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Pitfall creator: Zynga gives the casual market a bad name

Activision co-founder David Crane says there's a difference between social and casual

David Crane, one of Activision's founders and the man who created Pitfall, has taken a swipe at social gaming giant Zynga in a recent interview.

"If you ask someone what they thought a casual game was a few years ago, they might have said something like Angry Birds. Now they'll probably say something like Farmville," he told Game Informer.

"I don't like to lump those social games in with casual games. I think it's those Zynga-like games that give the 'casual' market a bad name."

Crane is currently promoting a Kickstarter campaign for a new Jungle Adventure title with developers from Atari, Activision, Nickelodeon, AddictingGames and Disney. He's asking for $900,000 and currently has 211 backers.

"I think it's hilarious because there must have been some kind of miracle, because ten years ago everyone was playing these kinds of games and now everyone forgot they existed just because they're on phones now," he added.

"I kind of feel like I've always made casual games. I make games for people who like to have fun and enjoy games on any level. Games are about diversion; that's very casual."

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Rachel Weber

Senior Editor

Rachel Weber has been with GamesIndustry since 2011 and specialises in news-writing and investigative journalism. She has more than five years of consumer experience, having previously worked for Future Publishing in the UK.