Booyah!

Booyah Introduces InCrowd; Available On The App Store!

Huge news today. Our latest product, InCrowd, the first standalone app to utilize the recently unveiled Facebook Places API, is now available FOR FREE in the App Store. In addition to being the first app built exclusively for Facebook Places, it is the only app that accesses Facebook Search. 

In InCrowd, players create their own customizable avatar, socialize, meet new friends and track popularity when they check-in to their favorite real-life places using their iPhone or iPod touch.  InCrowd players gain popularity when others respond using a series of in-game actions, such as hi fives, fist bumps, winks, or posting about a venue. Players can also utilize the always popular Dropkick to take popularity away from a chosen individual. The more a player socializes with others, the more in-game points are rewarded to them for use in upgrading and personalizing their virtual avatar.

Given the nature of InCrowd and other location-based services, we spent a lot of time working on our privacy features. We've included an invisible function in InCrowd, so users can hide their locations and check-ins if they please. If an invisible user wants to interact with another user, then their location will show up, but only for the given user they have chosen to interact with; which allows for individual encounters while still maintaining a high degree of privacy.

So go ahead, download InCrowd now and Become a Local Legend at Places you Love!

Meet The Team Monday: Bryan Bernal

Meet the Team Monday is a great way for us to spotlight an employee at Booyah. We've done a few of these in the past and we feel it's one of the best ways for you guys to get to know us a little better. 

This week we'd like to introduce Bryan Bernal, our Lead Producer and Music Supervisor!

Like the tunes in Nightclub City? Well Bryan is the man to thank. Coming to us from Insomniac Games, Bryan recently transplanted himself to SF from LA to work at Booyah.

When Bryan isn't busy closing music deals for your enjoyment, you can find him at the hottest clubs, looking for the next breakout track. Some people have reported seeing him in Middle Earth, but we can neither confirm or deny.

What do you do at Booyah?
My title is Lead Producer and Music Supervisor.

How’d you get into production?
I started as a tester at this video game company called Interplay, which at the time was responsible for many of my favorite RPG games of the time like Fallout and Planescape: Torment. It was my first job in the video game industry. Unfortunately that studio closed its doors less than a year after I started working there, but I did manage to make a good impression on the QA Director who had just taken a job at Insomniac Games in Burbank. A short time after that he asked me to come work for him. Since that time and over the last six and a half years I've worked as a QA Lead, a Localization Coordinator, an Assistant Project Manager, and the Project Manager of the Ratchet & Clank and Resistance series of games on PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3.

Current favorite apps?
I love apps that let me discover or manipulate music in new ways, so I'm a big fan of Shazam, RJDJ, and Beatmaker / Beatwave. And of course MyTown and Nightclub CIty!

What games have you played recently?
Final Fantasy XIII and Demon's Souls are the two RPGs I've played most recently. I also play some Super Street Fighter IV.

What do you do in your free time?
I DJ and produce music. You can hear it in Nightclub City via my alter ego "Rock Electrique".

What’s in your recently played list?
Music wise it's Tesla Boy - "Thinking of You", Two Door Cinema Club - "Something Good Can Work" (The Twelves Remix), Sleigh Bells - "Riot Rhythm", Lexicondon - "Pink + Blue", The Toxic Avenger - "N'Importe Comment", GRUM, Minitel Rose, Russ Chimes and tons of others.

What cool things are you working on right now?
Finding new music for Nightclub City!

What properties do you have in MyTown?
I still live in Los Angeles so my favorite MyTown property is Rambo's Taco Truck in Eagle Rock. Its funny to think about a taco truck being graphically represented by a futuristic skyscraper.

Any quirky/funny things about yourself that you don't mind having shared w/ the entire interwebs?
People say I bear a striking resemblance to Elijah Wood. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing.

Drop the Bass in Booyah’s Nightclub City

 
Are you an aspiring artist trying to get your music in front of millions of people? Do you have the musical skills necessary but lack the medium to turn your goals in to reality? Alternately, are you always on the lookout for the next big musical sensation? Do you revel in the fact that you hear the hottest tracks before any of your friends? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then today is your lucky day.

Booyah’s Nightclub City, in conjunction with IndabaMusic.com, the leading online destination for musicians to connect and create music, and Ableton Live are proud to present the “Drop The Bass” Contest.   The “Drop the Bass” contest allows any artist to submit their music for a chance to have it featured in Nightclub City, where over 10 Million players can hear it at any time!

