FarmVille-maker Zynga 'throws bodies at problems,' acquiree says

If you've ever wondered how Zynga operates, just ask one of the 14 companies it has gobbled up in the past year. Business Insider did just that--anonymously, of course--and discovered that the creator of FarmVille has a very direct way of handling issues. "They move really fast and they're good at executing, but they just kind of throw bodies at problems," an anonymous executive told Business Insider. "Not thought. [They'll just say], 'This game isn't working? Hire 20 more people.' [It's like,] maybe we should fix the game dynamics?"

Of course, Zynga gamers cry for just that daily on the forums, but this certainly the first time anyone from within the company has reportedly spoken up about it. The executive went on to mention that he doesn't criticize Zynga's strategy (it's obviously effective), but the exec did say that the company isn't afraid to let go. "They're really ruthless with cutting things that don't work," the executive revealed. "If a game doesn't work, they kill it. They'll throw those resources somewhere else. I definitely get that."

The exec even went on to say that Zynga has the phrase "Move at Zynga speed" is all over its walls, implying that the company and its employees hustle to keep ahead of the competition. And, more importantly, it's working. "Zynga is making way more money than anybody, but they're also spending more money than anybody."

Well, we could have figured that considering the millions Zynga has likely spent over the past year on hires and acquisitions alone. While not nearly as racy as previous anonymous statements about the company from the inside, at least one ingredient to Zynga's special sauce has been reportedly revealed: speed ... Zynga Speed.

Diamond Dash maker: Social games 'will evolve again in the next years'

Frankly, they kind of have no choice. That's general idea Wooga studio head Henric Suuronen (pictured) seems to have put forward in an in-depth interview with Gamasutra. And it would be wise to listen--the Berlin, Germany-based Facebook game creator is third behind Zynga and EA (now that PopCap's numbers have been integrated), according to AppData.

During the interview, Suuronen gave Gamasutra a detailed explanation of where Facebook games have been, what it takes to create them from a design perspective and, most importantly, where they're going. Specifically speaking to social mechanics in Facebook games, Suuronen said to Gamasutra:

"Now moving four years forward, you have games like CityVille, Pioneer Trail from Zynga, Kabam games, Digital Chocolate games, and Zombie Lane -- great game -- and now Magic Land," Suuronen told Gamasutra. "So it has really evolved. So why would the progression stop here? So I think it will evolve, as it has done from four years ago with Jetman and Scrabulous and Tower Bloxx. So it will evolve again in the next years."

The hit maker behind Diamond Dash recently released its seventh game on Facebook, Magic Land, which enjoys a healthy 3.4 million monthly players and over 330,000 daily players. According to Suuronen, Wooga's latest game had the most man hours thrown into it, a trend he seems to believe will continue. "The whole myth of the minimum viable product -- it's gone," Suuronen told Gamasutra. "It's something that you say to investors to sound cool."

Sure, Suuronen believes that players will eventually get tired of the standard social gaming mechanics of sharing gifts and helping asynchronously. However, the Wooga studio head also points out that the harsh reality of designing Facebook games to get players to pay up isn't going anywhere, and some traditional designers have trouble coming to grips with that.

Considering social games are expected to make $1 billion this year alone (and cash in even more from there), traditional designers and companies better wise up quick if they want to fit in the next big money machine. Read Suuronen's full interview with Gamasutra here, in which he predicts how you might be enticed to pay up in the future.

Do you agree that Facebook games can only grow into more robust entertainment options from here? Where would you like to see the industry go from today's CityVille's and other life simulators?