Former Playdom exec joins OpenFeint to help in Japanese Invasion

And another falls. Yet another executive from one of social gaming's biggest companies, Playdom, has left for a competitor. This time it's Ethan Fassett, an executive producer for Playdom who is now headed to OpenFeint, a mobile games network that enjoys 90 million players, as SVP of Product, VentureBeat reports.

The Burlingham, Calif.-based mobile games platform hired Fassett to help its clients create free-to-play games using the OpenFeint network--purchased by Japanese network Gree earlier this year--on both Android and iOS devices. He'll do this by leading development on new social networking features and distribution channels to support the freebie games, according to VentureBeat.

"We're very excited to bring on Ethan, whose expertise in free-to-play games and social communities will drive product strategy and shape the evolution of the network," OpenFeint CEO Jason Citron said. "Ethan truly understands social games, the social networks they need to be successful, and the tools game developers need to properly engage and monetize their players."

Executives from major gaming companies like Playdom and EA have been leaving for potentially more lucrative ventures in the social and mobile gaming arenas. And as these two companies appear to be in a lull (though, Playdom did just launch a new ESPN-branded game), publishers from the Far East encroach on the globe, throwing around millions. DeNA and its Mobage network are competing with both Zynga and Gree for dominance in the mobile games market, and the latter just got another shot in the arm.

The Sims Social lures players into a Winter Wonderland this week

Unfortunately, not everyone (including this writer) can fly to Sweden on a whim and stay in a gorgeous ice hotel. Well, at least EA and Playfish look to provide the next best thing in this week's update to The Sims Social. Fittingly titled "Winter Wonderland," this update (coming Thursday) will allow you to build your very own ice house, complete with frozen furniture and ice sculptures.

The Sims Social Eskimo KissOf course, a number of these items will likely cost SimCash, but hopefully a few of the cool ones go for at least Social Points. Take the Pola-Ice Igloo, for instance. This interactive decoration has several uses: Players can use the Pola-Ice as a toilet for their Sims, throw rotten fish in their friends' igloos and make frozen WooHoo with other Sims inside--the igloo even shakes. We're ... not exactly sure how to feel about that last point.

Players can also pick up special Santa outfits for him and her that allow Sims to Eskimo Kiss during visits. Of course, the Thursday update comes with a quest, "Revenge of the Simch," which will reward players with a Rocking Reindeer decoration should they complete it in time.

The festivities continue throughout the weekend, with Saturday and Sunday seeing the release of the Ice Ring, an interactive decoration that lets Sims do pirouette spins. Finally, players will gain access to an Ice Block on Monday that, when used, will increase Sims' sculpting skill and eventually result in an Ice Wolf Statue. We're calling next week's theme: "The Simch Strikes Back."
The Sims Social Ice Block
What do you think of the winter celebrations in The Sims Social so far? Are you still digging the game since its release this summer?

NHL Superstars coming to Facebook in October

Adding to its popular brand of "Superstars" titles on Facebook, Electronic Arts has announced the production of NHL Superstars for Facebook. This new game, as reported by ShackNews, comes on the heels of EA's NHL 12 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 breaking franchise records for the biggest launch week in the franchise's history.

As for the franchise's jump onto the Facebook ice, we're told this: "NHL Superstars will bring an all-new NHL experience to millions of hockey fans by enabling players to build and manage their ultimate team of professional hockey players. With dynamic and accessible gameplay, fans can compete head-to-head in games against their Facebook friends from around the world."

While specific details are still lacking as to what we can exactly expect from NHL Superstars, we can't imagine EA / Playfish breaking the mold. We'll likely be able to collect cards that contain professional hockey players, and then trade those cards out to create the best team possible. Each player will likely have stats, and we'll be able to use those players in virtual hockey games against others for supremacy.

We don't have a specific release date for NHL Superstars, although the game is set to take to the ice sometime in October. We'll make sure to give you a complete look at the game when we know more.

Are you excited to see NHL Superstars come to Facebook? Which players will you look for to create your perfect team? Sound off in the comments.