I received an email from PlayFirst
subj: Important information about your account

I don't have an account with PlayFirst (that I am aware of)

The email tells of teaming up with BFG and all games now $6.99 plus offers me a coupon worth $2.99 towards my first purchase.

Just checking :tweety:

BFG has been selling PlayFirst games all along - I own quite a few of them already!

Here's an article to give you a little background on all of this:

Big Fish/PlayFirst

This change went into effect today.

If you order a game through the PlayFirst website now, it will end up in your Big Fish checkout/shopping cart, and you will be downloading the game from Big Fish. Any Big Fish game credits will work from both websites if you make a purchase.

Thank you Marian! I am going to read the article now!

**edit: I hope this means that now all the PlayFirst games will be at BFG since I prefer them as my #1 gaming portal!

Linda

Reading the Big Fish forums this morning, it seems that folks received that discount code that you did, even if all they ever did was to register at PlayFirst (to download a demo or something) without ever having made a purchase. Very nice of them.

From what I understand, you will now be able to download PlayFirst's catalogue of games through Big Fish, with the exception of games that come from Real Arcade/Gamehouse. Those games will go back to Real Arcade/Gamehouse.

There's a long thread on the Big Fish forums about all of this. Picman (BFG-Guy/Paul Thelen) and Margie B both contributed, so if you care to read through it, here it is:

Discussion about Big Fish/PlayFirst

Very interesting news - thanks Marian and Ray

Bernie

Yes. I hope Big Fish is planning to strip that junk out of the software.

The article is just a little confusing - I do have the coupon for over at PlayFirst but it looks like everything from BFG goes to PF and then will finally revert back to BFG? as quoted below. Very confusing

"Beginning on Jan. 13, content and services from Big Fish Games will start to migrate to PlayFirst.com. The migration will be a gradual process that takes place over several months. Members of PlayFirst's PlayPass games club will receive credit for any outstanding account balance that they will be able to apply to Big Fish Games purchases. Ultimately, PlayPass members will be migrated over to Big Fish Games Club and the PlayPass membership will be discontinued."

The wording might be a little confusing, but basically if you buy a game through the PlayFirst website now, you will be taken to Big Fish and its shopping cart, and that purchased game will end up in your Purchase History from Big Fish.

Big Fish users aren't really affected by this at all, save for the fact that we will now have access to some games that were offered on PlayFirst that Big Fish did not have before (my understanding is that some of the eligible games will be transitioned over gradually). Playfirst Club members, however, are going to have their memberships discontinued and will need to register at Big Fish.

Here's a sample page on Big Fish indicative of the transition:
Big Fish/PlayFirst

And here:

PlayFirst Partnership

I also read yesterday that any game purchased from the PlayFirst website will count towards the monthly punch card on Big Fish.

Anyway, maybe I'm not explaining this very well. I imagine that BFG-Guy and Margie B will post here to clarify at some point, if needed.

I think you are explaining it very well Marian

Ooh! I only need one more purchase this month! I wish I had a listing of the PlayFirst games - I guess I will just click the link in my email and peruse what is available!



**edit: Oops, thanks Marian, one of your links gave me the PlayFirst games! Now I just have to pick one of 4 that look interesting!

You can use the coupon for any game on Big Fish you want- it does not have to be a Playfirst game.

You mean I can take my gift code and just buy something at BFG with it?

Wow!! I like that!! $2.99 for a game is awesome! I'm glad I joined PlayFirst sometime back!

Thanks BellaRosa

Yes any game you want (except Collectors editions of course) - I bought Create a mall with my $2.99 coupon and Island Realms with the 99 cent members coupon Playfirst sent me.

Thank you BellaRosa! I have until the end of the month to choose my 6th game - and until April to use the PlayFirst coupon!

So I will not be in such a hurry to use it now.

dear friend!

Play First does not download extra software or track you and never has.

Sarahandus, I beg to differ and it is not my opinion, it is posted on their website. See this thread and you can follow the links in there.

Sorry sarahuandus - maybe I was thinking of another site

When I looked, BFG has been selling Play First games all along since I bought most of them!

So this is just a joining of 2 successful sites leaving PlayFirst to now just continue making great games!

**edited: Thank you Ana! I am getting very confused - but PlayFirst still makes some really great games! And I will be using my coupon!

Ana,

Does this mean even tho they have partnered with BigFish that they will still do the monitoring and tracking. I never read any of this before and now am sorry I joined their club. Can I unjoin?

You will now be downloading through BF so it should not have any tracking on it. You would need to delete the games you downloaded from them and run Ccleaner, malwarebytes and Adaware to get rid of the software.

Thank you, Ana. I try to read GB posts everyday but sometimes you miss.

It's a great idea to read the Privacy Notices on all websites before you download. It's unbelievable what they can install with the games legally.

Ana

I stayed away from GH/RA from all you said. I don't really order from any but BFG and SpinTop but I will not order any more from SpinTop because their CS stinks. I have a game I ordered from them that will not work and they do not help or even reply. I had one reply to the first email (Dec.22.09) I sent but have sent 3 since and have heard nothing else.

That's too bad. Any chance it is in your spam folder? All Spintop gets thrown into Spam by Comcast.

Ana

No ma'am. I get my Spintop thingies in regular email. It was in spam at the very first one but I clicked and changed it to not spam. Wish that's all it was.

Sorry, sorry, sorry. My most humble apologies to all. I was thinking Spin Top while writing Play First. I agree Play First does put junk with the downloads. Can I blame it on a senior moment?

You sure can! No problem.

Ana