.
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