Missed a session of GamesBeat Summit Next 2022? All sessions are now available for viewing in our on-demand library. Click here to start watching.
Zynga today announced that it is partnering with CoolGames to launch a new HTML5 game on Facebook Gaming. The new game is Farm Merge Valley and the title tells you most of what you need to know about it. It is a farming game with merge mechanics, joining many other games in the now thriving merge mobile genre.
Farm Merge Valley is a farming based fusion game where players build their farms and harvest crops. CoolGames has social elements built in as players can invite friends to their farm to complete tasks. Scott Koenigsberg, Zynga’s chief product officer, said in a statement, “Farm Merge Valley is expanding the capability of HTML5 through its social and hybrid model and we can’t wait for our global audience to engage with the game.”
When you say “farm game” and “Facebook” in the same breath, it’s reminiscent of Farmville, one of Facebook’s first major games. It paved the way for the social media platform’s new genre of casual gameplay and raised Zynga’s own profile. Zynga didn’t make Farmville, but it did acquire MyMiniLife, the company that did, around the same time the game exploded in popularity. The game closed in 2020.
Facebook’s dedicated Gaming app was officially discontinued on October 28, with the company re-integrating some of its features and games into the main app. Whether Farm Merge Valley can match the success of its predecessor remains to be seen. Laurens Rutten, CEO of CoolGames, seems so, saying, “Merge is one of the fastest growing game genres in mobile and… We believe there is huge untapped potential for deep and high-quality merge games on HTML5 gaming platforms. ”
The GamesBeat credo when talking about the game industry, is ‘where passion and business meet’. What does this mean? We want to tell you how important news is to you — not just as a decision maker in a game studio, but also as a game fan. Whether you’re reading our articles, listening to our podcasts, or watching our videos, GamesBeat helps you learn and have fun with the industry. Discover our briefings.
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.