Unreal-powered mobile games could go social with Facebook Connect

Soon, it won't just be our tiny, cutesy farms that get all the attention on Facebook. (It'll be our tiny, axe-wielding warriors.) Epic Games has released the next version of its Unreal Development Kit for iOS, and it includes new iOS Facebook Connect features along with various visual enhancements. In other words, beautiful 3D mobile games with looks of Infinity Blade could very well go social in the future.

More specifically, the new Unreal Engine for iOS will support Facebook wall posts, the ability to download friends lists and requests for additional Facebook permissions from a user. Yup, those sound like the classic trappings of a Facebook game, all right. This news marks just another move by Epic Games toward the mobile, social and casual games space.

Just recently, the developer/publisher/engine licensor brought a less visually intense version of the Unreal Engine 3 to Flash. In theory, this could result in Facebook games--most of which are created in Flash--taking on shiny new 3D graphics. Come to think of it, this news marks a shift for the industry in general. When a technology that has become nearly ubiquitous in the traditional games scene recognizes mobile, social and casual, so to will the creators. Are you ready for Facebook frag fests?

Gree vies for global takeover with mobile social game platform in 2012

Yeah, and so is everyone else. Gree announced its plans for a global mobile social game platform that is said to launch in mid-2012. The Japanese mobile social games giant plans to use OpenFeint to bridge the gap between Asian and Western gaming audiences in hopes of reaching 1 billion players. However, the company didn't say much of anything beyond that.

"This new platform allows our partners to focus on increasing engagement and revenue, while continuing to offer the most comprehensive free-to-play gaming experience," Gree International CEO Naoki Aoyagi said in a release. "The new platform will leverage OpenFeint and GREE assets and will bring together Western and Asian mobile social markets with a goal of reaching over one billion users."

Gree plans to release more details on the service this December, but said that its network in Japan grows at a rate of 3.8 new players per second. The company's main competitor is DeNA, the Japanese owner of ngmoco and the Mobage mobile social games network. Mobage is already available in the U.S. and other English-speaking countries on Android. However, both Zynga and EA--the largest social game makers in the nation--both already have a host of mobile games.

Let's not forget that the former has plans for a (somewhat) independent social games network, Project Z. We're almost certain that's going to extend to mobile devices, which would provide Gree and OpenFeint just one more competitor to worry about. We're not sure just what the duo is cooking up, but to come out on top of this healthy competition, it better be huge.

[Image Credit: Gree]

Do you think Gree has a shot at beating the competition in the mobile social games space? Which of the top companies are you most confident in when it comes to mobile games?

Nordeus passes Top Eleven's stat-crunching soccer to Android devices

This means that, if you started something with Top Eleven on Facebook, you can easily pick it back up on Top Eleven for your Android phone later. For all intents and purposes, the game is essentially the same as it is on Facebook, which currently caters to 3.1 million monthly players, according to AppData. However, there are certain advantages that Android users might have over the non-mobile competition.

Facebook mobile social games will grow industry at once, CTO expects

It sounds like Taylor and Facebook look to grow the mobile and social games industries all at once across all platforms including Android, Windows Phone and Blackberry. To do that, Facebook is encouraging more developers to create HTML5 or native mobile app versions of their social games that Facebook Mobile can redirect to, which is about the only way we see this method working. However, with game shares (at least for non-gamers to see) almost entirely in the Ticker--which doesn't exist on mobile--where do the new social gamers come in?

It Girl maker CrowdStar looks beyond Facebook for 1 billion players

TechCrunch reports that, as part of its plan to diversify beyond Facebook, CrowdStar will launch It Girl (and Top Girl for iOS) franchise in Asia across Japan, Korea and China. Starting with NHN Japan, the company plans to introduce both It Girl and Top Girl to five Asian social networks in Q4 (October through December) alone. According to TechCrunch, Top Girl has already been downloaded from the App Store 4 million times.

G5 builds a free download of Virtual City Playground on iPhone, Android

Recently released to the iPad in August, the game appears to take numerous factors into consideration as players develop their cities like mass transit, recycling and general eco-friendliness. Players get to launch community events in their cities to keep citizens happy, which contribute to the balance players must keep between Time, Income, Environment, Population, and Happiness for a successful city.

Beat down wizards for sweet deals with Wizardia on Facebook and mobile

Taken separately, none of these features are particularly novel, since Parallel Kingdom is another fantasy mobile title that's already well-known for its use of Google Maps. Games And Prizes is entirely devoted to the namesake. But Yummi Apps, which just recently remodeled itself from a commercial apps producer into a social games developer, plans to bring all these elements into one package. And they plan to pull it off sometime this fall, too