Facebook game FarmVille has amassed 56m players within three months of its launch to become the fastest-growing social game on the internet. The social strategy game, created by US gaming company Zynga, now draws 21 million users daily and 60 million monthly worldwide. The farming game is generating sales of more than $150m this year, boosted by players using its micropayment service to buy items in the game. It said a three-week charity appeal saw players spend $854,000 on virtual seeds, with half the proceeds going towards Haitian children.
01/11/2009
Mark Skaggs, head of the game's development team, said: “If micropayments at that rate were added up over a year, the total would be $14.8m, proving that virtual money is turning into a very profitable business."
Skaggs believes the attraction is universal: "It's a theme that everyone knows worldwide. And it's simple to play."
