Email
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
SpeedDate Doing Another “Buy and Switch” – This Time, with Oregon Trail
October 23rd, 2008
| By Justin Smith | 5 Comments » |
Earlier this summer, Facebook application developer SpeedDate was temporarily suspended from the Facebook Platform. The reason? Allegedly the company bought several Facebook applications with large user bases and holistically replaced them with a copy of the SpeedDate app. Users were surprised to find that their previous apps had been renamed and switched into a completely different application.
However, it appears as though SpeedDate is not deterred from doing more similar acquisitions. This time, it’s apparently buying and switching Oregon Trail, previously developed by kickflip. Tonight, Oregon Trail users were sent the following announcement:
Next week, Oregon Trail’s name and functionality will be changed to SpeedDate. Data entered into the original app won’t be used anymore. Soon you’ll be able to try SpeedDate, the fastest way to meet new people, so stay tuned! P.S. If you want to opt-out of this app, instructions can be found here.
Buying Facebook apps is apparently a cost-effective method of customer acquisition. However, it remains to be seen whether Facebook will intervene in these kinds of transactions now and in the future as it has in the past.
Exclusive In Depth Market Research Report on the Future of the Social Gaming Market from Inside Network
Download The Guide to Marketing Your Brand, Company, Product, or Service Inside Facebook
Strategic Facebook Platform Ecosystem Overview and Guide For Agencies & Brands
French / Français
Spanish / Español
Italian / Italiano
Exclusive In Depth Market Research Report on the State and Future of Virtual Goods in the US
Track Facebook's International Growth in 95 Global Markets with our Monthly Reports and Analysis
Inside Facebook analyzes 12 major Facebook marketing efforts from leading brands. Who comes out on top?
October 23rd, 2008 at 2:07 am
[...] View original here: SpeedDate Doing Another “Buy and Switch” – This Time, with Oregon Trail [...]
October 23rd, 2008 at 7:44 am
[...] is at it again, reports Inside Facebook, acquiring Facebook applications and switching them over for their online speed dating [...]
October 24th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
The plague stricks again – ban them and when at it do the same with it Dating acquisition buddy Zoosk!
and how about tidy up the platform with masterapps for common things pokes, hugs pillowfight, halloween, easter, christmas, gifts etc and applications feed into these masterapps as like modules of extra content e.g. christmas could have module for advent snowman, santa, presents, xmas food fight etc
October 26th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Nigel shouldn’t post while drunk
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:09 am
[...] many times, at #3, #9 to #10, #14 to #16, #18, and #20. SpeedDate has apparently been aggressively buying out apps and completing reskinning them with its own app again – which got the app into trouble with Facebook last [...]