Casual Gaming’s year in review: 2008

2008 also saw the arrival of CasualGaming.biz. Launched in May, this site took over the baton of casual games coverage from MCVuk.com and Developmag.com, and has since delivered several hundred news stories to a dedicated audience of casual games professionals.

Below we’ve picked out the most interesting highlights of the year for you to review.

January

Online MMO leader Jagex plans a casual games portal
http://www.developmag.com/news/29137/Jagex-plays-with-FunOrb

India’s Jump Games grabs the Manchester United brand for mobile for a reported $100 million
http://www.developmag.com/news/29136/Jump-nabs-Manchester-Utd-license-for-100m

Casual games portal Outspark secures $11 million in funding
http://www.developmag.com/news/29052/Outspark-gains-11-million

Hasbro says it wants to shut down Scrabulous, the popular Facebook app
http://www.developmag.com/news/29071/Hasbro-wants-to-shut-down-Scrabulous

Not-very-prescient analysts complain that Apple has no plan for games
http://www.developmag.com/news/29090/Apple-has-no-game-plan

February

Community focused casual game developer Rebel Monkey raises $1 million
http://www.developmag.com/news/29183/Rebel-Monkey-raises-1m

Nokia launches much-delayed N-Gage mobile games service – in beta form
http://www.developmag.com/news/29200/After-several-delays-N-Gage-finally-launches
 
FlowPlay secures $3.7 million to finish virtual world featuring casual games
http://www.developmag.com/news/29214/CASUAL-CONNECT-FlowPlay-nabs-37m-funding

RealNetworks realigns its game brands under single RealGames label
http://www.developmag.com/news/29230/CASUAL-CONNECT-Brand-overhaul-for-Reals-casual-sites

EA sets up BluePrint studio to tap into casual games on social networks
http://www.developmag.com/news/29249/EA-to-target-social-networks

Games 2.0: The Internet is the games platform, argues former Develop editor
http://www.developmag.com/news/25850/Games-20-The-internet-is-the-games-platform

Nokia secures PopCap games for its SNAP multiplayer platform
http://www.developmag.com/news/29312/PopCap-to-make-multiplayer-mobile-games-for-SNAP

Jagex launches FunOrb, its casual games portal
http://www.developmag.com/news/29377/Jagex-launches-FunOrb

March

Kuju Brighton rebranded Zoe Mode and puts focus firmly on social games
http://www.developmag.com/news/25837/Kuju-Brighton-rebrands-as-Zo-Mode

Casual games touched 145 million people in 2007, analysts say
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/29814/Report-Casual-gaming-gets-serious

EA and Sega publicly back iPhone games push as Apple unveils its new SDK
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/29839/EA-and-Sega-back-iPhone-games-push

Midway says it will open its own casual games portal
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/29848/Midway-to-open-casual-games-portal

MTV-owned Nickelodeon to develop 600 casual titles
http://www.developmag.com/news/29505/Nickelodeon-developing-600-casual-games

Linden Labs, the social MMO developer, opens a studio in the UK
http://www.developmag.com/news/26197/Linden-Lab-preps-studio-in-Brighton-UK

Hollywood’s Paramount gets into casual games
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/30018/Paramount-gets-into-games-publishing

April

THQ buys casual develop Elephant Entertainment, plans to take 20 casual titles to retail
http://www.developmag.com/news/29558/THQ-boosts-casual-games-offering

Codemasters signs Bella Sara pony game to target girl gamers
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/30048/Codemasters-unveil-new-casual-signing

Nokia’s new N-Gage service finally launches after months of delays
http://www.developmag.com/news/29570/After-months-of-delays-N-Gage-finally-launches

‘Most casual games are rubbish’ blasts Codemasters’ online boss
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/30169/Most-casual-games-are-rubbish

Second Life creator Linden Labs appoints a new CEO
http://www.developmag.com/news/29685/Linden-Labs-appoints-new-CEO?

Comic book giant Marvel announces plans to get into casual games
http://www.developmag.com/news/29692/Marvel-pushes-into-casual-games

May

Casualgaming.biz launches to bring daily updated news and features to casual games professionals
http://www.casualgaming.biz

Toy maker Hasbro reveals it’s going casual
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27422/Hasbro-chases-consumers-into-casual-games-market

Casual games are fuelling Facebook app
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27425/Current-Facebook-growth-only-comes-from-casual-games

PopCap discloses it is spending $1million developing its next casual game
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27441/PopCaps-next-game-boasts-1m-budget

Facebook developer Social Gaming Network secures $15 million funding
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27443/15m-funding-boost-for-Social-Gaming-Network
 
Riccitiellio says casual gaming has saved the PC market
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27446/Riccitiello-Casual-saving-dismal-PC-market

EA’s Pogo division posts $100 million of sales in a year
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27447/Pogos-FY-sales-top-100m

PopCap signs an exclusive global advertising deal with Wild Tangent
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27472/WildTangent-signs-exclusive-global-ad-deal-with-PopCap

Guitar Hero III on mobile passes through the one million sales barrier
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27488/Guitar-Hero-III-celebrates-mobile-success

June

Apple officially unveils the 3G iPhone
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27518/Apple-unveils-3G-iPhone

Pundits suggest iPhone games will retail for $25…
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27510/iPhone-games-will-be-priced-around-25

