It turns out that Zynga games like Farmville leaving Facebook is not going to happen as the two companies have announced a 5-year partnership together.
This follows months upon months of fierce discontent between the two giants, who were nearly about to split off from one another. This was due to many factors, not the least of which was Facebook’s insistence that Zynga use the “Facebook Credits” system for which they get a 30% cut. But it seems that both sides have finally come to an agreement that they are both happy with. And this will include Zynga adopting the Facebook Credits system.
However even so, work will likely continue on Zynga’s own projects outside of Facebook, like their Zynga Live platform and Farmville.com web-site. Other sources point to the company ramping up work on other independent projects as well.
Here is the full press release:
Facebook and Zynga announced that they have entered into a five-year strategic relationship that increases their shared commitment to social gaming on Facebook and expands use of Facebook Credits in Zynga’s games. The agreement provides a solid foundation for both companies to continue to work together to provide millions of people with a compelling user experience for social games.
“Facebook was a pioneer in opening their platform in 2007 and in just three years tens of millions of Facebook users play our games everyday, from FarmVille and Cafe World to Treasure Isle and Mafia Wars,” said Mark Pincus, founder and chief executive officer at Zynga. “We are excited about Facebook’s long-term commitment to social gaming and Zynga, and look forward to working with them and other platform providers to bring the best social gaming experience to users worldwide.”
“We are pleased to enter into a new agreement with Zynga to enhance the experience for Facebook users who play Zynga games,” said Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer at Facebook. “We look forward to continuing our work with Zynga and all of our developers to increase the opportunities on our platform.”
Zynga is currently testing Facebook Credits in select games and will expand to more titles over the coming months. Terms of the agreement between Facebook and Zynga were not disclosed.