Conduit Labs Blog for Input

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 19:00 GMT

Today is an exciting day for us at Conduit Labs as we announce we are becoming part of the Zynga family. We have always had the desire at Conduit to build something ambitious, and we recognized that sometimes the best way to achieve these dreams is with a partner who can bring amazing resources to bear.

We started Conduit in 2007 to broaden the world of gaming. Our goal was to bring people together online in the ways that games do offline, from poker nights to pickup basketball on a Saturday afternoon. During the process of the last few years we've had the luxury of doing that for millions of players. For the next stage of our growth, it was really a perfect choice to partner with a team that is similarly driven to be the best in any category they compete in.

While this is an exciting day for the team, we also had to make a tough decision. In order for us to be able to focus our energies on our next product, we decided that we would need to bring Music Pets and Super Dance to a close. Despite the countless hours we've spent working on them, and last month being our best revenue yet, we failed to make these products commercially successful enough. We had to make the decision to focus on what was working, and we think once you see what we've got next, you'll agree it was the right choice.

And so we invite all our players, partners, and friends to join us in our next chapter. If you've liked our games so far, just wait till you see what we've got coming.

Sincerely,

Nabeel Hyatt & all of us at Zynga Boston

“A standout in a sea of clones”

Mon, 03 May 2010 05:25 GMT

Gamezebo gives a little love to Music Pets, saying “the idea of a socially-oriented music game that's based on sharing and listening rather than performance is thoroughly unique and interesting.”

Read the whole review here.

Conduit Labs and Universal Music Group

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 15:49 GMT

When we launched a year ago, we set out to prove that the surface had not been scratched in what a “music game” could be. It isn't a game franchise, it's a new category of music experience. So it's with wonderful pride that we announce that the largest music label in the world, Universal Music Group, has partnered with Conduit Labs to bring all their music to the games you all love.

This is a wonderful endorsement of what the team here has worked so hard for, and is only made possible because of the passionate players that made for great stories to talk to the labels, artists, and publishers we now can bring to the games we build.

Here are some articles that cover what's up.

Wired: Can Social Games Solve Music’s Woes?

Gamezebo: Conduit Labs expands its musical reach; signs deal with Universal Music Group

Venturebeat: Conduit Labs and Universal Music have a future in fun and games

Variety: Social gaming adds tunes

Favorite quote is from Wired, “if games are the future of everything, then Conduit Labs is the future of music.”

Universal Music's future is fun and games

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 15:26 GMT

“has a hit on its hands with the launch last month of Music Pets”

VentureBeat

We're pretty sure it's pronounced MEEELION

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 04:18 GMT

Thanks to all the players who have been playing Music Pets and helped us hit 1m users in a month. You guys rock.

Moving on up

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 04:31 GMT

Conduit is now cooking up the future of social gaming in a bigger, better office! Featuring guitar stands for our Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and real guitars. And some big, fat, wall art from our excellent artists.

here it comes.

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:14 GMT

We can't wait.

Welcome Franz Ferdinand to Loudcrowd

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:22 GMT

This month we're happy to feature the always fashionable rockers, Franz Ferdinand. We've been impressed with their new dub remix album Blood and convinced them to drop it into Loudcrowd for everyone to enjoy.

Franz Ferdinand Loot, Online and Offline

Of course that means we've got some new Franz tracks to win in the games, as well as Franz-inspired clothing. But they've also sent us some vinyls and CDs of their new album, so we're passing those on to the community. To win, just play Spark or Spin to any Franz tracks and if you're in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place on July 21 at 9 PM EST on “expert mode,” we'll send you something awesome! Click here to play.

Shop, Rock and Roll

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 03:54 GMT

We updated the Loudcrowd servers a little while back with some pretty major additions and it's about time for me to take a break from playing Spark and tell you all a little bit about it…

Spark Game

Loudcrowd's latest game, Spark, is a music-based puzzle challenge. Solve the puzzle by lighting up a path to Speakerbot and return power to his lifeless carcass. Check it out by heading to the Party page and choosing a Spark Challenge!

Music Page

We've added a new section dedicated to music, so you can stay up to date on Loudcrowd music. Head here to read the latest reviews, get the playlist schedule for the month, or view information on one of the recent tracks that played. You can also “heart” and comment on songs now to let everyone know what tracks you dig!

