Operation Sports: First off Jason, could you just tell me what other sports games you have worked on besides World Series Superstars?

Jason Shenkman: Other than World Series Superstars, I’ve worked on NFL Street, the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series and Madden NFL Superstars.

OS: When creating a Facebook game of this sort, is the bigger challenge hooking someone and getting them to play for the first time, or is it bringing them back on a daily basis that is harder to pull off?

Shenkman: I would have to say that they are equally challenging and tied together. Our focus on a daily basis is making the highest quality title that we possibly can. The better we make the game, the more people will hear about it and the more engaged our users will be. The more engaged our users are, the more they will continue playing -- and in turn tell their friends about it, which would bring in another first-time user. We are striving to make truly engaging, globally connected and socially engaging experiences that have a strong compulsion loop to compete with your friends or yourself as you level up -- and I think we are achieving that.

OS: Is there a particular challenge that stands out with creating a sports game over another type of game? To be more specific, do you have to be a fan of baseball to have any interest in this game?

Shenkman: Sports games are really no different than any other genre of game. Although we definitely have a core base of passionate sports fans for our experiences, we also have many fans who play console games because they are engaging experiences. We aim to make games that evoke the emotion of sport and drive towards authenticity to appeal to the sports fan, but we also spend just as much time ensuring that they have broader appeal. They are easy to use and easy to understand. Our experiences are socially engaging game mechanics that are fun to play with your friends -- baseball fans or not.

OS: Can you talk about this game in terms of its evolving nature? Since it is never technically "completed" from a development standpoint, how much can you iterate and change the game as the months progress?

Shenkman: I think it’s fair to say that the game will look very different in a few weeks than what users are experiencing today. This type of live development gives us a ton of flexibility to add new features, make adjustments based on feedback and really keep our users on their toes with new content all the time. We hear community feedback loudly and have the power to address it.

OS: How about the in-game management engine? Since this is the first Superstars game where you can actually manage the on-field action, does the simulation engine change based on feedback and so forth as well?

Shenkman: Our users' feedback is immensely important to us. It’s what drives the changes we make to the Superstars titles. Our goal with the management engine was to give users multiple ways to enjoy the game. Certain users are going to want an in-depth management experience, and others are going to want a more casual experience. Our engine was designed to let you play the game the way you want to.

OS: I would say this game has the most depth of the Superstars games to this point. Is there a concern about adding too many layers to the game and thereby perhaps alienating some folks?

Shenkman: We are always aware that the decisions we make could have an effect on user enjoyment of the game. I’ve touched several times on how attentive we are to user feedback. The gameplay depth that was added to World Series Superstars is something that our fans have wanted for some time. I think we’ve made those fans happy. For those that don’t want the extra depth, the game plays very similar to our other offerings. It’s hard to make everyone happy, but I think we’ve struck a good balance.

OS: At some point, do one of these games break off and become something a little more "hardcore" in their nature -- for example, trading, free agency and becoming even more of a management game -- or is Facebook not the type of platform for that type of more-niche title?

Shenkman: We definitely want to attract both the “hardcore” sports fan as well as the casual player. That’s why in World Series Superstars we’ve added some deeper management and customization options. Going forward, we’re looking to our fans to help us drive the direction of these games. We pay very close attention to the health of the game day-to-day. How many active players we have, how many returning players, what features are most popular with our players, etc. Each time we introduce a “niche” or “hardcore” feature, we keep watch on how that affects the game’s overall health. If we see that our fans are responding favorably, then absolutely we will add more of those types of features.

OS: What can folks expect in the future from WSS that is not there today?

Shenkman: World Series Superstars is the deepest, most realistic pro baseball sim on the Facebook platform. Our fans can expect frequent updates to the game that will add new features, modes, items and players that will keep them engaged throughout the season and beyond. In fact, we have some huge additions coming in the next few weeks that I am very excited about. We’ve learned a lot from FIFA and Madden NFL Superstars, which has given us a thorough understanding of what players want with these types of experiences. Stay tuned for some big additions in the coming weeks.