Nightclub City has proven to be a viable music discovery medium and marketing platform for Indie Artists.  Musicians featured in Nightclub City have seen, on average, a 1000% increase in “likes” to their fan pages. This sort of medium, coupled with the 500,000 musicians on IndabaMusic.com who use online tools to create music together in online recording sessions, participate in remix contests with A-list artists, promote their work and more, makes the “Drop the Bass” Contest a no-brainer.

Starting today and continuing for four weeks, artists of any genre can use their own recording software or the tools provided by Indaba Music --including their free, web-based digital audio workstation, plus a library of over 10,000 clips-- to submit their tracks for inclusion into Nightclub City.  Once submitted, judges comprised of Booyah, Indaba Music, and Ableton employees will choose 10 songs to be included in Nightclub City! The grand prize winner will also receive a licensed version of Ableton Live 8 Studio, 1000 Facebook Credits, and a year long Pro Membership to Indaba Music.

For complete details on the contest, click here.

Meet the Team Monday: Jennifer Haya

Meet the Team Monday is a way for us to spotlight an employee at Booyah and although it's been a while since our last one, we figured it was time to start the trend again. We've done a few of these in the past and we feel it's one of the best ways for you guys to get to know us a little better. 

This week we'd like to introduce Jennifer Haya, our Office Manager!

If you're ever in the Booyah office and need help with anything, Jennifer is the go-to person. Dubbed "Den Mother" by the Nightclub City Team, Jennifer handles everything from Human Resources, to Employee Benefits, to ensuring that our day-to-day activities run smoothly.

Jennifer began part-time for Booyah in March and was promoted to full-time after she displayed exemplary prowess in her profession. Now things run more smoothly at the office, and we get a cute dog to play around with. Everybody wins!

What do you do at Booyah?

I am the Office Manager and Den Mother :)

How’d you get into administrative work?
When I was in the military, I was asked to be my commander’s assistant and administrator for my entire unit.  I enjoyed running the administrative side, so I applied for similar positions when I left the military.  My husband got a position at Booyah as an illustrator and he totally loves working here.  He told me that Keith, our CEO, was wondering if I was interested in a position with Booyah doing administrative work, so I jumped at the opportunity!  We’re both very happy to be a part of this team!

Current favorite apps?
I love playing MyTown, We Rule, Angry Birds, Flood It, and Words with Friends.

What games have you played recently?
I play Nightclub City on Facebook.  I can’t really play console games because my husband hogs it, but when I do, I play MarioKart and Mario Party on the Wii.  I was addicted to the Professor Layton games on the Nintendo DS, but I haven’t really played anything on the DS in a while.

What do you do in your freetime?
I watch A LOT of TV, but because of my DVR, it doesn’t take up as much time as it used to.  I’m a total bookworm and have a personal library with tons of books (my friends wanted to kill me when they helped us move!).  I’m even nerdier about how I organize them.  I’m close to resorting to the Dewey Decimal System, but I’ve been using Delicious Monster to organize my inventory on my Mac.  Other than that, I love spending time with my two cocker spaniels, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Princess Leia.

What’s in your recently played list?
A.M. Sixty, The Smiths, 311, New Order, Bob Marley, and Sade, but I listen to a lot of styles of music.  It depends on what mood I’m in.

What cool things are you working on right now?
I’m not quite finished with furnishing Booyah’s new office.  I’ve been to IKEA so many times in the last five months it’s ridiculous.  I’m usually always busy with HR related projects and handling new hires.  I really enjoy organizing team-building events, so hopefully we have time to do another event soon.

What properties do you have in MyTown?
Booyah, Inc., The Bellagio Hotel and Casino (where my husband proposed to me), and Sasa Restaurant in Walnut Creek (my cousin is the Chef de Cuisine there).

Any quirky/funny things about yourself that you don't mind having shared w/ the entire interwebs:
I actually had some major concerns when my husband first told me that he was applying for a job with a company called “Booyah” but now that I’ve seen the talent in this company, I see that it truly lives up to its name!  BOOYAH!!

Booyah's InCrowd Takes Location-Based Social Games To The Next Level With Facebook® Places

Today at Facebook's Headquarters, our CEO Keith Lee, announced our latest product: InCrowd. InCrowd will be available shortly! The Press Release is below.

