Announcing the Lounge Bar competition results!

Firstly thank you all for taking part in the Lounge Bar competition. We were as overwhelmed as ever at the sheer skill and creativity on show, and let us tell you now that makes us pretty darn overwhelmed!

We’ve sent our roving restaurant critic to report on the winning restaurants, so take it away roving restaurant critic!

I’m reporting live from the winning restaurant tapping the results of the competition into my trusty laptop. I’m not going to say too much about where I am just yet so I don’t spoil the surprise but I will tell you that from where I’m sitting I can see a rather nice collection of bottles and a drinks keg, decorated tastefully with a fine black marble pillar.

But more about where I’m sitting later. The competition was split into four parts. As well as asking you to show us the last word in lounge bar dining there were  three other categories — the More Than A Bouncer Award, the Oops! I Can’t Believe That Just Happened! Award and the relatively sensible sounding Best Lounge Bar Name Award.

Bouncers are the unsung heroes of Restaurant City. They don’t get paid like the other staff do. They don’t get to rest like other staff do. They just have to stand there and wait just in case someone causes trouble. And touch wood, no customer has ever caused any trouble in the history of Restaurant City. The hours are long and the work can be a little uneventful. So we wanted to give the bouncers a chance to show what they can really do. And you know what? It turns out they’re good at being big. But not, y’know, bouncer big. We’re talking really big. Like, this big:

So congratulations gemesimo, the 100 Playfish Cash for the More Than A Bouncer Award is yours. We’d come visit your restaurant to congratulate you in person but we’re a bit put off by the whole scary giant bouncer being in there thing. By the way, I just ordered this pink fruit cocktail from behind the well stock drinks bar in the overall winning restaurant but it was kind of sugary for me and I haven’t got much of a sweet tooth. Between you and me I poured it into one of the blue and white Ming vases that were close to my table and- oops, I think I just gave another clue where I was didn’t I? No. Bad roving reporter. Think before you type.

Anyway, for the next entry, well, we shouldn’t really laugh but we have to admit it made us chuckle. This one comes courtesy of “LOL!!” and we really hope the 100 Playfish Cash they just won helps to repair some of the flood damage in their restaurant.

As you can see, LOL!!’s staff have paddled out of the restaurant to go on strike outside. Having said that they don’t seem to be in agreement on the terms, with some claiming the restaurant needs a bar, some arguing what the restaurant needs is a new stove and one who we’re guessing has had enough because all he really wants is a new job. Well done LOL!!, we hope you get your restaurant back in business soon. And to the guy outside asking for a new job, we really hope that works out for you.

Next up is the Best Lounge Bar Name Award. VIP Lounge (Very Important Pharaohs) takes the top spot earning khoi1979 100 Playfish Cash! Special mention must go to Cocoa Cabana by PunkiC and The Codfather by Spursy79 which came a close 2nd. 1979 must have been a good year for restaurant naming!

So now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for. The top 3 winning restaurants as voted for by the Playfish team. A picture paints a thousand words so we’ll let your photography skills do the talking:

Pinky25 wins 200 Playfish Cash for Exquisite

Davidk wins 250 Playfish Cash for The Full Moon

So that just leaves one restaurant. The restaurant which I’m sitting in now enjoying the duck confit, which might I say is every bit as exquisite as the ambience. The winner of the Lounge Bar Competition and the 300 Playfish Cash grand prize is…

BUTTERCUP with Black Magic Bar! Congratulations BUTTERCUP!

Don’t worry, we didn’t forget the community vote. We wanted to save it until last because there otherwise we’d have given away which restaurant came in first place. So, we asked you to vote for your favourites which would take 4th, 5th and 6th place in the competition and earn their owners a cool 150 Playfish Cash each. And you know what? It turns out great minds think alike. Black Magic Bar was your top voted restaurant with an impressive 23.3% of the vote and it was our top voted restaurant too. Your 3rd choice, The Full Moon with 14.87% of the vote, was actually our choice to come 2nd overall. So that means your 2nd choice, Euphoria with 17.89% of the vote, takes 4th place overall. Cocoa Cabana takes 5th place with 11.33% of the vote and Carpe Noctum takes the 6th spot with 10.36% (apologies to C and H who were wrongly credited with 6th place). Give yourselves a pat on the back for a job well done, folks.

Well that’s a wrap. We hope you’ve enjoyed the competition and all those amazing lounge bars. Congratulations to all the winners and everyone who took part! You’re all awesome!

