Social Game Developer CrowdStar Launches First Mobile-Only Title

Independent social games developer CrowdStar has launched its first mobile-only title, separate from its popular Facebook applications. The developer raised $23 million in funding last month, as it said it was making the transition from being a Facebook game company to a broader, multiplatform developer. Now it has released Top Girl, a free game aimed at females gamers which is "not a companion product" for the CrowdStar It Girl Facebook game. Blair Hamilton, head of CrowdStar's mobile studio, explained, "While resource management games appear to be succeeding in mobile social gaming, we felt that a role-playing game especially for females would establish a new category and opportunity for CrowdStar." "We leveraged our success with It Girl, but designed the gameplay and economy from scratch, specifically for a mobile device. We don't require Facebook or Facebook Connect to play Top Girl because we expect a different set of users to play this game." Earlier in the year, CrowdStar announced that it had hired Alex Galvagni, formerly the CTO and Global Product Development SVP at Glu Mobile, as its new head of studios.