Shop

You got tokens, we got loot. Spend your hard earned tokens and LP in the new Loudcrowd store to handcraft a killer new outfit or grab some tracks that you have been looking for. Check out some of the new items like the Major Lazer's Commando Bandolier (YUP, it has an actual laser) or maybe some sweet pirate pants. Window shoppers are welcome, and feel free to try some items on!

Loudcrowd Update – Dressed to Impress

Thu, 07 May 2009 12:10 GMT

Hi, Internet! We just pushed out another update to Loudcrowd – here's a list of a few features that we're excited about:

Impress Game

Our third game, Impress, has arrived! It's like playing fill-in-the-blank if you were playing fill-in-the-blank with someone that was crazy bananas. You'll be quizzed on a variety of categories such as music and general knowledge by a handful of new Loudcrowd characters. Check it out from the challenges screen!

Gifting and a boatload of new items

Got a friend that just joined Loudcrowd with a busted looking outfit? Send them something from your closet to show you care! We've got tons of new items that were just added, so you'll want to clear out some room in there anyways. Don't forget that if you're running low on space you can increase your closet size by purchasing some LoudPoints.

Clothing Color

There's been a long-standing bug with clothing where equipping different items (in different orders) would result in your clothes changing colors own their own. While this made it much easier to acquire matching outfits (in fact, it was nearly impossible to mismatch), it also severely hampered your abililty to be a unique and individual snowflake.

The good news is that this bug is now fixed! You can now mix and match to your heart's delight, expressing your inner-most desires through your clothing! Beware though, with great color-mixing power comes great responsibilty – please try not to blind your fellow players.

Misc

-The Spin game has undergone a few changes to add a extra excitement. It's a lot more fast paced and we think it's a good improvement.
- Expanded Facebook Support. We've made it a lot easier to let your friends on Facebook know what you're up to on Loudcrowd. You can post to your wall about a song you like, challenge someone to a game of Spin or send an invite for them to check out the site on their own!

So come check out our music games and tell us what you think on our feedback page.

Public Beta, and what's next

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 14:53 GMT

What do you do after successfully going into public beta? Well, you party a little, you sleep a little, and maybe take a peek or two at what the press says (Wired, Associated Press (via Washington Post), Xconomy, Gamasutra, etc). My favorite bits from the last week:

from Wired: “When we won our first track after performing well in a DJ game, we were thrilled even before we heard it. This is an intriguing way to get people excited about music, because it encourages active listening.”

from a personal blog: “The final takeaway that Loudcrowd leaves in your memory, is that there’s a party going on at the site, whether you are there or not, and if you want a little.. take a visit. That’s a powerful feeling to have after just using a site once.”

But before we get too caught up in all the positive hooplah, it's time to remember that this is essentially the starting line. Sure, there's another game coming in a month, and new playlists that will go up regularly, but there are also huge sections of the site we have yet to put online. How do we add group coordinated play? How do we take advantage of how much you guys seem to love stamps? How can we give users more control of the experience? How should we manage when there are multiple playlists at the same time? How can we expand the music selection but maintain our vibe? And how do we continue to add all the depth we have planned while making it at least 50% easier to understand for new users?

Just glad to have you all along for the journey.

you Spin me right round

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:48 GMT

How's the second game look?

I'm officially very excited about getting all the stuff we've been hacking away at out for you guys to start playing with. This past week we invited some of our most passionate private beta users, as well as a handful of folks who have never used the site, to come by the Conduit HQ and give some feedback on the latest set of changes that are about to go live. Or, as we like to call it, the “pizza test.”

One of the first surprises was the extent to which folks who have been playing Loudcrowd a lot have figured out every nuance of the scoring and mechanics, thanks for caring! Then we got down to testing the entirely new site flow that we have been planning to do as soon as we launched our second activity. We took the requisite hits for a few UI inconsistecies and bugs that we have since worked out, but the best news of the evening was the unanimous thumbs up for the next game to hit Loudcrowd. We are pulling a few more late nights than I would like getting this next release out, but I've got the suspicion it's worth it.