Zynga has revamped its website, letting players sign in without needing a Facebook account, as the games publisher continues its drive for independence from the social network.
The new platform will see Zynga incorporate more ads, signing deals with LG Electronics, McDonalds, Honda and NBC in recent weeks as brands seek to reach gamers online.
The move continues the breakdown of one of the most lucrative digital partnerships in history. Zynga used to get 90% of its revenues from Facebook games, while Facebook received roughly 15% of its income in the form of fees from Zynga.
However, last year Facebook ended its deal with Zynga giving the games publisher special privileges on the social network.
Facebook got 30% share on all in-game items sold. This surely bodes well for Zynga as it no longer needs to pay the 30% share. However, Zynga would lose its preferential status on Facebook. It would have to abide by Facebook’s general terms and conditions that are applicable for all other game developers and contributors.
Rather than relying on Facebook’s communications features, Zynga has focused on building out features of its own such as its “social stream,” a bar that is displayed within games to connect players to each other.
Speaking to Reuters, Tom Catlin, general manager of Zynga.com, said he believed Zynga’s players wanted to create unique player names that were not tied to their Facebook accounts, which displays their real names.
“You had to use your Facebook account to play previously, but this is going to change going forward,” said Catlin, who added that existing players will still be able to log in with their Facebook accounts.
New players, however, will be able to easily sign up without using Facebook credentials – long a hallmark of many Zynga games.
“We’ve been able to greatly streamline that process,” Catlin said of the new Zynga.com website, which has been in the works for the past year.
Though Zynga is trying to diversify its revenue base but currently its revenues are heavily dependant on Facebook. In the last reported quarter, of Zynga’s total bookings, Facebook related bookings stood for 79%.
According to the IBISWorld report, revenue from the social network game development industry is expected to reach $6 billion in 2013. According to the report, the industry has grown by 184.3% per year on average during the past five years.
