4 ms·

Facebook game "mobwars" making $22,000 a day

31 points by noor420 18y ago

ajkirwin 18y ago
Isn't this one of those games that used to be around a while back (outwar, et-al) that was essentially a pyramid scheme wrapped in a game and led to IRC networks, blogging communities and such insta-banning on a mere mention of them due to massive spamming?
- streety 18y ago
  Yes and no. Although it's possible to play the game successfully without recruiting other people some functionality in the game does require you to recruit other people. On the web at large I suspect this game would get a lot of complaints. On facebook though this sort of crazed inviting is so prevalent that Mobwars actually seems quite tame.
  - elai 18y ago
    Although now with the new facebook gui/api/rules, you can't have incentivetized invites anymore, so this kind of stuff will probably die pretty quickly.
noor420 18y ago
It is probably the most addictive game on facebook, imo.
fallentimes 18y ago
Not sure about their methodology. Multiple anecdotes != data.
swombat 18y ago
Either way, the many naysayers suggesting that it’s impossible to make money on Facebook might want to think again. It's not impossible, it's just damn hard - not any easier than making money off facebook. It is also fraught with additional risks, as Facebook can pull the plug on your business and destroy you in the blink of an eye (see Scrabulous), whereas that would be much harder off the FB platform.
- josefresco 18y ago
  Indeed, the lesson that should be learned is to take your earnings and put them in the bank and put off buying that new office space in downtown SF and that new Porsche you've had your eye on until you have a sufficient cushion.
  - LogicHoleFlaw 18y ago
    Does anyone actually do that? Buy the porsche I mean. Before having their finances solidly cemented in place. Maybe it's just my Midwestern sensibility (or, less generously, my being a cheapskate), but that is just unfathomable to me.
    - josefresco 18y ago
      I would say it happens, maybe not in the dot com world so much but Americans in general live way above their means. For dot com founders it might not be the Porsche, but rather fancy offices, Segway scooters, high priced staff and company iPhones. My New Eglander sensibility means I'd be paying off debt, investing most of it and making sure my kids have their education paid for.
    - blhack 18y ago
      Being from the midwest as well, I was horrified when I moved to phoenix and saw all the millionaires driving in their $60,000-$80,000 cars. Then I found out that the majority of the people driving those things make $80-$140,000 a year. People out here tend to live at the ends of their means. Its a cultural thing.
- cdr 18y ago
  Facebook did not pull the plug on Scrabulous. Scrabulous pulled the plug on Scrabulous.
  - alex_c 18y ago
    According to this, it's a bit of both: Scrabulous pulled the plug in the US and Canada, and Facebook pulled the plug in the rest of the world: http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_10302325?source=rss http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_10302325?source=rss
Harkins 18y ago
Hey, badass. I just took a week of R&R to sort out priorities and decided that my web-based game (with OpenSocial/FB frontends, natch) was probably the best bet. This success story is a nice encouragement.
andreyf 18y ago
Mmm, new platform, same old pyramid schemes. I'm surprised they haven't hit the iPhone yet...
vaksel 18y ago
I wonder if this blog post is the reason the guy is getting sued? http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=287217 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=287217

31 points by noor420 18y ago

Isn't this one of those games that used to be around a while back (outwar, et-al) that was essentially a pyramid scheme wrapped in a game and led to IRC networks, blogging communities and such insta-banning on a mere mention of them due to massive spamming?

streety 18y ago
Yes and no. Although it's possible to play the game successfully without recruiting other people some functionality in the game does require you to recruit other people. On the web at large I suspect this game would get a lot of complaints. On facebook though this sort of crazed inviting is so prevalent that Mobwars actually seems quite tame.
- elai 18y ago
  Although now with the new facebook gui/api/rules, you can't have incentivetized invites anymore, so this kind of stuff will probably die pretty quickly.

noor420 18y ago

It is probably the most addictive game on facebook, imo.

fallentimes 18y ago

Not sure about their methodology. Multiple anecdotes != data.

swombat 18y ago

Either way, the many naysayers suggesting that it’s impossible to make money on Facebook might want to think again. It's not impossible, it's just damn hard - not any easier than making money off facebook. It is also fraught with additional risks, as Facebook can pull the plug on your business and destroy you in the blink of an eye (see Scrabulous), whereas that would be much harder off the FB platform.

josefresco 18y ago
Indeed, the lesson that should be learned is to take your earnings and put them in the bank and put off buying that new office space in downtown SF and that new Porsche you've had your eye on until you have a sufficient cushion.
- LogicHoleFlaw 18y ago
  Does anyone actually do that? Buy the porsche I mean. Before having their finances solidly cemented in place. Maybe it's just my Midwestern sensibility (or, less generously, my being a cheapskate), but that is just unfathomable to me.
  - josefresco 18y ago
    I would say it happens, maybe not in the dot com world so much but Americans in general live way above their means. For dot com founders it might not be the Porsche, but rather fancy offices, Segway scooters, high priced staff and company iPhones. My New Eglander sensibility means I'd be paying off debt, investing most of it and making sure my kids have their education paid for.
  - blhack 18y ago
    Being from the midwest as well, I was horrified when I moved to phoenix and saw all the millionaires driving in their $60,000-$80,000 cars. Then I found out that the majority of the people driving those things make $80-$140,000 a year. People out here tend to live at the ends of their means. Its a cultural thing.
cdr 18y ago
Facebook did not pull the plug on Scrabulous. Scrabulous pulled the plug on Scrabulous.
- alex_c 18y ago
  According to this, it's a bit of both: Scrabulous pulled the plug in the US and Canada, and Facebook pulled the plug in the rest of the world: http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_10302325?source=rss http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_10302325?source=rss

Harkins 18y ago

Hey, badass. I just took a week of R&R to sort out priorities and decided that my web-based game (with OpenSocial/FB frontends, natch) was probably the best bet. This success story is a nice encouragement.

andreyf 18y ago

Mmm, new platform, same old pyramid schemes. I'm surprised they haven't hit the iPhone yet...

vaksel 18y ago

I wonder if this blog post is the reason the guy is getting sued? http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=287217 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=287217