Playfish Kicks Off EA SPORTS FIFA Superstars with London Football Match

The recent launch of Playfish’s EA SPORTS FIFA Superstars was a great success and the game is proving to be a big hit worldwide.  We are especially pleased to be able to bring the beautiful game of football to Facebook and to Playfish fans everywhere – especially just as the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa has gotten under way.

To celebrate the release of the game, Playfish hosted a FIFA Superstars “friendly” – a spirited football match featuring several members of the London media at a pitch in Battersea Park. The teams hit the pitch wearing exclusive FIFA Superstars blue and white kit made especially for the match.

At kick off, Team White came out with guns blazing and shots hitting the mark, building a quick lead over Team Blue.

Though down, but definitely not out, Team Blue found itself on the short end of a 7-2 score at the end of the 20-minute mark.

In a lively second half, an undaunted Team Blue stepped up the pace, outscoring Team White 5-3.

Alas, it was too little too late and Team White ultimately prevailed 10-8.

Nicely done, lads! And a special congratulations to Michael Sawh of Team White, who was awarded Man of the Match.

With the match over, but players still hungry for more football, everyone headed to a nearby pub for FIFA Superstars demos from members of the game’s production team. Playfishers Henrique Olifiers, John Earner, Raf Keustermans, Andy Watson and Tom Sarris were on hand to provide our special guests with valuable tips for claiming ultimate victory in FIFA Superstars. In all, it was a great afternoon and a fun way to kick off FIFA Superstars!

LONG LIVE FOOTBALL!  LONG LIVE FIFA SUPERSTARS!

Exclusive Interview with Henrique Olifiers, Producer of FIFA Superstars

Get the ball rolling during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ and check out EA SPORTS FIFA Superstars, only on Facebook. Here’s an exclusive interview with Playfish’s Henrique Olifiers, the producer of the first official FIFA football social game.

Welcome, Henrique. Tell us about yourself.
Hi, as producer of this exciting game, I’m responsible for coordinating the original concept for FIFA Superstars. I work with a very talented team and determine what each person’s role is. If you like, think of me like a movie director.

What experience do you have ‘directing’ games?
Well, I’ve been doing this for about 10 years and I started working on games 20 years ago, back on the ZX Spectrum computer, which some of you may or may not remember. So yeah, I bring some good experience to FIFA Superstars.

What about experience working on football games?
I worked on two football titles prior to FIFA Superstars. Both posed similar challenges: finding the delicate balance between providing the player with an abundance of information and features, and making it all accessible and manageable.

Give us the score – what is FIFA Superstars?
It’s a really fun game to start with if you’ve never played a football game. It’s been created with the novice in mind. You start by building and managing your own team around the players you like. You’ll be able to play your friends and others around the world or face the virtual version of real world teams. Can you imagine scoring 5-nil against Man U? Or bragging about scoring a 3-nil victory against a friend or a random FIFA Superstars player? I think that’s pretty cool.

What inspired the look of FIFA Superstars?
First… it’s FIFA – it deserves the same level of polish and quality that all Playfish games and the FIFA series give our players. Second, I had several images of what it would look like in my mind. I saw what it could be as an action game, or a simulation like FIFA 10; or what it could be as a fantasy game where players buy and sell members of their team. It could have been a managing game, where players build a team from scratch and train, the list goes on…

What kind of game is FIFA Superstars?
All three: it’s a simulation, a fantasy and a managing game rolled into one sweet package available from anywhere you can log onto Facebook. It’s really unlike any football game that’s come before. I’m really proud of that. However, I find myself frustrated that I couldn’t put everything into the game from the day of release. But the really great thing about FIFA Superstars – and social games in general – is that we will be adding a lot of really cool features as the game grows, so I’m really looking forward to its evolution.

How likely is it that everyone will pick the same players for their teams?
It’s very unlikely that you will have the same team as someone else; FIFA Superstars has more than 15,000 football players from which to choose. They range from players who have not played for a long time to living legends virtually everyone knows of. As you start winning matches you can afford to hire more experienced players for your FIFA Superstars team.

What was the most challenging aspect of bringing FIFA Superstars to life?
I’d say the usability of the game – that is, how easy or difficult it is to understand what you should do with the information presented to you in the game. As there is a simulation aspect to FIFA Superstars there is a ton of information involved in bringing that to the gamer. It was about looking at how to consolidate all of that into easy and relevant statistics per player on your team.

What is your favorite aspect of the game?
The players are definitely my favourite aspect. I’m a massive football fan – I scour the statistics of each player like a hawk before making my choices for my team. Each one of the stats used for a player – be that shooting, pace, energy – all goes into making a unique player. And I’ve got to have the best.

