Facebook's 2014 Games of the Year

by Daniel Morris - December 9, 2014 at 5:00am

It’s that time of year where we highlight the games on Facebook that define our platform and captivate our players. 2014 saw a revival of the classic match-3 puzzle genre and the continued health of the social casino category. New game launches from Asia and Europe continue to grow, bringing both new ideas and cherished, recognizable brands to the Facebook platform.
The games on these lists were selected based on player ratings, strength of Facebook implementation, growth, and overall quality. Although we've singled out one new game that stands above the rest as the Game of the Year, the games listed in the other categories are not ranked in any particular order (instead they are listed alphabetically). Best New Games represent the remaining nine (Cookie Jam leading the list to make ten) cream-of-the-crop titles that came out in 2014, while Best Mobile Games showcases top mobile apps that effectively use Facebook Login. Back by popular demand, the Staff Favorites list features games most played around our office, while Hall of Fame recognizes games that launched prior to 2014.
Of note this year, King, one of the largest developers on Facebook's platform, landed multiple titles on our lists. We also saw some great brands, like Kim Kardashian, being harnessed to attract new players.

Facebook's 2014 Game of the Year:

• Cookie Jam - This colorful matching game proved that the genre is far from over for Facebook. Launching last May, and rising to well over 5 million players in only a matter of months, SGN’s sweets-themed title swept all others to become the Game of the Year.

Facebook's 2014 Best New Games:

• Bubble Witch 2 Saga - This was a year of successful sequels for King, starting off with a revamp of their classic bubble shooter, Bubble Witch Saga.
• Candy Crush Soda Saga - King’s second sequel of the year takes Candy Crush Saga up a notch with dynamic, goal-driven matching designed to rescue gummy bears from drowning in the titular soda.
• Hero Defense - Tower defense games have lasting appeal for Facebook players and Hero Defense from Shang Game Co takes it to the next level with a mix of adorable character designs for the various units.
• Kim Kardashian: Hollywood - Glu's runaway mobile game success, starring one of Hollywood’s hottest stars, makes a splash on Facebook among more than a million players in just four weeks.
• Klondike - This story-driven city-builder from Vizor Interactive sends players on a quest to rescue a lost gold-digger in a mountainous land.
• League of Angels - This stylish role-playing game from Youzu Interactive features full-fleshed character classes and instantly-familiar gameplay mechanics.
• Old Vegas Slots - This solid slots title from DGN Games continues to see success on both Facebook and mobile.
• Sparta: War of Empires - Another successful game from a leader in the strategy genre, Sparta builds on the success of previous titles Stormfall: Age of War and Soldiers Inc. in an antiquity-themed adventure.
• SuperCity - Proving city-builders are far from over, developer Playkot provides a highly-engaging experience for fans of the genre.

Facebook's 2014 Best Mobile Games:

• Boom Beach - Developer Supercell's second entry into the strategy category features a lush jungle setting.
• Crazy Taxi: City Rush - The latest in the famed racing game series lets them swerve to avoid obstacles rather than drive the cab directly.
• Disco Bees - An adorable and innovative match-3 puzzle game.
• Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff - This game lets players recreate Quahog with familiar characters and buildings from the show.
• Star Wars: Commander - A strategy game set in the Star Wars universe between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back.

Facebook's 2014 Staff Favorite Games:

• Cower Defense - A pun-driven tower defense title.
• Dino Hunter: Deadly Shores - A first-person shooter, aimed at dinosaurs.
• OMG! Fortune FREE Slots - A slew of slot machines, scratch cards, bingo, and more - all with slick graphics.
• Solitaire 3 Arena - A three-round tournament style solitaire game.
• Throne Rush - A solid entry in the strategy category on Facebook.

Facebook's 2014 Hall of Fame Games:

• Bingo Blitz - Acquired by Caesar's Interactive, Playtika Santa Monica, some years back, this bingo game has staying power on our platform.
• Caesars Casino - This casino game was the first to launch after Caesar's Interactive acquired Facebook game developer Playtika, and it's still going strong.
• Top Eleven Be a Football Manager - One of the first football management sims on Facebook, and still one of the longest-running games.
• Words With Friends - The Scrabble-inspired word game relaunched this year to a whole new audience.
• Zynga Poker - Formerly known as Texas Hold 'Em Poker, this is one of the oldest games on Facebook and it still draws a crowd.

What's Next? Improvements to the Way People Find Their Favorite Games

Our goal is to make it easier for every player to find the games that interest them, and to keep them coming back to those games for fun and engaging experiences. To help us achieve this we continue to invest in game discovery and re-engagement opportunities through Facebook Games. Our annual lists are one method to help consumers find quality free-to-play games, but we're also adding some new features to Facebook Games to help people find games, such as a Hot Games list and genre Tags:

• Hot Games: shows which games are quickly growing in popularity on Facebook.
• Tags: help people filter and search by different characteristics — i.e. genre, player mode, release date — to find games they are most interested in playing. Tags are shown on the App Detail Page as well as called out in a gray tag below each game within Facebook Games.

Congratulations to the games listed above and we look forward to another great year of bringing world-class gaming entertainment to Facebook!