I'm not sure there are other examples of this. I read an article earlier today that said this re-acquisition has never before happened in the gaming industry. I am a Yo. I sparked a lot of controversy and criticism here back in January when the announcement was made that Zynga was closing Yoville. I felt today, as I entered YoWorld for the first time that I needed to come back and thank everyone who offered valuable insight to me back then. I had no real idea what it would take to make a transfer possible from a technical standpoint though as a businesswoman, I knew what would have to be done financially, and I had a pretty good idea of the legalities involved both between Zynga and the customers base, and between Zynga and Big Viking Games. I still had no idea how difficult or if it was even possible to try to revert ownership. Your group was so helpful in explaining the feasibility of this that it gave me and many others hope when it seemed there was none.
I also agree that we have become our own little community - and though many scoffed at the idea that this was such a tight knit group, or that any game could have so much affect on real people, when I first started posting here, I think time has shown everyone that even little avi's have real people behind them. I hope this paves the way for other gamers to unite and support their fav games in such a manner. I think it becomes profitable for not only the gamers, but for the company that holds the game as well. Zynga truly dropped the ball on this one. Big Viking has fixed in one day what Zynga refused to fix for the last few months....... what an added bonus for the players!
Most importantly, I feel VERY proud and excited to get to experience the feeling that one voice can start a chain reaction so that millions speak and are heard. For a bunch of cartoons to take on corporate America and get the press involved and your site talking, and the stock prices shifting and have this much of an impact in general is amazing to me. So many have laughed at the efforts, my family included, saying "it's just a game", but it's so much more... In the scheme of real life issues though, like hunger, and homelessness, I guess it is rather minor, but if one voice can start this kind of change with a corp as big as Zynga, wouldn't it be great if we were talking about issues that could better improve others lives as well.....
I hope you all, as developers and programmers, pay special attention to what's happened here. I hope the long term affect will help everyone in the industry. I was told in the earlier thread that games are developed and have a lifespan of approximately 4 to 5 yrs before they are canned and others take their place. At one point, Zynga had so many players it was insane. Then they stopped taking care of the game and participation drifted off. I can only assume they were working with the same mindset that it would be disposable within a given timeframe. I strongly believe that if they had maintained it, it would have continued to grow. I'm already seeing more interest in the game than I have in a year because the word is spreading that Zynga is soon to be out of the picture. They've burned bridges and shaken their consumer base. This experience has made me (and many others) not trust their other games and therefore I will not be spending real money in any of them. Truth is, I quit playing them all (except Yo) when we realized the unprofessional and unethical (and illegal) way this one was handled. So, in turn, I feel confident that not only are they losing the revenues from Yoville, but from some of their other games as well. It will be interesting to watch their stock prices in the next few months after this. I'm also eager to see what happens to Big Viking's net worth.... I think they recognize the gold mine that was still out there on this. I am pleased to be a Big Viking Yo now. They are giving us more communication than Zynga ever did, and THAT is priceless....... I hope you all take that lesson with you as you proceed in your ventures as well.
Thank you again for all your help, for sharing your knowledge and opinions. I would love to meet you all in YoWorld!!!!