Zynga to launch a gamers’ social network

Zynga to launch a gamers' social network

This article also appeared on SearchCowboys.

Zynga, the creator of the famous Farmville game, announced their plan to launch a social platform called 'Zynga With Friends' designed to connect gamers across different games and devices.

The leading gaming company Zynga owes its success to social games which allow the users to compete and interact with each other within the game. To make it easier for gamers to connect with each other Zynga is planning to launch a whole network which will extend the social features available within individual games: users will be able to see each other's profiles, activities and achievements, chat with each other, and so on. Up to now 'Zynga with Friends' has been a part of Zynga company which produced a series of 'with friends' social games such as 'Chess With Friends' and 'Words With Friends'.

Zynga With Friends is "one network, one unified experience, and one social lobby that will for the first time connect all of our players, no matter where they're playing," said Manuel Bronstein, a senior Zynga executive, at a press event. The social network aims at creating a single environment for players who prefer different games and use different devices.

The current trend of 'casual gaming' calls for intuitive games which don't require a lot of time or skills to start playing, and can be played on a mobile device at any time - when waiting, traveling or simply feeling bored. Zynga With Friends may become the first platform to allow 'casual gamers' to find opponents and interact outside of individual games. Besides that, Zynga plans to extend their number of titles by making it possible for developers to create new games based on their API.

Some say, however, that the whole idea of social gaming is fading away and Farmville and the like have already passed their peak of popularity. Will Zynga With Friends boost the gaming market? 

• Door Tamara Yadvichuk
• Gepost op 27 Jun, 2012