EA SPORTS FIFA Superstars Brings the ‘Beautiful Game’ to Facebook

Have you ever dreamt of managing a football team comprised of the world’s greatest players? Now, just in time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM, we’re pleased to announce EA SPORTS FIFA Superstars!

Here’s your chance to take control of the ‘beautiful game’ to see if you can do a better job than the pros. FIFA Superstars lets you build a team of real players and compete with the whole world on the football pitch.

First, you’re assigned a set of football players to develop your team around. Players are rated on their shooting, control, stamina and strength, with the ratings based on real world statistics. So if you’re lucky enough to have, say, Cristiano Ronaldo on your team, he’s going to have much higher stats than a less accomplished player.

So you’ve got your team lined up, but what if they’re just not all that hot? Well, that’s where the game starts getting really fun! Buying Bronze, Silver or Gold transfer sets gives you a random group of players of roughly similar skill range. Bronze players are international quality, Silver players are star footballers and Gold players are the football world’s superstars – the best of the best.

Once you’re happy with your team you can take them to the pitch to play some games with other players. You can play each of your friends once a day, earning cash and building experience. You also can play league games, climbing ever higher to face better and better players around the world. The more cash you earn, the more you can spend on transfers and taking your team to the big time.

You’ll also need to ensure your team has a consistently high standard of training and fitness, which improves its abilities on the pitch. Additionally, stadium upgrades increase your team’s revenue and training levels.

FIFA Superstars features four modes of exciting play: Friendly matches, League matches, Premier League (and more of the world’s top leagues to come soon), and 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM.

You can win some amazing prizes in 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM mode. Just predict the scores for upcoming games, and if you guess the winner or the score correctly you’ll earn points which add up to Coin prizes, Match Credits and even Gold rated players! Even better, the more friends who play the 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM Mode, the better your chances at winning prizes – so remember to get everyone involved. Not only will you earn more together but you can finally prove once and for all who really knows football best!

Just like the start of your favorite team’s professional league, this is only the beginning for EA SPORTS FIFA Superstars. There’ll be all kinds of amazing new features to try in future and much, much more. So step onto the pitch, make wise training and transfer choices, and you’ll have the chance to take your team all the way to the top of the world! Do you have what it takes?

Welcome to My Empire!

Friends, Romans and citizens. The time has come to make your marks on history with Playfish’s latest release: My Empire.

Each one of you has been given an island to make your own and enough gold to build the foundations of a mighty empire.

You have each been given the finest ships in the Roman empire’s fleet, that you may set sail for each other’s islands, earning Coins for your colony through good will gifts and trading.

Each of you is placed in control of your own empire’s destinies, and the destinies of the very people who populate them. Treat them well by building fine baths, arenas and other luxuries and your population will grow and prosper. And with a growing population comes more taxes to collect.

Your people may be loyal to you, but they still have needs for creature comforts. A happy population is a productive one and the population’s mood can be improved by planting trees and flowers, erecting statues and laying roads and hedgerows. Make your city beautiful and your citizens will be proud to call it their home and thank you with their devotion.

As your population of devoted subjects grow, so too will the number of ways you can put them to work for you and help you raise your empire to glory. You and you alone are in control of your empire and the way it grows under your guidance will say much about the way you think. You could have them build a mine to dig for iron, copper, silver and perhaps even gold, or construct a quarry to search for precious stone.

By collecting more of these valuable raw materials you can set your loyal citizens to work creating a masterpiece — a Wonder of the World. Achieving the truly legendary status of building a Wonder of the World is one of the highest honors you can achieve and the choice of different Wonders will astonish and amaze, ranging from the mighty Colossus of Rhodes to the mysterious Sphinx and many more between. Who will be the first among you and your friends to construct them all?

But Rome wasn’t built in a day. You’ll need your friends to help you construct your finest achievements, whether by sending you gifts or by enlisting them to help you to build. Lend help to your friends when they need you and they’ll be there for you when you need them.

The more friends you have who create colonies in neighboring islands the more rich opportunities will be uncovered, all yours for the taking.

So set sail for distant lands to explore because this is only the beginning, and who knows what marvels await in My Empire? Play it now to find out!

Hotel City is Open For Business!

2010 sees the release of Gangster City, Poker Rivals and now…

Check in to Hotel City, Playfish’s latest offering that lets you and your friends design and run your own hotel!

Hotel City joins our simulation games and gives you the freedom to build a hotel the way you like. From decorating the largest suite for your marvelous motel to earning your keep at a friend’s hotel, you’re sure to have a five star experience playing Hotel City with your friends and family.

Read on and find out what you can do and look forward to!

BUILD
Jump right in and build your fabulous hotel straight away! You’ll start off with a lobby, a couple of rooms and a janitor’s office – the fledgling beginnings of your landmark hotel. The rooms are interchangeable so you can start to create a skyscraper or build a more laid-back bungalow-style hotel. Which will you choose?

