Farmtown Overtakes Pet Society As Most Popular Facebook Game

-Farmtown Screenshot-Farmtown has been on a tear recently and as of today, the game has overtaken Pet Society as the largest application on the Facebook platform based on daily active users. The game doesn’t appear to be slowing down either. That’s probably because the game is as addictive as crack. Just one week ago I wrote about the game’s explosive growth over the past month and since I wrote about it, I can’t stop playing.

Marshall Kirkpatrick of Read/Write Web posted in the comments that the game practically stole his wife from him and I’m not surprised. Once you start building your farm, you want to keep on growing it. That’s why you started the game in the first place, right? Games on Facebook have become the most engaging of all applications. Just take a look at our application leaderboard.

Of the top ten applications on Facebook (based on daily active users), 6 are games, 3 are Facebook’s mobile applications (iPhone, Blackberry, and generic mobile site), and the other is Living Social. In other words, games rule when it comes to engagement on Facebook. While only two games make the top 10 applications when it comes to monthly active users, a large portion of those users are returning daily.

The end result is that the games are making more money as users keep coming back and typically stay for longer periods of time. For the time being those games are being monetized through offer-based networks, virtual currencies, and the sale of virtual goods. Farmtown is currently monetizing its application through two channels: advertisements and the sale of virtual currency.

That virtual currency, or “coins” as they’re called in Farmtown, can be used to purchase more items from the store. Store items range from seeds to grow more plants that you can eventually sell, animals, buildings, and many other items for your farm. It’s addicting process and one that any successful Facebook application developer needs to know.

While not all applications integrate a substantial amount of game theory, integrating components of games will help improve just about any application out there. It will be interesting to see if Farm Town can become one of the largest applications on Facebook in terms of monthly active users over the coming weeks. Have you become a Farm Town addict yet?

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49 Comments »

  1. Me and my wife work each others farm.. Grief she is ahead, on level 26. Now we patiently wait for the developers to release the flowers to plant. By the way there is more to come to this addiction.

    Daily routine before kids get up:
    Check email, Check Twitter, check Facebook.
    Oh, I have a Farmtown request, ok I’ll accept and give something back. Awesome my Onions are ready, any buddies on? Nope, crap head to the marketplace and wait for someone to stop whining about no work. Ok, your hired. Thanks now I’ll go replant and buy an upgrade. (repeat).

    Did I mention, it got some complicated.. That we actually called a family member to sign on because the fields on their own farm were ready for pickup and they had the audacity not to be online to give it up.

    ok, so Facebook is digital crack.. what’s your point.

    Comment by John Hilla — May 22, 2009 @ 2:55 am

  2. whats that game called with the kitchen where you hire people and decorate your restaurant. its on facebook
    help i dont know how to find it?!

    Comment by Lilli — May 22, 2009 @ 7:45 am

  3. Congrats to the guys at Farm Town. They hustled hard to get there.

    Great game, great team. Can’t wait to see what they do next.

    Comment by jason bailey — May 22, 2009 @ 12:26 pm

  4. Lilli, Your talking about Restaurant City, my personal fav.

    Comment by Ericka — May 22, 2009 @ 8:48 pm

  5. Is anyone else having problems getting on farm town? I have not been able to log on since yester 5/21 afternoon. Thanks

    Comment by Beth — May 23, 2009 @ 2:15 am

  6. Need a mobile app for farm town to addictive. Love the game :)

    Comment by Cindy — May 23, 2009 @ 4:00 pm

  7. I am addicted and my manager at work is even more addicted!! w espend a lot of time chatting together about what crops are due and when, and I always say it beats idle gossip about the TV soaps, any time!!!

    There are a LOT of glitches however and this can geta bit irritating and frustrating at times. i know it's a beta version and that they are doing their best to iron out these glitches.

    I love the challenge of FarmTown and i love the design element – being a hopeless artist, this allows me to put down on a PC what is in my head, design-wise. My manager/friend likes to earn money and buy bigger and bigger items. She just got the large lake and has put decking around it, at my suggestion, and opened it up as a Swimming Pool and invited all her Neighbours!!! and there is even a drinks tent next to it, and bar stools to sit on :-) and the small house looks like it is going to be given over to a changing room!!

