Mobile games maker Zynga has launched ‘FarmVille English Countryside’, an update of its hugely popular social networking strategy game.
The game is played by over 44 million people each month, attracting big brands such as McDonalds and Dreamworks advertising on the site. Farmville players themselves have raised more than $1.7 million for victims of the Japan earthquake during the past week.
In the new launch, players travel with an English Duke back to his homeland, where the village farms have fallen into disrepair. Players receive new land to apply their expert farming skills and make the English countryside fruitful once again.
All of the crops in FarmVille English Countryside are entirely new and include plants native to the British Isles including foxgloves, redcurrants and King Edward potatoes. In addition, the premium English soil allows players to grow crops more quickly.
Zynga has also introduced several distinctive buildings and decoration items that have never appeared in FarmVille before, such as an English cottage and a police callbox. Players can also change their avatars’ clothing to locally-inspired attire, such as the Dashing Aviator or English Lady, while they listen to the newly-composed English Countryside background music.
“We’ve been blown away by the success of FarmVille and we wanted to find a way to give back to the game’s enthusiastic fans,” said Todd Arnold, FarmVille’s General Manager. “We’re constantly listening to the community’s feedback and we’re excited to add a new chapter to one of the most popular games of all time, while also giving a nod to its international success by setting it in the English countryside.”
FarmVille players can access the English Countryside portion of the game after reaching Level 20 in the game.
FarmVille is currently available on Facebook, Yahoo!, iPhone, iPad and Android. For more information or to play FarmVille English Countryside, visit http://www.farmville.com/.
