If you thought you already spent too much time playing FarmVille, get ready to enter a whole new level of addiction. Zynga recently launched RewardVille, an application specifically focused on giving additional online credits to use for in-game purchases.
“Our players are at the heart of all we do so our goal is to constantly look at ways to bring them the best and most fun experience when they play,” Zynga VP Roy Sehgal says. “With RewardVille, our aim is to delight players by rewarding them with new Zynga-level points, and exclusive limited-edition virtual items. We love that you love our games, so here’s your chance to reap some rewards!”
RewardVille will also connect users between Zynga’s various social platforms games. For example, you aren’t only limited to asking your fellow Farmville gamers help with your crops – there will be ways for people playing games such as CityVille, Mafia Wars, and Zynga Poker to assist you (and vice versa) via RewardVille. Better yet, users can send “mystery gifts” and additional zPoints and zCoins using the cross-game application.
We’re drawing three basic conclusions from this addition. One: The hours a dedicated social gamer spends playing these games will notably increase. Two: In-game purchasing will also be on the up, but with it could come some legal troubles for Zynga. Accounts of youngsters racking up parents’ bills or unauthorized in-game purchases can land a developer in hot water. Three: Everyone who refrains from playing these games, prepare to be inundated with Facebook requests and updates of all kinds. The cross-platform element of RewardVille means your mini-feed could become filled with the stuff, so be sure to click that helpful “x” and opt-out of the updates.
Zynga recently completed a $500 million round of funding and is now valued at roughly $10 billion, and speculation points to a coming initial public offering.
