We’ve got some potentially good news for you Facebook users out there who absolutely despise receiving all sorts of Zynga game invites every single day. Your prayers may have been answered – starting next week, Zynga gamers will no longer be required to login through their Facebook accounts.
Zynga acquired its fame through the social networking site, and a perk people enjoyed was being able to easily locate Facebook friends who were also Zynga players. The removal of the Facebook login requirement allows users to declare new gamer pseudonyms within Zynga. This function kills two birds with one stone: Since Facebook’s recent policy changes require users to use their real names on their Facebook accounts, it lets gamers enjoy playing with acquaintances and strangers alike without their identities being too exposed. On Facebook’s part, it minimizes the number of members with multiple accounts – one for socializing with contacts, the other solely for gaming. Users still have the option to connect their Facebook account to Zynga if that is their preference – it will permit them to retain the progress and friends they’ve made in their games.
A lot has changed since the two companies decided to redefine their existing professional relationship, and Zynga is only reinforcing its independence from Facebook. Starting March 31 of this year, Zynga will no longer need to showcase Facebook advertisements on its site and users no longer need to use Facebook credits as game currency. Zynga may have lost their preferential treatment and will be given the same level of importance as other game developers under Facebook’s terms of service, but their new site has exclusive features that aren’t on the social networking site and enables players to play other third-party games as well as their own ones outside Facebook’s jurisdiction.
Will new Zynga’s features be enough to draw out gamers from inside Facebook? Only time will tell.