The best, huh? What did you call your team?
Zombies – it was a total no brainer – no pun intended! It’s in homage to the team of people I work with at Playfish, the Zombiefish team.

You didn’t name your team after your favorite football team?
My favorite real-world football team is the Brazilian Flamengo FC but the Zombies definitely come first, without a doubt. The entire Zombiefish team was just outstanding in pulling together, especially the last month of development, which was a big stretch. I’ll always be their biggest fan.

How are you feeling now that the FIFA Superstars is out?
Super excited. We already broke the first day record for number of players to start playing the game, beating both My Empire and Hotel City – both of which are currently very popular. That’s a very positive sign.

What new features will you be bringing out and when?
What you’re seeing is about 20% of the game that we’ve already planned out. There’s a lot for us to add. For example, expanding the stadium styles and setting up more training facilities. These will have a bigger impact on the game as more people play.  Essentially, if you want it, it’s more than likely we’re already working on it.

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?

Interview with Andrew Ow, Product Manager of My Empire!

Hear ye, hear ye! Playfish has released a new game and we, the People, demand word from the Product Manager of My Empire! Join us now and be part of an audience with Andrew Ow!

Good sir, would you kindly begin by explaining to us your role in bringing My Empire to us?
Hello and of course.  My name is Andrew Ow. I am the product manager of My Empire and responsible for deciding what the game will look like and play like. It is a really exciting job and working with the whole My Empire team has been great.

A leading role in My Empire? We are not worthy! But my lord, why create My Empire? (Though we are grateful!)
Building an empire is fun! We wanted to create a beautiful and easy game to get into which lets you have play with ancient themes. You can interact with friends, expand your land and create really stunning empires due to our lovingly detailed graphics. The My Empire team is extremely excited to see what the players make of it since we think we have created something really different and fun.

Indeed, My Empire is a delight for the eye! Can you describe to your humble audience the aim of the game?
The goal of My Empire is to create a glorious ancient empire – but what that means is completely up to you! Players can aim to create the most beautiful empire, build a Wonder (or all of them!), or have the largest population. It’s very open ended. I think new players will love the feeling of constructing Wonders. We have some really great Wonders like Stonehenge, the Pyramids, and the Parthenon. Our artists have really done a fantastic job creating them – they look stunning, and do great things for your empire as well!

So many things to choose from! It baffles the mind! But, my lord, perhaps you can help narrow this down with a suggestion as to where to begin?
My tip would be to be sure to building both houses and happiness buildings. Houses allow more citizens to live on your island, but you need to keep your citizens happy as well. Keeping a good balance is a key part of having a growing empire!

Wise words… surely such wisdom is learnt from having faced challenges during your reign?
I’d say the most challenging aspect of working on My Empire has been deciding which of the many exciting features to add.  We had so many ideas that we really had to pick and choose what to do each day.  The good news is we have many ideas for new features in the future and we hope you’ll be enjoying them with us!

Then it seems, my lord, you have had a most joyful experience building My Empire?
Yes! The most fun aspect has been seeing the game get better and better each week in all ways.  For example, we started without any art for the Wonders, so it was hard to imagine how cool or impressive they would look. The week we added the Wonder art everyone at the office was so impressed, our whole studio was racing to be the first to complete Stonehenge!

Ah, a tale to be told for years to come! And as the months come and go, what do you foresee for the citizen of My Empire?
I don’t want to give away anything too exciting – but it will definitely give old and new players something fun to do. All I can suggest is keep a close eye on the My Empire Facebook page for the latest news.

Ah my lord, you are a tease! But sir, so that I may know it when I pass by, what have you called your empire and why?
My empire is named Haogang, after one of My Empire‘s excellent programmers.  He accomplished some truly legendary work during the course of our project, so I had to commemorate him!

*Wipes a tear from eyes* That is so sweet… ahem… I mean… Bravo! And what kind of leader would you describe yourself as, my lord?
I am a leader obsessed with empire beautification!  I try to lay out parks and open areas for my citizens to enjoy. My roads are lined with trees, and one time I even constructed a hedge maze.   As you can imagine, I am excited when I unlock new decoration items each level!

My lord, I feel our time is coming to an end. Before we leave, what wise words would you like to leave with us?
First of all, thanks so much for playing!  I would also like to let our players to know that they can leave feedback on our game’s Facebook page or forum. We are listening to you and will do everything we can to make this game great!

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!