    I have got at least one other friend totally hooked and she is now on level 12 and can't wait till she can upgrade her farm to the next size!!

    And we are all going around spotting shrubs and trees in gardens and thinking, "that looks like a mango tree…that looks like a field of grapes"!!!! rofl

    We need the following: Ducks; ostriches; gates; mushrooms.

    Can the designers oblige??!! :-)

    Comment by Maite — May 24, 2009 @ 2:31 am

  8. I have not been able to get in to Farm Town all day today. The screen just get stuck at loading user… I have chores to do and can't get on the farm!! Help…

    Comment by Flamingo — May 26, 2009 @ 1:19 pm

  9. I cannot connect to farm town at all today. What's going on – does anybody know?

    Comment by La Paz Caz — May 28, 2009 @ 6:42 am

  10. plaese don,t just keep it on faceboook but it on a web site.

    Comment by marcus — May 28, 2009 @ 7:41 am

  11. I agree with Maite… Farm Town needs some ostriches up in there!

    Comment by Ben — May 28, 2009 @ 3:14 pm

  12. what is happening with farmtown?fix the problem soon?

    thank you.

    Comment by Grace Hilwerda — May 29, 2009 @ 5:45 pm

  13. omg. i love this game. im level 21!

    Comment by Dustin Burleson — June 1, 2009 @ 4:45 pm

  14. i love love love this game! I'm so addicted. When I see a real tree in bloom, my first thought is "Oh, that tree is ready to harvest!" I told myself at first that I was only trying to catch up to my daughter who was always 2 levels ahead of me. But then she got busy and deserted her farm for a couple weeks. I easily passed her up but then couldn't stop or even slow down. I thought about my farm constantly. So i told myself that i was only trying to earn enough money to expand my farm to the largest size (level 25) and enough to buy the pretty white farm house. I promised myself I'd stop obsessing over the game at that point and that i'd stop plowing and planting in every available spot on my farm. I reached level 25, expanded my farm and bought the house about 10 days ago.

    I'm FORCING myself to only keep a small 12 x 12 field of crops that only need to be harvested every 4 days. And I'm trying VERY HARD to keep the rest of the area for fenced animals and just open green grass for my 'yard' around my farm house. Gee, I bet the small strawberry patch i planted in the back yard is ready … — oops! I guess fell off the wagon. :-)

    Now I'm curious how to build that deck, Maite.

    Comment by momma — June 2, 2009 @ 10:28 am

  15. Farm Town is one one of my favorite games. At first I was a skeptic, I mean, how fun would it be watching corn grow right?

    but look at me now, I can't go online without checking on my farm. I'll probably write some tips on these someday.

    check out my blog on this.

    Comment by curious_girl — June 3, 2009 @ 9:39 pm

  16. Um… Momma…

    Level 34 and "The Mansion"

    You've got a ways to go yet. I'm planting as much as i can, until I can get the Mansion. Then I plan on designing my retirement farm, where all I'll have to do is hire workers to pick my tress, so I can build the horse track and pool….

    That's my goal anyway!

    Comment by saber — June 4, 2009 @ 8:39 am

  17. I am so addicted I am level 24 getting closer to my last addition to the farm, just bought the small house and stone fence…my daughter says I am a nerd because I talk about my farm so much and have her come out of her room to seem what I have done to the farm…love this app

    Comment by charlie — June 4, 2009 @ 7:05 pm

  18. Very addicted to farm town! Even planted an 18×18 Peace Sign in my crops.

    Would be great if there was a way to share designs….email me if you know how!

    Happy Farming!

    Shels

    Comment by Shelsbells — June 4, 2009 @ 9:14 pm

  19. OMG, I wondered if it was just ME who was addicted to Farmtown! I don't even know why and can't explain it, but laughed when reading someone's quote that it's as "addictive as crack"!! A big frustration with it is getting thrown out right in the middle of working at someone's farmI can tell when it's going to happen now, whenever it says "saving" and won't let me continue harvesting…a boot is coming!

