Farmville Finally Hits the App Store and Gets Mobile

In case you missed it, FarmVille is a big deal . . . It’s a game in which players must plant and grow fruits and vegetables on their very own farm. Harvesting produce and raising animals allows you to earn points and level up. But chances are you know all that, as this game which is heavily influenced by social networking once boasted 83 million players back in March.

Developer Zynga is looking to stop the decline of FarmVille by branching away from the previous flash-only versions of the game and releasing a mobile version on the iPhone. Judging by the mini feed on my Facebook, which is constantly littered with my friends posting annoying requests for help with expanding their farms, many are going to be delirious with joy about the prospect of taking this game on the go.

So what’s new with FarmVille on the iPhone? Naturally, touch controls. You now  use your fingers to plow, plant, and harvest beyond what you dreamed possible (if those are the kinds of dreams you have). In addition, there’s a sort of in-game store where players can spend real money to buy coins or farm cash . . . While it may seems silly to buy fake money with real money, I’m going to go out on a limb and call this a genius move by Zynga. With players having the option to spend anywhere from $4.99 – $49.99, this is a cash cow waiting to happen (pun very much intended).

FarmVille first released in the Australian App Store yesterday, then crossed the ocean to coincide with the release of iPhone 4. Players will have to wait for a future update for iOS 4 support of things like multitasking.

So what do you say? Time to leave city life behind and start a farm? If that’s what you choose, then that’s fine, but do us all a favor and keep quiet about it on Facebook!

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Devin Wieland

 

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