DESIGN
No theme is too crazy or too glamourous in Hotel City – the style and layout is completely up to you! Express the inner you or explore new possibilities with new items added to the collections each week; choose from a whole myriad of wallpapers, floors and decorations to spruce up your customers’ rooms. Will you go the classic red carpet look or give your customers something to talk about with a new style of your very own?

EARN
Give your workers shifts to run your hotel for you – from 2 hours to 2 days! As they work, you’ll get the coins to bring your grand design to life. Customers will enjoy staying at a well decorated hotel but they will also pay to go the gym, eat at your five star gourmet restaurant or take a plunge in the swimming pool!

If you’re just starting out in Hotel City and need a helping hand, we’ve got it covered: grab a job at your friend’s hotel and earn a bit of extra cash on the side! Yup, now you can visit your friends’ hotels and work for them, too!

This new feature means you can apply for jobs your friends advertise on their profiles – but be quick! Open jobs in Hotel City are limited and someone else might take the spot you wanted and those hard earned coins! If you are lucky enough to get the job, be sure to go to your friend’s hotel and pick up your daily salary!

So in Hotel City it really pays to help your friends! Visit your friends to collect your hard earned coins to build a bigger, better and more luxurious hotel!

SCORE
Of course what’s a hotel if it’s not the best? Earn coins, decorate and keep those customers happy to gain those coveted five gold stars above your hotel. Will your hotel stay on top or will your friends beat you to it?

Only your customers will tell so and keep your eyes and ears open for tips and suggestions from them.

HAVE FUN!
With so much variety and so many things to do, the sky’s the limit for your hotel in Hotel City! Whether you’re a fan of decorating rooms in Pet Society or starting a fun business head to head with your friends in Restaurant City, you’re sure to love Hotel City. So welcome to Hotel City – we hope you have a pleasant stay!

Poker Rivals (or friends, as the case may be).

The Playfish office atmosphere is really very special. There’s always something fun going on and I think our games represent this quite well in the colourful designs and the casual gaming structure we present in our titles.

Poker Rivals is in the small cluster of games we’ve recently released that is in contrast to our other titles such as Pet Society or Country Story. It’s different because of the inherent notions poker carries with it: a serious, competitive and quite mature game. So when I was asked to write something for our blog to give our fans insight into the game, I realised that I don’t really think of myself as a poker player. In fact, mention ‘poker player’ and I immediately imagine some guy (yes, male) wearing a black leather jacket and denim blue jeans with slicked back hair. Or, if I really thought about it, maybe the more sophisticated Ocean’s Eleven type of ‘playa’ who smirks at everything and steals your shoes from under you.

But no one at Playfish is a stereotype and I don’t think our players are either. So as a loyal Playfisher, I sat down and dedicated some serious time to playing Poker Rivals (research, you see) to give our readers a good idea of what the game offers if they weren’t so familiar with poker.

Mark Bendon, a self-proclaimed seasoned poker player and our Game Designer, happened to pass my desk while I was playing Poker Rivals in a search for inspiration. Seizing the opportunity, I flagged him down. “Mark! Fancy a game of Poker Rivals?”

Card One: Queen of Hearts

The first cards are dealt and I set my avatar to ‘relaxed’. A message bips up on the screen…

Mark: You shouldn’t have asked me to play. I’m a Poker Rivals-aholic.

I smile…

Chorna: Gah. Do I have to confess something now, too?
Mark: Yes, you do. We’re all friends here, Chorna.

Chorna: Very well. I hid someone’s stapler as a joke then forgot where I put it… and never told them. Moving on… I’d thought you were playing Poker Rivals a lot! It’s difficult not to notice when you’re cheering at your screen or slamming a fist on the table.

Mark: Haha!

Chorna: For a game was released back in December it’s really popular! It’s surprisingly easy to get into as well…
Mark: Yeah… I think people sometimes associate online poker with remortgaging the house. Poker Rivals is based around friendly rivalry, and playing with your friends, not machismo or smack talking the competition.
Chorna: Hrrmm – it is focused on having fun above everything else, which I noticed straight away. I was surprised at how quickly I started playing poker considering how little I knew to begin with. Did you find the tutorial quite helpful?
Mark: Uhm… I wrote the tutorial.
Chorna: … Oh. Well… it was good!! Quick and easy. 🙂 I liked that I got chips…
Mark: Haha…! I think it makes a huge difference to get through a simple tutorial and start playing with friends straight away. It’s less like jumping into the ocean and more like sitting in your bath tub with your favourite rubber ducky. No, that sounds wrong… I don’t… do that…

