How EA keeps its Simpson game alive and kicking

The Simpsons: Tapped Out, now with zombies!

(Credit: Electronic Arts )

Electronic Arts' latest tool to keep The Simpsons: Tapped Out iOS game from becoming a zombie app: actual zombies.

In anticipation of The Simpsons' annual Treehouse of Horror episode, EA updated its Farmville-like game to include Halloween-themed landscapes such as a cemetery, complete with zombies and zombie pets that can infect the characters in your game. The addition adds a new wrinkle to the game, and breathes new life in for players who were done buying buildings and likely on the verge of burning out.

With the upgrade, EA made good on its promise to continue supporting The Simpsons: Tapped Out. The company had previously updated it to add new buildings, quests, and characters, and even offered up a free racing car timed with the season premiere. It's a great example of how a game can drum up attention for the TV show and while keeping interest high, allowing it to avoid the fate of becoming an ignored app on the iPhone or iPad.

I was initially skeptical about how well EA would handle the game. It had the worst start imaginable for a developer, with the early game plagued with bugs and overwhelmed by the interest level. As a result, ... [Read more]