…but the talk is quickly quashed by Steve Jobs who suggests a $9.99 upper limit
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27517/Official-iPhone-games-to-cost-up-to-999

London-based Facebook developer Playfish gets three titles in top ten Facebook games
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27521/PlayFish-enjoys-Facebook-success

PlayFish then taps VCs for another $1 million in funding
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27569/Playfish-raises-1million-in-funding

US media giant NBC buys controlling stake in German casual portal Bigpoint for $110 million
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27523/NBC-gets-into-games-with-110m-Bigpoint-swoop

Jagex says FunOrb portal is going well, and ramps up activity
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27540/Jagex-ramping-up-FunOrb-activity

Website ‘I’m in like with you’ gets $1.5 million after rebranding as casual games portal
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27565/Casual-games-site-gets-15m-funding

July

New Casual Game Forum conference to debut in London in October
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27581/New-casual-games-event-hits-UK

Apple’s iPhone app store opens for business
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27588/iPhone-App-Store-The-floodgates-open

Super Monkey Ball tops the iPhone game chart, as games dominate opening weekend
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27596/Super-Monkey-Ball-tops-iPhone-download-chart

Yahoo moves into the ad-supported games space
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27604/Yahoo-launches-ad-supported-games

Nickelodeon says its casual games sites will get more social networking features
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27621/Nickelodeons-casual-gaming-sites-go-social

Microsoft explains it revamped its Xbox dashboard to target casual gamers
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27638/Microsoft-explains-motive-behind-casualisation-of-the-360-interface

Social games service Zinga has a spring in its step after $29 million boost
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27649/Zynga-given-29-million-boost

Hasbro formally sues the creators of Scrabulous, the Facebook app
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27655/Scrabulous-creators-sued-by-Hasbro

RealNetworks says it has served 400 million ads since 2006
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27659/RealNetworks-serves-400m-in-game-ads

August

EA acquires the ‘For Dummies’ licence for new game range
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27683/EA-grabs-For-Dummies-licence

Disney launches an online casual games portal
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27705/Disney-launches-online-games-portal

PopCap celebrates its 25 millionth sale of the game that changed everything, Bejewelled
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27710/PopCap-toasts-Bejewelleds-25m-sales

Sony’s signs deal to see its social quiz game Buzz going mobile
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27711/Sonys-popular-PlayStation-IP-Buzz-heads-to-mobile

Facebook shows Scrabulous the door
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27722/Facebook-scraps-Scrabulous

September

PopCap opens a UK mobile store
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27743/PopCap-opens-UK-mobile-store

EA reveals nine new games in development for iPhone
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27752/EA-pledges-nine-new-games-to-iPhone

Denki, the mass-market interactive TV game specialist, is looking to make more accessible new games
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27751/UK-studio-Denki-looks-to-new-make-new-accesible-IPs

Hidden object developer Big Fish secures staggeringly massive $83 million from VCs
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27769/Big-boost-for-Big-Fish

Sims creator Will Wright says the shift to casual games is the most important trend in gaming
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27771/Casual-shift-most-important-thing-happening-in-the-gaming-industry

October

Analysts estimate there are now ten million iPhones in the marketplace
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27820/10m-iPhones-already-on-the-market-say-number-crunchers

Google reveals its long-awaited in-game advertising push will focus on casual space
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27825/Google-unveils-its-game-plan

PlayStation 3 casual-ish game LittleBigPlanet a massive hit with reviewers
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27839/LittleBigPlanet-scores-95-average-on-Metacritic

EA opens a new casual games studio in Austin
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27844/EA-opens-new-Austin-casual-studio

Flash championed by Boonty boss at inaugural Casual Game Forum in London
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27870/Flash-will-become-casual-platform-of-choice-says-Boonty-boss

Amazon enters the casual games fray by buying Reflexive portal
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27855/Amazoncom-buys-casual-game-portal-Reflexive

PlayFish gets another $17 million in VC funding
http://www.developmag.com/news/30731/Playfish-bags-17m-VC-funding

November

The Telegraph attempts to tap into growing clamour for casual games
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27896/Telegraph-launches-casual-games-channel

EA’s Head of Casual Games Kathy Vrabreck resigns
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27900/Vrabreck-resigns-from-EA-Casual

Ubisoft reveals it will spend $4million targeting casual gamers at Christmas
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27921/Ubisoft-to-splash-4m-on-Xmas-casual-TV-campaign

The Guardian declares that casual gaming is recession proof
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27944/Casual-is-key-to-surviving-credit-crunch

EA says it is working on a multiplayer version blue chip title Diner Dash
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27948/EA-planning-multiplayer-Diner-Dash

Vivendi Mobile is formerly closed
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27950/Vivendi-Games-Mobile-formerly-closed

December

Apple says games make up six of the 10 best selling iPhone apps so far
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27987/Gaming-rules-Apple-Apps-downloads

Sega launches casual games portal
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27997/Sega-launches-casual-games-portal

Daily Mail outraged by Nintendo DS title Scrabble Interactive 2007 Edition
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/28014/Daily-Mail-in-Scrabble-DS-outrage

EA issues a profit warning, and bad forebodings for casual gaming on consoles
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/28010/EA-financial-results-bode-poorly-for-casual