We've reached out to Zynga for comment, but it's likely that the social gaming giant shut the game down because there simply weren't enough players to justify keeping the game alive.
"Gaming is down everywhere except in Macao," he told me.
The recession has been tough, and gaming is down in most markets.
"Gaming went down more than total visitor spending, by a greater percentage," said Stephen P. A. Brown, the director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Shadow Cities, once the lead example of success in location-based gaming, shut down in October of 2013.
Shadow Cities, once the lead example of success in location-based gaming, shut down in October of 2013.
To find the best comparator for Blizzard you have to look outside gaming to track down another company noted for its focused product line, polished offerings and consistent quality.
Finally, the inherent risk of gaming in top-down initiated quality improvement initiatives such as the DHFR should not be forgotten.
Such was Macau's reliance on high-rolling, rather than retail – casual – gamblers that even at Chinese new year, a key date in the gambling calendar, Macau's overall gaming revenues were down almost 50% on the year before.
And just as Gatorade and gel-cushioned trainers moved from the racetrack into the mainstream, so yesterday's cutting-edge technology, like graphics cards or online gaming, will filter down to the mainstream market.And the mainstream market is not that far away.
