Inside Social Games

We have just compiled the latest numbers and here are the Facebook gaming charts for December 8, 2008.

There were a number of huge shifts in numbers as some of the major games dropped in ranking this last month. You can also see that a number of new apps have made it on the scene as we begin to incorporate a more open view of the term “game.”

• Lil Green Patch still clings to its #1 spot, but lost nearly half a million users this past month. Part of the reason may be due to a migration over to Green Patch’s sister title Lil Blue Cove, that made its appearance on these charts for the first time at #15 with 2.1 million users.
• Playfish’s Pet Society made a significant jump from #9 to #4 gaining close to 1.5 million active users. Moreover, the relative new comer, Geo Challenge premiered on the Top 25 at #6, while the other classic Playfish titles stayed relatively static in their ranking despite their gains in players. The one exception, however, is Bowling Buddies that dropped to #10.
• Zynga is still going strong with three titles now in the Top 25, though growth for its top games is slowing. Texas Hold Em’ still solidly holds the #2 spot. This month, both YoVille and Texas Hold Em’ saw gains, and Mafia Wars made its way onto the list for the first time at #14.
• Despite the battle of the titans, there is still plenty of new stuff coming out. A number of new apps appeared this month such as Snowball Fight, Optical Illusions Challenge, and myFarm. Each of these titles were unseen in the Top 25 before, and have made impressive impact on the Facebook community with well over 1.5 million users this month respectively

Despite the relative consistency of the top games from Playfish and Zynga, more and more newer games are giving them a run for their money, and as the social space continues to evolve, they will need to continue to do so as well in order to keep up. Nevertheless, this is a good thing as more competition between the two as well as newer games nipping at their heels means more new games and less stagnation for players.