#farmville
You may already know about 7-Eleven buddying up with Zynga, the maker of Farmville and Mafia Wars, for farm flavored ice cream, but are you aware that purchasing one of the convenience store's hot dogs gets you a bulletproof vest? More »
If the image above of FarmVille-themed ice cream wasn't telling enough, Zynga and 7-Eleven today announced a co-branding of various products in "nearly 7,000 7-Eleven stores in the US and Canada." In addition to the vanilla ice cream, Big Gulps and Slurpees featuring YoVille, FarmVille, and Mafia Wars are also available, all coming packed with redeemable codes for in-game items.
We've already received a handful of tips of the ice cream being spotted in 7-Eleven outlets, but the announcement indicates customers should be able to find the products everywhere by June 1, through July 15. The ice cream runs $2.29 per pint, while the Big Gulps and Slurpees range in price depending on the contents -- the shame of purchasing said products, however, that's priceless. We've listed all the in-game items and how to get them in real life below the fold.
#retail
Social gaming phenomenon/scourge Farmville is about to invade your personal space every time you walk into a 7-Eleven store, with publishers Zynga plastering 7000 stores with Farmville junk. More »
#opinion
In a piece over on Wired, Kira Greer speaks publicly about the depths of her obsession with Farmville. It makes her sound like a nutter, yes, but it also makes her sound like someone in need of something better. More »
#farmville
The maker of Farmville, shedding users by the millions, got a jolt of good news on Tuesday when the game's parent company reached an agreement with Facebook, settling a standoff over the handling of virtual currency transactions. More »
A joint press release from Facebook and Farmville creator Zynga has announced that the two have entered into a "five-year strategic relationship," which "increases their shared commitment to social gaming on Facebook and expands use of Facebook Credits in Zynga's games." The new union likely comes as a response to reports that Zynga CEO Mark Pincus was considering leaving Facebook behind to start a new social gaming hub.
The terms of the relationship aren't being discussed, but we imagine a new agreement was reached regarding how much Facebook takes from purchases using the aforementioned Credits. We're likely to hear more about the specifics of this agreement in the coming weeks.
From what we hear, the kids are all abuzz about something called "The Facebook" these days. Japanese game publisher Capcom is jumping on board the popular social network, with president Haruhiro Tsujimoto revealing in a recent interview with BusinessWeek that a new game could be ready before the end of the fiscal year (ending March 31, 2011).
"Gaming on social networks is poised to impact the traditional video game industry and is a presence that cannot be ignored. We have to make our move," he said. Presumably, Tsujimoto and Capcom want a low-investment moneymaker on Facebook to help bolster the coming year's sales over last year's "sluggish" earnings. For our part, we're hoping for a Resident Evil-based, free-to-play management sim. Who isn't?
#zynga
Caught in an apparent pissing match with Facebook, Farmville creators Zynga seems to be losing. Two weeks ago Zynga lost 3.1 million monthly active users. Last week they lost 4.2 million of them. More »
#casual
FarmVille looks to overrun your corner convenience store this summer, thanks to a cross promotion that'll have 7-Elevens nationwide hawking exclusive items for the casual game, plus others from the Zynga family. More »
#facebook
Are you tired of constant FarmVille updates on your Facebook feed? Strike back against the mystery eggs and wandering stallions with zombie Jesus and surface-to-stork missiles in FarmVillain. More »
#feature
A galpal and I are discussing video games over cocktails at a bar. Well, kind of. She's trying to tell me why she plays FarmVille, and in the course of the discussion I find out her life is a mess. More »
#ipad
Farm simulator FarmVille launched on social networking site Facebook.com. It then became hugely popular, boasting 80 million users. Know what that means? More »
#rumor
Masters of the Ville Zynga are making a move into Oregon Trail territory with FrontierVille, the latest social game to devour the time and productivity of people the world over. More »
No, no, no. This simply will not do. There are so, so many things in this world worth buying with money you don't technically have, that we can't sympathize with a 12-year-old boy who, according to the Guardian, ran up a £905 tab (something like $1,380) by purchasing FarmVille funny money through developer Zynga. Since the boy lives with his (unknowing) mother, the company reportedly refused to refund the money, leaving the boy's life savings and the mother's credit card account in a world of hurt.
There are a handful of burning questions at the forefront of our minds with this story, the most pressing being: What was the endgame, here, kid? Was your sizable initial investment going to be completely recouped with this season's bumper crop harvest of virtual soybeans?
#lawnmowing
Digital plowing, planting and sowing is so January 2010. Advanced Lawnmower Simulator 2: The Revenge of King Zord! Is my personal gardening game of the month. More »
#acautionarytale
A 12-year-old British boy racked up an astounding $1,300 bill while setting up his virtual farm in Zynga's popular Facebook game FarmVille, The Guardian Reports. More »
#shirts
Farmville is a craze that is sweeping the internet, but its simplistic premise and Facebook residence won't please everyone. For you who are displeased, then, there is this t-shirt. More »
#farmville
Kotaku Talk Radio is coming to you live RIGHT NOW, well maybe ten minutes, with special guest Marcus Segal, the chief operating officer for Zynga. More »
