Watch Out, Zynga: EA, Playfish want bigger piece of the Facebook pie

EA Sports president Peter Moore (pictured) drew the lines clearly in his MI6 (no, not British secret service--a games marketing conference) keynote speech: Zynga better watch themselves, because EA wants to be number one on Facebook, Gamesindustry.biz reports. "There's a big dog in front of us," Moore said, making a jab at FarmVille maker Zynga. "But we aren't far behind, and we're confident that we can catch up. What we can bring to the market in terms of blue chip IP is phenomenal."

Now that the carrot on the stick for EA and Playfish is clear as day, it seems as if the parent company is wary of how much longer consumers will pay $60 for a video game. And with good reason: Fewer gamers, casual, social and hardcore alike, are spending money upfront on their games. How does EA plan to be on top in the end? It's going to follow you everywhere, that's how.

Moore revealed a plan for EA Sports that included persistent profiles across all EA Sports games regardless of platform (ahem, that means you too, Facebook). This isn't far from what EA is doing right now with its EA Accounts working between mobile, Facebook and console games for exclusive items and other unlockables. It's unknown when exactly we'll see EA take the first step in this direction, but it also doesn't have much time before Zynga topples even Activision Blizzard. In short, expect it soon.

[Image Credit: Joystiq]

Do you EA is focused in the right direction in tackling Zynga? How successful do you think the company will be in trying to defeat the social gaming giant?

Apple rejects PopCap's first 4th & Battery game, Unpleasant Horse

What's the matter, Apple? A little edginess too much for ya, huh? Well, the news that Apple rejected PopCap's first offering on the App Store through 4th & Battery, its new indie studio, gets me a little miffed--unpleasant even. Horrible puns aside, Gamasutra reports that Apple brought down the hammer on Unpleasant Horse for "mature content," to which 4th & Battery announced the bummer on Twitter with, "We thought horses dying in meat grinders was wholesome family entertainment!"

The Seattle-based indie studio then tweeted that it has resubmitted the game with nothing changed but the listed age requirement. The game features an adorable if murderous horse that kills birds and leaps on other horses from above, launching them into a meat grinder, for bonus points. Think of it as a much darker Robot Unicorn Attack Heavy Metal Edition.

This could lead to an ongoing battle between the studio and Apple as it plans to release more iOS games with what Apple calls "mature content." It's just a wonder that completely useless "fart apps" spread meaningless flatulence around the App Store, while potentially fun games get the gates smashed in their faces for comedic violence. It begs the question: Where's the "immature content" rating standard?

[Image Credit: Gamers Daily News]

What do you think of PopCap's first indie iOS game being rejected? Will its next attempt be accepted? What do you think of Apple's rating process for apps and games?