Facebook: Getting Inspiration from Console Games

Social network giant, Facebook, wants to offer a wider range of games and taking cue from console games like sports title and first-person shooters. The network’s Global Head for Game Partnership, Sean Ryan, stated that featuring a broader selection of games will attract more users to the platform. He noted that Xbox, PlayStation and Wii have hundreds of games — making it an issue that Facebook doesn’t. Another concern that Sean Ryan addressed is that the social network does not make games of their own or invest in them.

However, he argued that Facebook casual games does not threat console games.

“Look at the earnings announcements from Take-Two and EA – and even Activision now. They are talking about the move to social. Does it cause a problem for them? I’m not sure. In the last 20 years we have seen the expansion of the game business from what used to be young boys to young men, to now everybody; women and men of all ages.

“Gaming is no longer seen as something you do by yourself. Everybody games, just at different levels. What Facebook does through social games, as Apple and Google have done in mobile, is broadening the types of users who play games. So is this a challenge for the traditional companies? It’s an opportunity.”

Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo already use Facebook’s Social Graph on their consoles, enabling gamers to post pictures and messages on their profile. However, Sean Ryan admitted that more time spent on playing Facebook’s casual games or using the Social Graph could cannibalize the console games.

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