Card Two: Jack of Diamonds

Another card is put down. So far, looking good…

Chorna: Poker Rivals looks really slick – not intimidating at all. I thought it would be like stepping into an ultra serious casino but instead it’s more like picking up a deck of cards at a dinner table.
Mark: Yup. I like the way we’ve kept things simple. A nice simple interface means you don’t have to wonder where the ‘let’s play cards’ button is. Just go to the app, click ‘play’ and whaddaya know, there’s all my friends playing poker too.
Chorna: Speaking of friends, this chat function was really fun. Definitely makes it more about me and my friends and less about an anonymous encounter online. I still get competitive though, even with friends.
Mark: You’re not limited to playing with friends if you don’t want to. You can still mingle with the masses and just play with anyone you like, which is cool. It’s a nice mix.
Chorna: Do you find random players intimidating?
Mark: Yes, I’ve been intimidated by some. But usually I’m more disconcerted by my Playfish colleague’s fashion choices for their Poker Rivals avatars…

Chorna: It’s quite fun being able to customise myself – er, my avatar!
Mark: Heh, it does add a nice element. That’s one of the things Poker Rivals does really well – the level of customisation is brilliant, and it’s growing all the time.
Chorna: That’s like all Playfish games; I think what we’ve started off with is good but it’s going to be really interesting to see all the new content coming out soon.
Mark: Yeah, we’ll be supporting it long after release. What you see when a game is released is only a small fraction of what’s to come.

Card Three: Ten of Spades

I’m starting to get nervous and take a peek at my cards. Must distract Mark…!!

Chorna: Poker Rivals has surprised me at how easy it has made getting into the game, even though it’s potentially a complicated card game.
Mark: Well, poker is about making a better hand (collection) of cards than your opponent. The nitty gritty of it is in the different variations of cards you can have. In Poker Rivals, we’re playing Texas Hold ‘Em, where everyone has 2 cards in their hand which is a secret only known to them. Cards are added to the middle of the table…
Chorna: So the more confident you are about your hand, the more you bet, but of course you can bluff because nobody really knows what the other person has.

I prepare to raise the bet by $550…

Mark: Right. One of the things which makes online poker such a great place for beginners is that the pressure is off – nobody can see you so you don’t have to worry about whether anyone can tell you’re bluffing!
Chorna: You say that but when I’ve played Poker Rivals before – and even now – I really get the feeling someone real was there playing against me. I think the whole thing about personalised avatars, real time chat and real time bets really has that effect.
Mark: The emphasis with Poker Rivals is to make it feel like you have the freedom to communicate and express yourself, as well as enjoy a game quickly and easily.

Mark raises the bet by another $550…!

Card Four: Ace of Diamonds

It’s getting tense. I begin to wonder if Mark is psychic and can sense my nervousness…

Chorna: We really have made it easy to start playing when you’re logged into the game.
Mark: It’s as easy as “Oh look, they’re playing!” *click*
Chorna: There’s always the envelope function – you see someone already logged into Facebook, click the envelope and it sends your friend a quick invite. Next thing you know, they’ve responded and you’re both at a table.
Mark: But also, if you don’t want to invite anyone specific, you can always announce that you’re now looking for players via the megaphone.
Chorna: Shall we invite others to join us then?

Mark: No. I’m winning
Chorna: Haha… oh goodie.
Mark: You can also send your friends gifts, which means you could send your mate Dave a totally ill advised tight fitting T-shirt and see if he feels honour-bound to wear it.
Chorna: You do look good in pink, Mark. I thought that V-neck Playfish tshirt was awesome on you.
Mark: Thanks, I liked it too. With the megaphone, though, we wanted to get all your friends’ attention, let them know that they really should play some poker with you because it’s so quick and easy.
Chorna: These tables are pretty big – they can handle up to 10 players. Which makes it pretty interesting. You’re positive you don’t want anyone to jump in? 😉

Card Five and winner takes all…?

Darn. Mark does indeed win. I lose about $2,000 and I stare at the screen dejectedly…

Chorna: Bah… Congrats, Mark! One to you, then. So, what’s the most you’ve ever won?
Mark: Oh well… I think it was like $90,000?
Chorna: Liar!!
Mark: It’s true!
Chorna: NO – really??!
Mark: I posted on my Facebook profile about it and everything!
Chorna: Who were you playing against?!
Mark: Oh, random folks. And then I lost it all again almost instantly.
Chorna: Hahaha!! … You know, I’d like to see the Mayor of Pet Society sit at a Poker table. I bet he’s got an awesome poker-face.
Mark: Oh man. The Mayor would definitely scare me.

I look over my shoulder and notice Mark grinning from ear to ear. Taking a sweeping glance about the office I can see other staff checking into their Pet Society houses, harvesting some fruit in Country Story and others still logging into Gangster City.

I decide that whilst my poker chips count might be low, the spirits in the office were very high and that was good enough for me.