    Comment by diane — June 5, 2009 @ 5:46 am

  20. Went on facebook once in a very long time until my addiction to farmtown was born.
    Now I am on it every spare moment. Oh dear!

    I would like if the buildings could be rotated so their placement on the farm would be more flexible.

    Comment by Mrs Fields — June 7, 2009 @ 9:41 pm

  21. Oh My.. My mum has been additced to this game for ages.. i used to call her sad haa ! Then she made me play it myself and now i cant keep away from the thing !
    I Love the fact that everyone gives everyon a hand in harvestin and givin out crops.. i think that there should be more things to plant though. And also think that you should get more things at an earlier like the pond an things you cant buy until your further on in the game !
    overall i love this game its awsome.. cant keep away from it ! xx

    Comment by Sheree Scholes — June 8, 2009 @ 5:26 am

  22. Farm Town is completely gone from my applications. Did this happen to anyone else?

    Comment by Stacy — June 8, 2009 @ 9:01 pm

  23. why is my farmtown game gone ,i cant locate it pls kindly return my farmtown game on my accnt.. thnk you…

    Comment by Glenah Slaton Azurin — June 8, 2009 @ 9:55 pm

  24. This is so not cool…please tell me that I havent lost all Ive worked so hard to build and the time it took to acquire all my coins and farm status……

    Comment by Kathryn — June 8, 2009 @ 10:22 pm

  25. HELP!! got up early to re-design my farm and its gone no sign of the application on facebook and i just bought a river!!

    Comment by sweet pea — June 8, 2009 @ 10:26 pm

  26. PLEASE! weres my farm town gone!! desperate

    Comment by Facebook User — June 8, 2009 @ 10:28 pm

  27. Where did my Farm Town go? I logged on to facebook today and no FT. I even checked the Apt’s page and no FT. WTHeck is going on anyone know.

    Comment by Vicki — June 8, 2009 @ 11:50 pm

  28. What happened with the application? Like 20 minutes ago it just disappeared. Not even in my bookmarks. I have invested too much time in that game. It’s just extremely good.

    I WANT IT BACK!!!

    Comment by DukeJ — June 9, 2009 @ 12:03 am

  29. Farm Town has disappeared, any short cut or evidence of it’s existence is gone. Anyone know what is up?? Help please I don’t know what to do with myself.

    Comment by Jenn — June 9, 2009 @ 12:28 am

  30. Okay folks here in K-town “it’s a family affair”…I started playing 3 weeks ago and already at level 26 almost 27. My daughter laughed but now dreams about her harvest percentages. She gets up early now just to check on them.
    My son_in_law also plays now. My husband and one of our sons also play, we are all in different rooms yelling at each other to check the corn! Come visit and I’ll hire you! Hey!! Look what I just did!! The flowers are ready to buy! OMYGAUD look at all the new stuff! I bought all the new items like the wheel barrel, lawn mower, grill, new gates, and dog house. Now we’re freaking out because our farms are gone. Will the Farm Town kidnapper please call, We will pay the RANSOM! Please give us our Farm Town back…don’t make us beg…okay…call collect were in the book.lol.

    Comment by Marquita — June 9, 2009 @ 12:37 am

  31. ok what happen to farmtown of facebook. its gone!!!!! i have worked to hard to get to where im at and now its gone this is really sorry. i hope this will get fixed and bk and running soon and hopefully i wont have to start over from square one

    Comment by Terry Dean — June 9, 2009 @ 12:47 am

  32. farm town has dissapeared off facebook. i am devistated. if anyone knows what is going on and how to get it back plz let me know.

