Zynga is (with some collaboration; to call it the singular reason would be a massive oversimplification) the reason Google+ Games failed, and the mediocrity of Google+ Games is one of the major reasons Google+ is seen as a "Me, too" product and will probably never have break-out success. Huge missed opportunity.
Given this, I can't say I'm upset to watch Zynga fail. Although much of this loss was indirect, they probably cost Google billions of dollars.
I predicted this in August 2011. I was at Google and wrote an internal missive on how social network fatigue, led by these shitty "social games", was about to evolve into outright brand damage and that it had the potential to ruin Google+ from the start. We had to differentiate ourselves from Facebook on the things that were causing SN fatigue. If we were going to do Games (which was a risky decision) we had to do them right.
To its credit, Google+ seems to have managed to avoid a persistent association. Google+ isn't associated with Zynga shit-games. In fact, I'd bet that 99% of the people reading this have no idea there ever was a Google Games. Google did a good job of hiding that one under the rug. But if they had engaged independent developers and built a real community (I suggested starting with the German-style board games, then moving into 2D RPGs and decent casual games) then they could have had something massively successful and important.
Given this, I can't say I'm upset to watch Zynga fail. Although much of this loss was indirect, they probably cost Google billions of dollars.
I predicted this in August 2011. I was at Google and wrote an internal missive on how social network fatigue, led by these shitty "social games", was about to evolve into outright brand damage and that it had the potential to ruin Google+ from the start. We had to differentiate ourselves from Facebook on the things that were causing SN fatigue. If we were going to do Games (which was a risky decision) we had to do them right.
To its credit, Google+ seems to have managed to avoid a persistent association. Google+ isn't associated with Zynga shit-games. In fact, I'd bet that 99% of the people reading this have no idea there ever was a Google Games. Google did a good job of hiding that one under the rug. But if they had engaged independent developers and built a real community (I suggested starting with the German-style board games, then moving into 2D RPGs and decent casual games) then they could have had something massively successful and important.