Although Zynga is the largest social gaming company in the world – with roughly 230 million users – it has not reached the top of the industry without help. The company’s games are present on many platforms, with a large portion of its revenue coming from Facebook.
However, it appears that Zynga is ready to leave Facebook behind and branch out on its own. The company is in the process of launching its own platform, which will be known as Zynga Direct. With this, users can now play directly on the Zynga platform as opposed to through Facebook.
When Zynga.com launches this month, five of its most popular games will be available: CastleVille, CityVille, Words With Friends, Hidden Chronicles, and Zynga Poker.
With the inclusion of poker as one of these games, many people continue to speculate whether the company will jump further into the online gambling world should it become legalized in the United States in the near future.
Use Facebook To Double Site Traffic
All in all, the main goal of this move is to allow Zynga to reduce its dependence on Facebook. However, Zynga plans on using Facebook Connect to gain traction. Along with this, they will continue to use Facebook Credit for payments. That being said, as Zynga continues to grow and the service catches on, it is safe to say that the company will implement its own payment infrastructure. Without relying on Facebook, this change could go a long way in boosting revenue.
Importance to iGaming Affiliates
With Zynga once again making changes (for the better) affiliates need to take note. This is particularly true when it comes to the company’s online poker service.
Although Zynga has yet to venture into real money poker, and probably won’t until it is legalized in the US, affiliates should begin to consider how they can get involved in the future. With the popularity of Zynga on the rise – the company believes it can hit 1 billion users in the years to come – the ability for affiliates to take their piece of the pie is very real.
Here is what Zynga CEO Mark Pincus had to say about his company’s role in the future of online gambling:
“I think it’s a good natural fit. I think, philosophically, the part people haven’t noticed yet, real money gaming is the perfect fit with virtual goods and social games. We’re interested, but you should expect to see us do a lot more than what you’ve seen in offshore casinos.”