Happy Pets adds Arcade Games - Play to win prizes!

CrowdStar has added an entirely new feature to Happy Pets in the form of the Arcade. The Arcade currently only has one game to play within it, but we've been told that there will be more in the future. Playing these games will earn users tickets that they can then redeem for in-game prizes.

As of right now, the only game available is called Make a Match. You'll need to pay Facebook Credits to try the game, with "tries" being available to purchase in groups of 5, 8, or 11 Tries. 5 Tries costs 6 Facebook Credits, or $0.60 US, while 11 Tries jumps the price all the way to 16 Facebook Credits, or $1.60.

The prizes available range from pets (Psychedelic pets, Pandas, and the like) to accessory items like fur dyes for your pets. As of right now, there are pages for both Goods and Furnishings in the prize shop, but they are currently empty. As for the prices, you'll be able to purchase a fur dye for 65 tickets, while the pets themselves cost anywhere from 125 to 240 tickets.

It's nice to see CrowdStar adding another way for users to get their hands on premium pets, even if it does seem to equate to simply purchasing them outright either way (since playing the games themselves takes Facebook Credits). It will be interesting to see if they add a free version to the Arcade Games feature, and we'll be sure to let you know if that is the case.

It Girl celebrates Thanksgiving with new Fall Leaves Couture line

If you're in the mood for some Thanksgiving themed couture in It Girl, you've come to the right place, as CrowdStar has released a series of four new items into the game's Catalog. These "Fall Leaves" inspired items come with a range of Point Boosts, making them perfect for either lower level players, looking for a major boost, or higher level players that just want a cool accessory.

The four items are as follows:

Thanksgiving Pilgrim Costume - Outdoor appropriate - 79 Points - 61 Facebook Credits ($6.10 US)
Deep V Autumn Dress - Outdoor, Casual, Classy, Night Life - 33 Points - 57 Facebook Credits ($5.70)
Fall Leaves Buckle Platforms - Outdoor, Casual, Classy, Night Life - 21 Points - 51 Facebook Credits ($5.10)
Thigh High Autumn Socks - Outdoor, Casual, Classy, Night Life - 8 Points - 26 Facebook Credits ($2.60)

These items are limited edition, meaning that they will only be available in the store until they sell out. Currently, all four items are available in quantities of at least 1600, so experience tells us you have plenty of time left to shop. Still, to make the most out of these clothing items, it'd be smart to purchase them before the Thanksgiving holiday arrives in order to really stand out.

CrowdStar hopes to strike mobile gold again with $10M StarFund

Since hitting the on the iOS App Store with Top Girl, CrowdStar looks like its hungry for another hit in the mobile games space. Well, another 40 hits, to be exact. The social game developer recently launched StarFund, a $10 million fund that the company will use to back independent mobile game developers, $250 thousand at a time, Mobile Entertainment reports.

StarFund has been made possible in part by YouWeb, the developer's original incubator, or a company that oversees a start up's first stages of life to ensure its survival with funding and other resources. Apparently, YouWeb has deep pockets, and is ready to lighten them on the burgeoning mobile games scene. And that's quite alright by CrowdStar.

"What we know is that great teams and products can still get to the top in mobile social gaming," CrowdStar head of mobile Blair Hamilton said. "With StarFund, we are looking to fund the next stars in mobile social games."

CrowdStar StarFund
Who knows, with 40 more mobile games slated to release with the help of CrowdStar and YouWeb, perhaps one of them will finally knock Angry Birds off of its feathery throne. Better yet, maybe this will help the It Girl creator to become a worthy opponent for Zynga and EA on the iPhone.

CrowdStar, others dock in Sibblingz Spaceport for mobile social games

If we haven't driven home yet that mobile will be massive in the future of social games, we clearly haven't done our job. Luckily, news like the fact that Sibblingz has signed on It Girl creator CrowdStar and a number of other developers to use its Spaceport service helps us make good on that.

TechCrunch reports that--in addition to CrowdStar--BitRhymes, IKIGames, LuckyLabs, Fortune Planet and DeezGames have signed on to use Spaceport to create mobile versions of their Facebook games. Spaceport is Sibblingz's cloud-based game development platform that allows developers like CrowdStar to create mobile games that work on both iOS and Android devices.

Essentially, it allows developers to create a mobile game once and have it run on multiple mobile devices. The platform makes use of coding languages like Javascript and HTML5, but neither of which are known for making robust or fully-featured games on iPhones or Android phones. However, Sibblingz claims that games built on Spaceport feature an app-like experience.

What Sibblingz means is that, while these games are built using simpler code languages, they will perform like, say CityVille Hometown by Zynga. That game was built using tools specifically for iOS devices and is thus more visually impressive and feature-rich than mobile browser games. However, according to TechCrunch, developers can even create games specifically for iPhones and iPads through Spaceport.

Sibblingz also says that developers can make games for Facebook's worst-kept secret, Project Spartan--an initiative to bring Facebook to mobile devices through browsers using HTML5 complete with full-featured apps and games--through Spaceport. Jeez, on paper it sounds like Spaceport can do anything but make the cash flow.

Regardless, what's important to take away here is that social game developers realize that mobile is where it's at. Frankly, it's one area where clear winners have yet to be defined, much unlike Facebook (ahem, Zynga and EA). At this point, anyone could come out a winner on mobile, and perhaps the companies that embrace cross-platform game creation like CrowdStar will have the upper hand.

Do you think these developers have a chance at winning the mobile race these social game creators are running with Spaceport? Who do you think will ultimately win the mobile social gaming war? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment