Pet Society: Meet the Artists Behind the Game

Pet Society Artists
Pets, meet your makers. These are the artists who have created your world in Pet Society. Every day, their irresistible drawings of what I like to think of as the four Fs-food, fashion, flowers and furniture-make us go "Awww..." and make us give up our coins.

You can thank Michelle Chuang for setting the look of Pet Society. She was the sole illustrator working on the game when it was first released in 2008. Flavia came on board in 2009 and has taken over the reigns as Pet Society's lead artist. Antonella and Maggie round out the team.

It was a real treat for me to meet the people behind the best game on Facebook. Here are some of the impressions I got of the artists and the Playfish London office in general.

    They are an international bunch. I had lunch with seven people, and only two were from England.
    Michelle is from Taiwan. Maggie is from Hong Kong. Flavia and Antonella are from Italy. Catharina, the Product Manager who was interviewed previously, is Swedish-American.
    The artists all seem to love Japan, or the idea of Japan. At least three of them said that they enjoyed Japan Week the most.
    Flavia said that Japan Week felt too short and unfinished. This probably means that we'll be seeing more Japanese items in the game.


Pet Society Japan

    Flavia also looks up to Disney art for inspiration.
    Many of them seem to love the game. As Chorna Harun, the office manager said, "Before I started working here, I was playing Pet Society. And I thought to myself, I have to work for this company."
    They are often surprised by how some of the items are used in the game. For example, one of Flavia's friends used the Volcano Mask in conjunction with a bird's nest. The bird was singing happily as the volcano erupted.
    The artists are influenced by everything around them. During lunch, Maggie snapped a picture of a flower pot at the table. Maybe we'll see it in the game soon.
    They are surrounded by their work. Not only do they have the joy of seeing their art in the game, but their offices are covered with their drawings.


Pictures of Playfish London:
Pet Society Mayor in Playfish London office
Pet Society fish decorates Playfish London office conference room
Country Story Playfish London office entrance
Pet Society mural in the Playfish London office
This article originally appeared on Pet Society Anonymous.

Pet Society: The Power of Pink in Pet Society and Beyond

pet society pink
Pink used to be my favorite color when I was like, seven. It probably came from my mother's influence. She liked feminine, flirty things and dressed me up in all shades of pink-creamy pink, rosy pink, hot neon pink. The carpet in my childhood room was a cotton candy pink.

By the time I was in college, I had abandoned pink in favor of dark, moody colors. Every time I visited my mother, I couldn't stand going into my old room, let alone sleep in it. The carpet had taken on a grayish tone, and reminded me of a pig's intestines. I didn't wear pink for many, many years.
pet society pink
Now, I am finding myself slowly returning to pink. This past winter, I kept warm in a fuschia cap (see the About page). In the spring, I bought a fitted shirt from Banana Republic in a very light pink. It's the standard white business shirt, except it's not white. Banana calls the color "Blissful Lavendar." It's barely pink; it whispers pink.

I love this. It's become my go-to shirt for days when I have an important meeting and I need to impress. I want to buy six more of these and wear them every day... that's how much I love this shirt.

My Pet Society pet Sushi, however, still reflects my teenage rebellion stage. He looks best in blue or black. He is not built for pink. He hates pink and thinks these new items he dug out of the Enchanted Forest make him look like a third-rate drag queen trying to be Marie Antoinette. And he is so above that. He deserves better.

This article originally appeared on Pet Society Anonymous.

Michael Jackson remembered by Pet Society players

"Hey, look! It's Michael Jackson! No, wait, it's my Pet Society pet, Richard Jackson!" writes Anza. This is such a great picture and a nice way to commemorate Michael Jackson, who died a year ago today. I wish Playfish had released a sparkly white glove for this week!

If you're a fan of Michael, CNN.com has a great site about him. Netflix also released the movie, "This is It." It's available on Instant Play.

I admit, I wasn't a big fan of Michael when he was alive. His various scandals and weird facial transformations made it embarrassing to admit that you were a fan. But after he died, and radio stations played his music over and over, I found myself singing along. It made me realize how important his work had been.
When you had something to celebrate, Michael Jackson was most likely there. He was there with you during birthday parties, wedding receptions, and those nights at a club when you were trying to meet someone cute. Whether you realized it or not, he was there for so many moments of your life. And even if you didn't meet anyone cute at the club, you still had a pretty good time dancing to "Thriller."

This article originally appeared on Pet Society Anonymous.

Pet Society Enchanted Forest

pet society enchanted forest
This gorgeous scene comes from Ivy, who says that she loves digging in Pet Society's Enchanted Forest. She's finished getting the Enchanted Fountain and a pair of pink wings. She reports that the fountain sparkles and that the wings can flap. We think the wings, white dress and dyed Anime wig make a stunning combo.


Below are some more Enchanted Forest items from my own digs: the Hot Air Balloon, Mushrooms (the ones on the right), and Pixie Forest floor. After I saw that most of these items were in shades of pink and purple, I made a special psychedelic room for everything that I owned in these colors.
pet society anonymous
The Romantic Pixie wig, Pixie dress, and Pixie shoes are also from the Enchanted Forest. I know that they look awful on Sushi, but sometimes I like to torture him with these ridiculous outfits. It's not easy being a model!

This article originally appeared on Pet Society Anonymous.

Is Playfish's latest 'player research session' a play-phishing scam?

Playfish Amazon voucher interview offer
It might be too good to be true, but today, it seems that Playfish, the maker of popular games such as Restaurant City, Pet Society, and Hotel City -- sent out an announcement to players that says it's offering $80 USD per person, in the form of an Amazon Gift voucher, to participate in a "player research session!"

All it wants from you is to make an appointment to talk to them over the phone, for one hour, while you play their games on Facebook. In exchange, they want your name, age, phone number, and time preferences. That sounds like phishing doesn't it? To top it off, they already have your email, and if you respond, you're confirming that it's yours. So normally, an offer like this reeks of scammy spam, and if you're smart, you'll delete it and move on. But this one looks too perfect to be fake; it even includes links to Electronic Arts' (which bought Playfish last November) Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Electronic Arts and Playfish: Play Games, Give Feedback
Players who got this notice are folks who signed up for an email subscription to the official Playfish newsletter, and this offer isn't limited to the United States either. A different version of the letter was posted in the forums by a concerned player, and that one is offering to pay with an £80 Amazon Gift voucher. £80 converts to $127 USD, which is way more than the offer I got. The discrepancy is enough to make me suspicious, but I did sign up for it. If anyone has any of these emails, I encourage you to share them. Other than that, we must wait for Playfish to confirm if these emails are genuine.

The person who posted her letter to the forum has caught the attention of a moderator, so I recommend checking in on this thread.

UPDATE (7 PM): A Playfish rep confirms that this offer is not spam and is, indeed, legit.

"This is a legitimate offer that we sent to a random selection of players from throughout the Playfish community. Since Playfish was founded in 2007, we've continually sought feedback and advice from our worldwide player community to help make our games as fun and compelling as they can be.

This particular survey is seeking similar player input but since it requires more time of players we felt it was appropriate to reward them for their assistance."

So, if you get an email with this offer, you can feel free to take this survey and in return, you will be compensated with an $80 Amazon credit.

Restaurant City brings back the bats with Bleu Vampire Steak

Halloween may be over in the real world, but in Restaurant City, folks are still zapping ghouls (today's Gold Prize is the "Fettucini Mummy (special version)" which sells for 2,666 Coins), the Halloween Mystery Box remains on sale, and there's still six days to master the special Limited Edition Halloween recipes from Playfish's official Boo-licious Cook-Off contest.

But the most special Halloween recipe is the Bleu Vampire Steak, which turns your customers into bats after they've eaten. This recipe has been extended for one more week. Mastering it requires 10 Tomatoes, 10 Potatoes, and 20 Steaks. Playfish is giving away one free tomato on the game's official Facebook fanpage to help players along.

This recipe will certainly help some of you keep up your Dracula or Batman (or even vampire Batman) themes for the rest of the year. Oh, and while you're grabbing that free tomato, here's a link to free 2,000 Coins for the hell of it. (But don't thank me, it's from Playfish. I'm just passin' it on.)

Check out the rest of our Halloween 2010 coverage right here.

EA, Playfish developing 'the hell out of SimCity' for Facebook [Report]

Hey, if The Sims Social struck gold, it only makes sense at this point. Business Insider reports, citing nameless sources, that a China-based Playfish team has suspended all other projects to "develop the hell out of SimCity" for Facebook. Of course, the idea is that the second place developer is doing so to go toe-to-toe directly with CityVille, the number one game on Facebook.

Zynga's city-builder has held the top spot on Facebook for over a year, and EA is reportedly doing everything in its power to dethrone the king of social games. According to Business Insider, multiple sources within the company say that SimCity has been in development for over a year, around the same time that Zynga started work on CityVile. But when the game broke every record in the book over the past year, EA had no choice but to ramp up work on SimCity.

At the time, Zynga had more time and resources to pour into CityVille than EA did with SimCity, which had "doubled down" on The Sims Social. Since the game has now proven itself, putting a dent into Zynga's then spotless lineup, the veteran games publisher has placed a laser focus on the social iteration of game designer Will Wright's masterpiece.

According to the news outlet, Playfish's Norway and San Francisco teams are working on entirely new games for EA. And yes, it's OK to be more excited by that rumor than yet another city-builder. This better be good.

[Via IndustryGamers]

Are you excited by the thought of SimCity hitting Facebook? Do you think it could give CityVille a run for its (boatloads of) money?

Toyota Prius parks in EA's Monopoly Millionaires for one year

Toyota Prius Monopoly Millionaires
Your next free gift in Monopoly Millionaires could be ... a new car! More specifically, a digital Toyota Prius thanks a 12-month partnership between Toyota, EA and the game's developer, Playfish. Both the ubiquitous green car and the Toyota Prius Eco-Greenhouse, re-imaginations of two original Monopoly pieces, will be available as free gifts in Monopoly Millionaires for the next year. Players can then use these items on their own game boards.

"Monoply and Toyota are two iconic brands and I'm delighted to help bring them together," said Joy Taylor, EA's Global Director of Marketing Solutions. "Toyota, and Prius in particular, has a huge, devoted following that will get genuine value out of this partnership. We're connecting one of the world's most loved cars, with one of the world's most loved games, on the world's largest social media platform. It's very exciting."

They sure got the huge following thing right. The Prius is arguably the most popular hybrid out there and has been featured in every TV show imaginable, including South Park with its scathing if lude wit. Well, enjoy being eco-conscious for the next 12 months. This promotion might not make players rush out to buy the $23 thousand car, but maybe it will remind you to turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth or turn off a light every once in a while.

Have you decorated your game board in eco-friendly items yet? What do you think of this in-game promotion lasting for 12 months?

Is EA bringing Need for Speed to Facebook?

EA reported recently in an earnings call to investors that its 'digital service' games revenue skyrocketed 46 percent to $211 million and its net income boosted fivefold from $30 million to a whopping $151 million compared to last year. However, as Inside Social Games reports, "digital service" games covers a swathe of properties--not just its Facebook games. Regardless, the company teased that it has 15 more "digital service" games in beta testing, which includes a potential social adaptation of its hit racing franchise, Need for Speed.

As for the other 14 mysterious games, not all of them necessarily have to be on Facebook, as EA's use of the phrase "digital service" games covers its 3D browser adaptations of franchises like PGA Golf and FIFA Soccer. But according to the company, the FIFA franchise alone raised a sweet $100 million in revenue, though how much of that is thanks to FIFA Superstars for Facebook isn't clear.

Speaking of which, just how well is EA doing on Facebook? Well, the company still sits in third place behind Badoo (a dating app) and the immovable Zynga with 34.5 million monthly players across all of its social games, according to AppData. That's only a hair above CrowdStar's 31 million, but miles ahead of Playdom's paltry 21.7 million. However, that number is boosted by 27 games that don't even reach 1 million monthly players, with Playfish's Pet Society sitting pretty at number one with 9.5 million players.

