Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently outlined changes to the social networking platforms changes, specifically in regards to the way games notifications impact other Facebook users. Delivered from Facebook HQ, Zuckerberg said that despite being one of the most popular services on the platform, games are also Facebook’s biggest source of complaints. Looking at the numbers, some 200 million of Facebook’s half billion users regularly play games on the platform. Naturally, gaming companies want that number of players to increase, notably through viral notifications and buzz creation (think FarmVille status updates), something that Facebook has already revised, with these notifications only appear in the news feed of other users that have the same game installed.
Sounds fair and reasonable, no? Yes, if you’re Joe Average consumer, but if you’re a gaming firm with millions invested in a solid return, primarily based on Facebook’s platform. Remember, the last time Facebook altered it’s rules and regs, Zynga reported losing over 10 million users.
On the other side of the coin, fence, field, however you want to look at it, Zynga CTO Cadir Lee took center stage at the Oracle OpenWorld event in San Francisco and stated that approximately 10 percent of the world’s internet population (around 215 million people) have played a Zynga title. To support these kinds of numbers, Lee commented that Zynga is adding as many as 1,000 servers every week to stay on top of demand. Keep in mind, this isn’t just FarmVille we’re talking about, but Zynga’s ‘other’ children, FrontierVille, Mafia Wars, Café World, etc.
While these changes aren’t likely to effect the average Facebook gamer, as you’ll keep on seeing your friends’ notifications, it does have significant impact for Zynga, as well as every other Facebook gaming focused development house. Zynga wasn’t the first on the scene, but the certainly the ones who ‘got it right’ and maximized the Facebook landscape before the floodgates were closed. Facebook’s new implementations have effectively killed the viral spread, and to Zynga’s credit, they’ve already been diversifying, and with this announcement, it seems as though they’re one step ahead of the game – again. However, with this in mind, one can’t forget about the five-year deal that the company agreed to with Facebook, but keep in mind Zynga’s deal with Yahoo! as well as the rumored Google Games Service.
Initial details of the agreement will see Zynga games available to Yahoo! users across a number of Yahoo! properties including the homepage, Yahoo! Games, Yahoo! Mail, and Yahoo! Messenger. Players will be able to share updates across not only their Yahoo! profile, but external sites as well. In other words…all the Facebook features, just without Facebook. Furthermore, the Zynga/Yahoo! agreement will open the doors for Zynga title integration in the Yahoo! Application Platform, which contains Yahoo!’s OpenSocial third party development platform, as well as the Yahoo! Query Language and connect program. Again, Facebook, without Facebook.
Prior to signing on the Playdom dotted line, Sobeski was a senior VP at Yahoo! where he worked on Yahoo!’s Open Strategy and Data platform, as well driving products and innovation for Yahoo!’s CEO. And while coming out of the Yahoo! campus 10 years ago might have been a golden stamp of approval, Sobeski is the man responsible for pushing Yahoo! to open its network to 3rd parties to drive social integration. Obviously, a valuable trait in today’s social gaming world, and a signal that Sobeski was already ahead of his time during his Yahoo! tenure.