BOOYAH’S INCROWD TAKES LOCATION-BASED SOCIAL GAMES TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH Facebook® Places

Mobile Friend Discovery App Centered on Social Interactions in Real-World Places Integrated with Facebook Places, a feature of the Graph API


San Francisco – Aug. 18, 2010 – Booyah, a premier social web and mobile entertainment company, today announced that it has teamed with Facebook for the upcoming mobile location-based social game InCrowd which will feature the newly announced Facebook Places functionality.  A playful social app based on interacting with people and sharing real-time posts at real-world locations, Booyah’s InCrowd will be available for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad on the App Store.  InCrowd players can socialize, meet new friends and track popularity in real-time, when they check-in to their favorite real-life places. 

“InCrowd is offering fresh new social experiences on the exploding location graph,” said Keith Lee, CEO, Booyah. “Facebook Places gives InCrowd players an entertaining and relevant way to socialize and share where they are in real-time and discover new places based on where their friends have checked in.” 

Through Facebook Places InCrowd players can broadcast check-in locations of the places they love with friends while adhering to the individual’s Facebook privacy settings made on Facebook.com or the standard mobile site, m.facebook.com. 

InCrowd players gain popularity when others respond using a series of in-game actions, such as booting them in the rear, sending them a wink, or posting about a venue.  The more a player socializes with others, the more in-game points are rewarded to them for use in upgrading and personalizing their virtual avatar.

Booyah, dedicated to social, mobile forms of entertainment that combine elements of the real and digital worlds, recently announced 3.1 Million users and 400 million check-ins for their popular location-based social game MyTown. 

Booyah also launched their first Facebook app, the music-themed social game Nightclub City. Since opening its doors in April 2010, more than 6.5 million active players have joined the party per month, experiencing new music within the social game setting and incidentally helping to promote emerging real-world musicians in a variety of musical genres.  Artists currently involved in the game have seen more than a 1,000 percent weekly increase in “Likes” on their Facebook Pages.

About Booyah
Booyah, headquartered in San Francisco, Calif., is a leading social web and mobile entertainment company. Booyah’s mission is to be the singular destination for real-world entertainment. The entire development team draws its creativity from the consumer web and social gaming space and highly respected interactive entertainment studios, including Blizzard Entertainment, Activision, EA and Insomniac Games.  Booyah is financed by Accel Partners and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers’ iFund.  Learn more at www.booyah.com.

Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc.

Press Contacts:
Chris Kramer / Sibel Sunar
fortyseven communications for Booyah
kramer@fortyseven.com / sibel@fortyseven.com
323.658.1200

MyTown Sees 350K Product Check-ins A Week; Pantene and H&M Join In On The Fun

It's only been a short time since we offered Product Check-ins as a feature in MyTown, but the results have been amazing. Not only has the feedback for this feature been overwhelmingly positive, its use has been incredible as well! During this brief stint, we saw, on average, over 350,000 Product Check-ins a week by our players! The Product Check-in has been so successful in fact, that Pantene and H&M have joined in on the fun and are now offering exclusive items to players who scan their real-life products while playing MyTown.

For those of you unfamiliar with this feature, the Product Check-in allows players to directly interact with products in a fun and rewarding manner. Players simply scan the bar code of their favorite Pantene or H&M items using the built in iPhone camera (or input the numbers if using an iPod/iPad) to unlock branded items packed with points and virtual cash! Check it out by scanning H&M's Denim Day merchandise and Pantene's new line of hair products!

Pantene and H&M are the first brands to take advantage of the Product Check-in, but more coming soon. If you've been part of MyTown since the beginning, you'll remember that H&M was the first brand to sign on with us. The reception they received from you was so great that they decided they couldn't pass up the opportunity of becoming a part of the new Product Check-in experience. In addition to the Product Check-in, H&M will be holding a $500 gift card sweepstakes, available to anyone who scans an H&M item!

Look for special Pantene and H&M branded lockboxes while playing MyTown at grocery stores, clothing outlets and convenience stores!

MyTown Goes Global

To our International friends,

The wait is over! We're pleased to announce that MyTown is now available in Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. As in the United States, the app is completely free. Simply go to the App Store and download MyTown to start the fun!

The international version of MyTown is the first to support global check-ins utilizing the recently launched Places Web Service (also known as Google Places) via the Google Maps API. Google Places returns the 20 most popular places near a given location, giving our players the most relevant results. The International version also boasts our latest feature, Product Check-ins. Players can interact with the objects around them by scanning the barcodes of items to unlock powerful virtual items and rewards.

