Report: Social game advertising to hit $220 million this year

Social game makers may be focusing more on virtual good sales than advertising offers these days, but that doesn’t mean selling ads to players is an irrelevant part of social gaming’s revenue base. Indeed, a new report from the analysts at eMarketer predicts worldwide social game advertising will reach $220 million this year. That estimate represents a 20% increase from last year’s social gaming advertising market, which eMarketer pegged at $183 million

Report: Social game advertising to hit $220 million this year

Social game makers may be focusing more on virtual good sales than advertising offers these days, but that doesn’t mean selling ads to players is an irrelevant part of social gaming’s revenue base. Indeed, a new report from the analysts at eMarketer predicts worldwide social game advertising will reach $220 million this year.

More game developers sign up for Facebook Credit exclusivity

Filed under: Zoo World When Crowdstar became the first major developer to accept Facebook Credits as its exclusive in-game currency earlier this month, we predicted “we could start seeing more and more social game makers tying their fates to the pre-eminent social network and its new unified payment system.” Lo and behold, the last three weeks have seen three more major developers making Facebook Credits the only way to pay to play. This month, quiz-maker LOLApps, Zoo World developer RockYou and German developer Wooga have all signed on as exclusive partners in the Facebook Credits revolution.

Fraud an increasing problem in the virtual goods trade

Converting real money into fake, virtual items is a common practice among social gamers.

US virtual economy will rake in billions by 2015

Industry watchers predict that the purchase of virtual goods — i.e those special weapons for Mafia Wars or a fancy ranch house in FarmVille — will be worth upwards of $5 billion in the next five years.