We’ve always thought about social game sensation FarmVille as a much simpler version of Harvest Moon. But it’s a simpler version that has eclipsed the more complex series in following. Or, at least, creator Natsume doesn’t brag about 80-something million moms buying and playing its game.
In a recent interview, Siliconera asked Natsume VP of Operations Graham Markay about what Harvest Moon can learn from the Facebook game. Markay said that the Harvest Moon series could learn a thing or two about the app’s social experience, but added that that will only become “more possible as the online capabilities of handhelds and consoles mature.”
Earlier in the conversation though, Markay touched on a bigger, possibly more important lesson: Harvest Moon could use a dose of FarmVille‘s bite-sized, pick up and play design: “It would be pretty interesting to try marrying that sort of (FarmVille) design with the RPG and relationship-building aspects that are such a big part of the Harvest Moon experience.”
Harvest Moon certainly has its bright spots (the Librarian’s looks and that fact that you could, at one time, drop your babies into voids by bathtubs, shoot to mind immediately) but we think it’d be great to see the game evolve in these directions. What say you?
The Rise Of FarmVille And How Harvest Moon Can Grow From It [Siliconera] [image]