We'll be rolling out to more countries in the coming weeks, so stay tuned and we'll keep you posted!

Win An iPad In The MyTown Scavenger Hunt

MyTown Scavenger Hunt!

UPDATE 8/15: For anyone having problems opening the treasure chest: A new Treasure Chest item will be dropped later today which everyone will be able to open. Enjoy, and good luck!

Booyah is throwing another contest, this time in the form of a Scavenger Hunt. We’ll be giving away another iPad as a grand prize, and iTunes Gift Cards as well! Get ready to scour your town in hopes of finding the Key to your City. Discover new locations while looking for the four missing Map Pieces which will eventually lead you straight to the Key! No special equipment is needed (although galavanting through your town in pirate gear is highly encouraged)--all you need is the latest version of MyTown (4.1.2), and a quick mind to decipher the riddles as you venture throughout your town to find the hidden Key to your city! The first item starts dropping in two days, and the rest will be released on a staggered basis. Once you find the key, place it on one of your properties and email the special code (on the stamp) from an account registered with MyTown to contests@booyah.com with the Subject line “Scavenger Hunt Contest.” You must email your submission from the email account you used when registering with MyTown.

How It Works

The Scavenger Hunt begins in two days and will run for two weeks (from Friday August 6th, to Friday August 20th). Four different items need to be found throughout the week in order to create the Key to your City. Each item you find tells you how to get the next item, so read the item descriptions carefully!

Get Started

If you’re ready to win a brand new iPad, then it’s time to get started. The contest starts in two days, on August 6th, and we’ll be dropping the first item all over the place. Check-in to any of your favorite locations to get started! Once you receive the first Map Piece, read the item description for info on how to find the next piece!

The Prize

One lucky winner who submits the special code and places the Key on their property will win a brand new Apple iPad. The winner will be picked at random by Booyah. 10 runners up will be awarded $50 iTunes gift cards.

Who Can Win?

Any MyTown application user in the United States. The winner will be selected and notified once the contest ends.

Contest Dates

The contest begins on Friday, August 6th. Submissions for the contest will be frozen on Friday, August 20th, 2010 at 5:00 PM Pacific Time.

MyTown Official Contest Rules
1. NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS SWEEPSTAKES: Purchases and/or payments will not increase your chance of winning the Sweepstakes.
2. HOW TO ENTER: To enter the Contest, simply download MyTown 4.1.2 in the Apple App Store and enter a valid email address in the app. There is a limit of one entry per person. Duplicate entries from the same e-mail address will render the entrant ineligible to win. Entrant must provide their email through the MyTown application. The contest begins on Friday August 6th. Stamps must be placed on your buildings and an email sent to contests@booyah.com must be received by 5:00 PM. Pacific Time, on Friday August 20th, 2010.
3. ELIGIBILITY: This Contest is open to anyone who has a valid email address at time of entry through completion of the Contest (including the prize and redemption period). Employees and directors of Booyah, Inc. and its respective divisions, affiliates, and subsidiaries, are not eligible to participate in the Contest or to win any prize. Entrant must be a user of the MyTown application during the Contest (including prize and redemption period) and provide us with a valid email through the application in order to win.
4. PRIZES: For MyTown Scavenger Hunt- The grand prize will consist of one (1) Apple iPad given to 1 individual. 10 runner-ups will be awarded $50 Apple iTunes Gift Cards. No substitutions or cash redemptions of prizes are permitted. Contest Provider retains the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater retail value. Additional restrictions may apply.
5. PRIZE DRAWING: For MyTown Scavenger Hunt- One winner will be chosen nationwide. The winner will be decided on or about Monday, August 23, 2010 based on their email submission. The winners will be decided by the Contest Provider whose decision is final and binding on all aspects of this Contest. The Selected Entrant will be notified by e-mail on or about August 23, 2010. Failure of the Selected Entrant to respond to notification within seven (7) days after notification may result in disqualification and the selection of another entrant from among all eligible entries received. By entering the contest, each entrant agrees to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Contest Provider. In the event of non-compliance for any reason, including the inability to accept the Prize for any reason, an alternate entrant may be selected. Prior to the winner receiving the iTunes Gift Card, the winner will need to provide their mailing address. All iTunes Gift Cards will be mailed to the mailing address provided by selected winner who responds to Contest Provider's notification. If any or all of the referred individuals do not respond to the Contest Provider within 7 days after being notified, he/she may be ineligible to receive the iTunes Gift Card.
6. CONDITIONS, DISCLAIMERS, AND LICENSE: By entering this Contest, each entrant agrees to be bound by these Official Rules and by all decisions of the Contest Provider (which decisions are final and binding on all matters relating to the Contest), and to comply with all federal, state and local laws and regulations. The decisions of the Contest Provider are final on all matters of fact, interpretation, eligibility, procedure and fulfillment. Entries and other submitted materials become the property of the Contest Provider and/or its promotional partner(s) and will not be acknowledged or returned. By entering this Contest and unless prohibited by law, the Selected Entrant hereby consents to use of his/her respective name. Contest Provider takes no responsibility for the damaging or loss of mailed prizes by mail carriers.
7. SPONSOR: MyTown Scavenger Hunt is sponsored: Booyah, Inc. 139 Townsend Street, Suite 300, San Francisco CA, 94107.