In comparison to those below it, EA and Playfish seem to be doing just fine, and they're not far from claiming the coveted second place slot. (Though, in the social games space, they're already there.) It sure is enough to keep Playfish afloat, who drives most of EA's revenue, so don't worry about Pet Society going anywhere. What we should worry about, however, are these 14 other games that EA is waving in our faces.

Considering EA's recent partnership with Hasbro to bring Monopoly Millionaires to Facebook, we could very well see more games come of that. Board game adaptations seem to do well on Facebook, so why not bring in even deeper games like Risk or Trivial Pursuit? How about Twister?

Would you play Need for Speed on Facebook? What other games do you think EA is brewing up on the platform?

The Sims Social Pic of the Day: Alan5779's Hong Kong apartment

You learn things about decorating when you live in a shoebox apartment on a small island of 7 million people. Real estate is at a premium, where a 150 square foot room can cost you $263,157 USD. I'm talking about Hong Kong, which is my birthplace, but also the real world residence of The Sims Social player, Alan5779.
The Sims Social tiny hong kong apt
Click the image to make it larger.

Using the stacking method, Alan5779 managed to cram everything his Sim needs into a tiny 6x6 room in the game. Sometimes, game updates cause glitches to occur, so he's had to redesign his room several times to make sure his Sim still had space to interact with his furniture, but as you can see from the screenshots, he's clearly succeeded.

Alan's may be the first to come up with a fully functional, tiny apartment in The Sims Social, but one Hong Kong architect did it in real life by transforming his 344 square foot apartment into 24 rooms by using sliding walls. Party houses, these ain't. But they're certainly what Alan has taken to calling his "Nano Kingdom".

Sims Social Last Chance items: Buy 'em now before they're gone forever

The Sims Social is getting ready to clear out the in-game store of a bunch of old items, in preparation for what we suspect will be oodles of holiday themed goods that will be vying for your hard-earned Simoleons and SimCash.

While we've seen limited edition items come and go in other games, this is the first time we've seen such a comprehensive store clearance -- including chairs, doorways, wallpapers, etc. So, if you're a big fan of the Small Aspen tree, Numica Retro Sofa and Chairs or WinDoh Aqua, now is the time to stock up. It also looks like the Portrait Easel will also be making a hasty retreat, so if you don't want to miss out on taking your Sims' Art skills to higher levels, go buy it right now.

sims social landscape easel

Are any of your favorite Sims Social items on the 'Last Chance' list? Should they be? Sound off in the comments below.

Internet safety expert accuses The Sims Social of promoting cybersex

While playing the game, players can build asynchronous relationships with one another that can quickly grow into romantic relationships. Ultimately, those relationships will draw the players' avatars closer and can result in them having Woo-Hoo. And like any social activity in the game, players are rewarded Social Points for this that they can use to buy new items.

The Sims Social beats FarmVille, attracts second most daily players

Boy, people sure do love to play god. According to Appdata, The Sims Social has surpassed Zynga's iconic FarmVille with the second most daily players of any Facebook game. Since its launch just a month ago today, EA and Playfish's ambitious social rendition of The Sims has amassed over 9.3 million daily players--that's over 1 million more than FarmVille's 8.1 million.

The Sims Social still has a way to go to the number one spot, which is, of course, held by Zynga's most popular game CityVille at just under 14 million daily players. Regardless, it's unprecedented for a game to grow this quickly in daily players, at least for a game that wasn't built by Zynga. Not to mention this is despite the hiccups the game faced along the way including days worth of downtime.

So, that's the power of The Sims, huh? Well, not so fast. While The Sims Social has certainly showed its might when it comes to gripping players (and keeping them there ... so far), the game is still in fourth place in terms of monthly players at just over 34.3 million. This number could grow in time naturally as daily players spread the word and through advertising, but it's nevertheless telling of the limits a Facebook game faces when it doesn't have a massive existing player base, like Zynga's games.

In other words, EA and Playfish have quite a lot of work ahead of them, if they want The Sims Social to be on top in all regards. But judging from the game's performance thus far despite its early setbacks--and in the face of the most popular Facebook games to date--perhaps Simlish could become the dominant language in Facebook gaming.

Have you been one of the over 9 million locked into The Sims Social? What do you think of the game so far? Share with us in the comments.Add Comment