As unlikely as it has seemed over the past few weeks, we've just had word that Facebook and Zynga have entered into a long-term relationship. For the next five years, both companies will be working together to increase their shared commitment to social gaming on Facebook, and will also expand the use of Facebook Credits in Zynga's games. Excited? You should be, as the deal cements the continuation of quality social games for casual users to get their hands on.
"Facebook was a pioneer in opening their platform in 2007 and in just three years tens of millions of Facebook users play our games every day, from FarmVille and Café 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."
Although terms of the agreement are not yet known, Zynga are already testing Facebook Credits in a number of their games, and will utilize the system for all of their titles soon.