Nightclub City Kicks Off Celebrity Creation Contest And Adds Step Up 3D Music!

Nightclub City recently released a MASSIVE update  which included new levels, new music, and the ability to move your club to either New York or Las Vegas! To commemorate the release, we're throwing an epic contest. Any Nightclub City player can enter for their chance to win 1000 Facebook Credits and have their submission featured in the game!

The contest is simple. Enter Nightclub City and Dress up your avatar to represent your favorite Celebrity (living or dead), create a name for your creation, and email your submission to contests@booyah.com from the email address associated with your Facebook Account. It's that easy!

The contest starts tonight and will run until Midnight on Wednesday, August 11th. Once we receive the submissions, we'll choose our ten favorites and then let you guys vote on the winner! First place wins 1000 Credits, 2nd gets 300, 3rd wins 200, and the remaining finalists will win 100 Credits each. The voting begins on August 12th, and ends August, 15th.

For the complete set of rules and details, please see the official Contest page, here.

In addition to the contest, we're also rolling out music from the highly anticipated movie, Step Up 3D  (debuting in theaters nationwide this Friday). Start a "Step Up 3D" set and listen to seven tracks from the upcoming movie. Artists include Flo' Rida (feat. David Guetta), Laza Morgan, Roscoe Dash and T-Pain, Sophia Del Carmen, Trey Songz, Sophia Fresh, and Wisin Y Yandel!

If you haven't played Nightclub City before, now is the perfect chance! Play Nightclub City to get acclimated and then enter for your chance to win! It's fun, and free!

Good luck everyone!

MyTown Update Available; Product Check-in Unveiled!

Get it while it's hot! The latest release of MyTown is available for download, exclusively from the Apple App Store. The update showcases our newest feature: Product Check-ins! In addition Product Check-ins, we've included ten brand new levels, two new building upgrades, and new items to create! Our team also spent a lot of time cleaning up the app. You'll notice a brand new check-in UI that tells you how many points and cash you'll make before you check-in as well as an easier way to apply items before checking-in. Bug and crash fixes were also implemented in this update. We believe these changes will make MyTown an even more fun game for you enjoy daily!

In much the same way we've made location fun, we've set out to make the products that you interact with an entertaining experience! By utilizing the iPhone's built-in camera, players can now scan bar codes from their favorite products to unlock massive point and cash rewarding items! iPod Touch users can get in on the fun as well. Simply type in the numbers from product bar codes, and you'll receive a reward!

For those new to MyTown, we've incorporated a tutorial system to help you become acquainted with the world of MyTown. All users will notice the addition of a Town Hall. This is a building for new players to check-in to in order to become acclimated with our game.

The check-in experience has also been fine-tuned. You'll notice that you no longer have to choose the items you want to use upon check-in from the Items page; instead, items can be applied straight from the check-in page. Additionally, you'll be able to see the amount of points and cash that will be earned prior to your checking-in. (see image)

For those who play both MyTown and Nightclub City, you'll be pleased to hear that players who install the latest version of MyTown and open up the app once a day will receive extra gifts in the daily giveaway in both games. Use Facebook Connect in MyTown to reap the double rewards!

More from Booyah, including another contest, is on the way. Follow @booyah on Twitter and like us on Facebook to stay up to date!