Take a VIP Tour of Hotel City with Stian Hansen

This week we take another exclusive look at Hotel City. We spent a few minutes with Stian Hansen, the game’s producer, to find out what it was like to bring Playfish’s latest game to life.

Hi Stian. Let’s start with your role in Hotel City.  Is it fair to call you the “proprietor”?
Hi everyone. Yes, I suppose it would be fair to call me that. But my official title at Playfish is producer. I’m responsible for all aspects of Hotel City, from the concept to getting the game launched, and ensuring the game is packed with all the fun and social features our players expect. In my role I work with a wide range of people at Playfish, which is really cool.

How did the idea for Hotel City come about?
Since everyone at Playfish is involved in making our games, the hotel management theme came up quite a few times. After putting the idea down on paper and getting some feedback, it really felt like the beginnings of a fun and very social game. When players see the name of the game I believe they’ll understand right away what this game is about, namely building and running your own hotel. We’ve managed to make it very easy to get in to. In fact, my 4 year old son got to play it during development and he absolutely loves it!

What’s the aim of the game?
Hotel City is about building and decorating your very own hotel. You’ll need employees, so you hire your friends. Your guests want to enjoy their stay at your hotel, so you can build them fun rooms that include a swimming pool, a restaurant, arcade, and many other fun things. It’s entirely up to you! I can’t wait to see what cool hotels are created by our players.

That sounds fun! How about a cool Hotel City tip?
I would suggest not spending all your money on just one thing.  Hotel guests can be pretty demanding, so I recommend listening to them and the watching the speech bubbles that pop up. Those will give you plenty of direction.

What’s been the most challenging aspect of creating Hotel City?
Narrowing down the amount of features in the game, for sure. When people play the game they’re inspired and come up with all these fun things they’d like to see in the game. Filtering out the best ideas and deciding what goes into the first version of the game is tricky and you don’t get a second chance of doing that once the game is live. Of course, we’ll keep adding things, but we wanted to give players some really great features to play with in their first session so that they can start having fun straight away.

What’s been the most fun aspect of creating Hotel City?
Honestly, the whole thing has been one big joyride, even to watch the game develop. The Hotel City team is so full of energy and good spirits and that shows in the game. I keep hearing how Hotel City is the Big Buzz in our other studios right now, and that really is a great inspiration to me and the team.

Will you be adding any new features to Hotel City in the next few weeks and months?
Now that the game is live, we’ll dive right into adding more features. We’ve got small and big features planned – they all go very naturally with the hotel theme of the game. There will be something for those who play the game for the decorating fun and something for those who enjoy the more strategic managing and building aspects. Keep your eyes on the fan page for updates!

What’s your hotel called?
During development I came up with a new name for every time I played the game, but one day my creativity ran out and I got stuck with the name from the day before. It’s simply “Asda Hotel”.

Who have you hired as staff in your hotel?
That’s the fun thing about Hotel City – it’s a small twist on the concept of hiring friends in Restaurant City. You’re not really in control of who gets to work at your hotel. You post up an ad on your wall letting your friends know that you are hiring, and the first of your friends to click the link gets the job! It’s going to be a race to get there first because, as a bonus, your friends will receive coins for working at your hotel and can collect bags of coins from you every time you run a shift. There’s a bonus for you when your friends work at your hotel, too, as temporary staff are more expensive per shift, whereas your friends are far cheaper to employ!

Any final words?
Yes – a big thank you to all of our fans who have already started playing Hotel City! Don’t forget to check out our fan page and the forums for the latest updates from Hotel City. We love hearing your suggestions so please keep them coming in!

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!

Announcing the winners of our movie awards competition!

OK, we admit, we messed up again.

We thought 11 awards was going to be enough. I mean it seemed like quite a lot. We know you well enough by now to realise if we run a competition you’re going to amaze us with the sheer number of amazing entries but yeah, we thought 11 awards felt like plenty.

We were wrong.

Not only did we have to add another couple of categories: Best Frame and Best Fantasy, we still couldn’t decide between two entries to win the Fantasy award so we thought what the hey, we’ve already totally changed the rules and added more categories, we might as well have TWO winners for Fantasy!

So without further ado, introducing the first ever Pet Society Movie Awards!

—

[theme tune and pan around star studded audience before cutting to the Mayor of Pet Society introducing the awards]

*clears throat*

Welcome everyone to the Pet Society Movie Awards! The first category was for Best Fantasy. There are two winners for this one. Would ah *adjusts reading glasses* Brunella Rizzo and ณัฐวดี สุชาโต please step up to the podium to collect your 50 Playfish Cash and Golden Mayor Awards!

