Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) is touting the strength of its various developer tools by highlighting their use by DoubleU Games, a South Korean games developer. Facebook developer tools were used by DoubleU to research about its users on Facebook; DoubleU has also used the tools to promote its flagship DoubleU Casino game on Facebook.
Facebook claims that the tools used by DoubleU led to an increase in the game’s users which account for the majority of DoubleU’s desktop revenue. These revelations by Facebook are the latest in its attempt to woo the developer community who are critical to the growth and future of the company. Facebook might have a hard time convincing developers to use its platform to develop games; this is due to the cautionary tale of Zynga Inc. (NASDAQ:ZNGA) whose flagship product “Farmville” saw a steep decline in part due to the change in policies by Facebook.
Since the implosion of Zynga which was primarily a Facebook app there have been doubts about the long term viability of gaming apps on Facebook. Facebook has tried to woo developers by adding features like App Instal Ads and other analytics tools. The latest example of DoubleU shows that developers can use tools provided by Facebook to search, engage and monetize audience; however there are some legitimate concerns about the long term viability of gaming apps on Facebook.
Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) is currently seeing a sustained increase in its stock value and though there are some concerns about how long the ride will last it is also important to note that the company has increased the activities that might increase the stock value. One of the ways in which Facebook can grow is by attracting developers to create apps for its platform and though the case of Farmville serves as a warning story, the developers can also not ignore that Facebook is the preeminent platform in the social media landscape.