    Comment by Carlie Palovic — June 9, 2009 @ 12:51 am

  33. Please please bring farmtown back.

    Comment by Jaime — June 9, 2009 @ 2:15 am

  34. Please, please, please give me back FarmTown! Where, oh where has my FarmTown gone?

    Comment by S.M. Haynes — June 9, 2009 @ 2:40 am

  35. I admit it, I am a Farm Town ADDICT.

    Comment by DonnaB — June 15, 2009 @ 6:31 am

  36. Can anyone tell me how i get new patches to grow on, i am on level 7 and have loads of money but cant figure it out. Help please

    Comment by beckie — June 25, 2009 @ 3:06 pm

  37. For more land — go to the realtor!

    Comment by Janet — June 27, 2009 @ 12:08 pm

  38. its not gone i was on 5 mins ago chekin ma grapes….

    Comment by Matt — July 6, 2009 @ 11:59 am

  39. why i cannot connect with my farmtown on my desktop? the plug icon is always RED! please answer me as soon as possible!

    Comment by michael — July 10, 2009 @ 12:34 am

  40. Can anyone tell me if you can play farmtown on a cell phone.my computer is down and i need to work on my farm.

    Comment by colleen — July 13, 2009 @ 2:18 pm

  41. please some 1 tell me why farmtown will not work,,i was playing it,,just did my

    farm up and now,,its wont work HELP

    Comment by mary lundy — July 28, 2009 @ 11:07 am

  42. OMG, I cannot stop thinking of this darn game, and am stuck at level 14….just a few more points to level 15 and I can buy a bigger lot!!

    Comment by Michelle — August 3, 2009 @ 3:17 pm

  43. ok my mom is abbsolutally addicted to farm town and i dont get it…. whats the point in growing electronical corn and haveing a electronical farm…. i think it is boring! me and my brothers allways tease her about being obbsessed and how in the morning her and my aunt HAVE to plant and harvest their electronical crops……….. I like petsociety and i have a cute purple kitty in a brown and pink dress with a tiara on and a lovely house with all the fish i have cought in the pond from fishing her name is selena ans my cousin has one thats name is demi…. to me, farm town is boring and i LOVE petsociety….!!!

    Comment by Emily — August 8, 2009 @ 10:57 am

  44. help can anyone tell me why I cannot see live flowers on my own computer but on others its ok Iam a big flower fan and that is 60% of my farm. Help me to tell the right people to fix it…… Thanks for the help If you have any suggestions please email me jkjl43@charter.net thanks

    Comment by Kris Roth — August 31, 2009 @ 2:28 pm

  45. ISomething is wrong with the Cafe World website. I isn't serving the food I prepared. My waiters and waitresses aren't getting the food. Also, there aren't many of my friends coming in to eat. It says there is an error on that page, and I don't know how to fix it. I have to keep throwing away food that goes bad because the older dishes aren't getting served up.

    Comment by Sheila Trent — November 7, 2009 @ 11:46 am

  46. THIS IS SO BAD !!!!!!! :o :o :o

    Comment by Jessica — November 16, 2009 @ 4:07 pm

  47. EMILY ur right my mom is to

    Comment by Jessica — November 16, 2009 @ 4:08 pm

  48. Farm Town will no load,I can access everything on it but the farm it self,It will not load,It was down three weeks (to me ) everyone else could get on,they fixed it last week ,it worked 3 days ,and now I cant get on,because it wont load the Farm.I upgraded my browser,and Flash..done everything I could think of.I wrote them numerous times.I went to the library and the farm would not load on it ,well I noticed they added some new trees (I can send gifts ) I think that is the cause

    before they added the new seeders and stuff when it happened, I enjoyed it ,but I find I am going there less and less.there are others I have read about ,whos Farms are dissappearing.It may be popular,But if this keeps up there will be no one who will even want to play,why play if you cant enjoy it.I am almost 73 ,and still work 40 hours a week,And loved doing the Farm on my days off,Very Dissapointing.

    Comment by Sy Davidson — November 22, 2009 @ 6:52 am

  49. I have a blackberry and I've been trying to find away to play farm town from it. If anyone know would you please tell me how. Thanks so much.

    Comment by michelle mann — February 14, 2010 @ 4:52 pm

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