Skip to main content
VentureBeat Homepage
  • Events
  • GamesBeat
  • Data Pipeline
  • Transform 2022
  • Account Settings
  • Log Out
  • Become a Member
  • Sign In

VentureBeat Homepage

VentureBeat

  • AR/VR
  • Big Data
  • Cloud
  • Commerce
  • DataDecisionMakers
  • Dev
  • Enterprise
  • Entrepreneur
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Mobile
  • Security
  • Social
  • Transportation

Follow

follow us on Twitter follow us on Facebook follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS

The Machine

  • AI
  • Machine Learning
  • Computer Vision
  • Natural Language Processing
  • Robotic Process Automation

Follow

Follow us on RSS

GamesBeat

  • Games
  • Esports
  • PC Gaming

Follow

follow us on Twitter Follow us on RSS

Events

  • Upcoming
  • Media Partner
  • Webinars

General

  • Newsletters
  • Got a news tip?
  • Advertise
  • Press Releases
  • Guest Posts
  • Contribute to DataDecisionMakers
  • Deals
  • Data Pipeline
  • Jobs
  • VB Lab
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Join the VentureBeat Community

Free: Join the VentureBeat Community for access to 3 premium posts and unlimited videos per month.

Learn More

Sign up with your business e-mail to continue with ticket purchase

Please wait...

Share

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • VentureBeat Homepage
  • Newsletters
  • Events

Social game firm CrowdStar moves into mobile with Top Girl

Dean Takahashi@deantak
June 16, 2011 12:00 PM
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn

Interested in learning what's next for the gaming industry? Join gaming executives to discuss emerging parts of the industry this October at GamesBeat Summit Next. Learn more.


Already a big player in Facebook games, social game maker CrowdStar is expanding into mobile today with the launch of an iPhone game called Top Girl.

The title is the first one built by CrowdStar’s new mobile game studio, headed by Blair Hamilton. It is also the first one fueled by the company recent $23 million infusion of venture money. As such, the game is a big strategic move by CrowdStar, which was once ranked second only to Zynga on Facebook but is now No. 8 with 24 million monthly active users. If it succeeds, CrowdStar can grab an important foothold in smartphone and tablet games, which are some of the fastest-growing segments in gaming.

“To me, the mobile game market is reminiscent of Facebook in 2008, when there was no dominant company and the market was picking up speed,” said Peter Relan, chief executive of CrowdStar, in an interview. “It’s a very different battle, and we think we are up for it.”

Zynga recently launched its own mobile games, CityVille Hometown and Hanging With Friends, as it also pushes in the smartphone and tablet markets. Big game companies such as Electronic Arts also have a big stake in the mobile market.

Event

MetaBeat 2022

MetaBeat will bring together metaverse thought leaders to give guidance on how metaverse technology will transform the way all industries communicate and do business on October 3-4 in San Francisco, CA.

Register Here

The title is aimed at the same female demographic that CrowdStar attracts with its most successful Facebook game, It Girl. But Top Girl is focused on a unique mobile experience, Hamilton said. And it targets the under-served market of young women who enjoy playing social mobile role-playing games.

In the game, players try to climb the social ladder of fashion by becoming “mobile models.” They can earn currency via modeling jobs that they can use to buy clothes. They can wear the clothes and get into the best clubs. Once inside, they can then find the hottest guys, talk to them, kiss them and win them over as boyfriends. The monetization kicks in when boyfriend and girlfriend start giving each other gifts.

That may not sound like riveting stuff to most male gamers, but it is squarely targeted at women ages 18 to 35 and appeals to those with an interest in fashion, modeling and dating, said Relan.

Relan said that most of the top ranks of mobile games are dominated by simulation titles for men or revolve around collecting resources, like in farming games. But role-playing games for females are pretty scarce, even though women make up almost 50 percent of mobile social gamers, Hamilton said. She said the game focuses on shopping, modeling and relationships. The game does not have “showdowns” and “rivals” as It Girl has. Rather, Hamilton said it’s more about “you and your career.”

The game is a free-to-play native iPhone title. Users can download it for free on the iPhone or iPad and then pay real money for virtual goods in the game. The title is not connected to It Girl and so is a new brand that targets women who want to play out a fantasy modeling career. It does not use Facebook Connect for social connectivity. Rather, it uses the social mobile network of CrowdStar’s one-time sister company, OpenFeint, which was recently acquired by Gree.

CrowdStar recently raised a round of funding from Intel Capital and Time Warner. Top Girl is live in the Apple App Store today. CrowdStar has launched mobile games before in the mobile market. Those games, based on its Happy Aquarium title, were for feature phones and have pretty much run their course. CrowdStar will likely do an Android version of the new game as well.

We’ll be exploring the most disruptive game technologies and business models at our third annual GamesBeat 2011 conference, on July 12-13 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. It will focus on the disruptive trends in the mobile games market. GamesBeat is co-located with our MobileBeat 2011 conference this year. To register, click on this link. Sponsors can message us at sponsors@venturebeat.com. To enter the Who’s Got Game? contest for the best game startup, click here.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEEWVlw9CNE&feature=player_embedded]

00

GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it. Learn more about membership.

Author
Dean Takahashi
Topics
Business GamesBeat Mobile

MetaBeat 2022

Join metaverse thought leaders in San Francisco on October 3-4 to learn how metaverse technology will transform the way all industries communicate and do business.

Register Here

Transform 2022

Join AI and data leaders for insightful talks and exciting networking opportunities in-person July 19 and virtually July 20-28.

Register Now

Join forces with VentureBeat at our upcoming AI & data events

Sponsor VB Events
  • VentureBeat Homepage
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on LinkedIn
  • Follow us on RSS
  • VB Lab
  • Newsletters
  • Events
  • Special Issue
  • Product Comparisons
  • Jobs
  • About
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

© 2022 VentureBeat. All rights reserved.

×

We may collect cookies and other personal information from your interaction with our website. For more information on the categories of personal information we collect and the purposes we use them for, please view our Notice at Collection.