This is a day many thought would never come. Zynga’s Farmville, one of the most addicting and influential social games ever, is no longer the number one Facebook app with active monthly users. Phrases, developed by Takeoff Monkey, has claimed this spot even if it’s only temporary.
Phrases is an app that allows users to shares images, quizzes and quotes generated from items in their news feed. Given the popularity of quizzes on Facebook, it’s not surprising Phrases closed the gap quickly on Farmville. Zynga’s farming sim, however wasn’t sitting pretty at the top. The game has been losing users due to a couple major factors.
One of the main reasons for the decline in monthly users for Farmville is the recent change to Facebook’s notification policies. This was an effort to reduce spam, which was music to the ears - or rather the eyes - of those who were bombarded by constant Farmville updates.
Farmville is currently hovering at around 54 million users, which is a lot less than the 80 million at it’s peak. Another blow to the social media juggernaut, was the recent investigation from the Wall Street Journal. The WSJ exposed Farmville, and many other Zynga apps, for selling the personal data of its users to third parties. This likely hit a sour note with a public who is already paranoid about their personal data.
Phrases’ time at the top is numbered since it unexpectedly closed it’s doors to users in the US. Takeoff Monkey offered no explanation as to why they closed access to the US, but without the American muscle behind it the number of monthly users is dropping quickly.
Zynga is brushing it’s shoulders off, and it’s doubtful that the social media giant is worried about losing the number one spot. Zynga currently has several apps that make up the top ten popular apps on Facebook, including FrontierVille and Texas Hold ‘Em Poker. Zynga is also prepping for the release of their new title CityVille.
Takeoff Monkey might as well enjoy their 15 minutes of fame while it lasts.
Were you a Phrases user before it cutoff U.S. users? Are you looking forward to CityVille to fill the void? Let us know in the comments.
Source: Worlds In Motion
