Mass market, mystery boxes and metric-driven design: The legacy of FarmVille
FarmVille is one of the most influential games of all time. Debuting on Facebook in 2009, the browser-based casual farming sim went on to change the course of the industry in various ways so it's perhaps surprising to learn of its humble origins. As Zynga's former senior vice president Mark Skaggs, who led the original FarmVille team, recalls, they had been asked to create a strategy title for Facebook following their success with Mafia Wars. But he soon realised it wouldn't get off the ground. "I know some people would want an Age of Empires but running in Flash on Facebook," he says. "And ...
Source: gamesindustry.biz