The Action Award goes to Adityansyah Irendra Nugraha, who also wins 50 Playfish Cash and a Golden Mayor Award!

Step up Eduardo Galvez, winner of 50 Playfish Cash and a Golden Mayor Award for best comedy!

The prize of 50 Playfish Cash and a Golden Mayor Award for Best Drama goes to Ivett Ariana Ponce Guevara!

Please join us at the podium Lilian Sachiko to collect your 50 Playfish Cash and Golden Mayor Award for Best Horror!

Best Miscellaneous Award goes to Andrea Lombardi who wins 50 Playfish Cash and a Golden Mayor Award!

The award for Best Romance goes to Aliz Szebényi, securing them 50 Playfish Cash and a Golden Mayor Award!

The newly created Best Frame Award goes to Regina Vargas Mancilla winning them 50 Playfish Cash and a Golden Mayor Award!

Step up to the podium and collect your 50 Playfish Cash and Golden Mayor Award Marti Zangari!

The Best Science Fiction Award earns 50 Playfish Cash and a Golden Mayor Award for Cergio Ortiiz!

Step up Julianne Ting for your 50 Playfish Cash and Golden Mayor award for Best Thriller!

The Gangster City Award goes to Timmy McDonald for his excellent entry. Well done Timmy, enjoy your 50 Playfish Cash and Golden Mayor Award!

Finally, the big one. Best Picture Award. This award goes to our favorite entry of all, so they win a huge 1000 Playfish Cash as well as their Golden Mayor Award. And the award goes to…

*drum roll*

Sometime Zili! Congratulations Sometime Zili! Time for an acceptance speech?

And that’s about all we have time for folks, but congratulations to all the winners as well as the many, many other talented people who entered the competition!

See you at the after show party!

We have a(nother) winner(s)!

Well with 10 spectacular winning entries this is going to be a long one so we won’t keep you. Anyone who has a particular desire for a longer intro take the following steps: go back to an older competition results blog post (there are lots), copy paste the intro into Wordpad and do a find and replace of the previous competition’s name with “Country Story Theme Competition”. The result will be something along the lines of: “Yadda yadda yadda, big competition lots of prizes, yadda yadda yadda, so many cool amazing entries we were blown away, yadda yadda yadda, congratulations to all the winners!”

And you know what? It’d be true too. Because you did blow us away once again. And we’re willing to wager you’ll be blown away too if you just take a little scroll down this very blog post!

So the task was to create a Country Story farm with a set theme. The theme you used was your choice: as usual we let you guys figure out exactly what you’d like to do, we just deal with the giving out prizes bit!

1) Now this… this wasn’t just a great competition entry. This was one of the funniest, most perfectly awesome things we’ve ever seen. We could explain but Rachel, our competition winner, just sums it up so perfectly herself. Congratulations Rachel, you deserved your 2000 Playfish Cash and no shadow of a doubt! We just wish we’d come up with this idea 55 years ago. Enjoy.

2) 1000 Playfish Cash goes to Hiba Ibrahim Al Qawasmeh for this cute little diorama of a girl sitting in a tree. There’s even some perspective and 3D style goings on here. Try looking at one then the other quickly. Love it!

3) 500 Playfish Cash goes to Engy Elgamily, one of the best ‘portrait painters’ we’ve seen in Country Story. We can tell you now the Country Story mayor was thrilled!

Meanwhile 4th to 10th place each win 100 Playfish Cash!

4)  Allora Jay McCullough – this one’s stunning. Look at the detail! We wouldn’t be surprised if Allora were a dab hand at all kind of other art forms!

5) We received several farms inspired by Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros but Alonso Villouta‘s Super Country Bros was definitely our favourite! Perfect detailing!

6) Helena Campo: Well done Helena for using the competition as a platform to get an important message across. Beautifully made, too!

7) We love Christine Marie‘s Magical Birthday Party. That’s a pretty amazing magical forest cake & purple cabbage gift box!

8) Julia Solovjeva: This amazing freshly baked pizza looks good enough to be a dish in Restaurant City! We just hope you wouldn’t need all those vegetables to make it…

9) Here’s a toast to Zoe Miranda for her brilliant idea. We loved how it was so simple — minimal even — and yet so effective. Absolutely superb.

10) …and lastly congratulations to Karim Kadi for his penguin farmer. Karim’s entry made it into the top 10 by being the cutest thing in the competition, and after all, everyone loves penguins don’t they?

Congratulations and thanks to everyone who entered! Until next time!