March 15th, 2009 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Connected Gaming | 1 Comment »

Facebook has opened up their new Facebook Connect service last week. Is this the new start for an XBLA community environment, or will existing platforms like Rumblex keep hold of the market?

One thing is sure, Facebook Connect is now already enjoying the support of many bigger developers. Even PlayFish, the company that is lead by Kristian Segerstrale (ex Glu) has launched their new (and first) iPhone title with Facebook Connect support.

"We believe Facebook Connect for the iPhone and iPod touch will revolutionise how games are played on mobile. Instead of playing to kill time, you can now play to interact, express, communicate or compete with friends – which are far more interesting emotional drivers to play games. Being a launch partner for Facebook Connect and offering games for the iPhone and iPod touch is an important step in Playfish’s mission to change how the world plays games by creating experiences that are more social and connected. We’re very grateful for Facebook’s support and, as always, look forward to your feedback and ideas!" said Kristian Segerstrale, CEO of Playfish.

Though at first it might seem that Facebook Connect is only for iPhone (tracking the news all over the net), the platform is pretty much open for any piece of connected software. This means that even the J2me market can fully utilize the potential of the system.