Report: Zynga planning to ditch Facebook, start 'Zynga Live' service
Facebook and Farmville developer Zynga may go separate ways, causing the casual game developer to find another coop for its geese to lay golden eggs. TechCrunch reports that Zynga CEO Mark Pincus held an all hands meeting the other day informing staff that the company was going to launch "Zynga Live." The basic issue here is that Zynga isn't cool with the 30 percent cut that Facebook takes from customers using Facebook credits to purchase Zynga's in-game products.
The breakup could happen "tomorrow, it could be in six months" according to a TechCrunch source. The real test if the companies seek other pastures is whether Zynga's games, like Farmville and Mafia Wars, keep bringing in that casual crowd without the massive installed base of Facebook. Hardcore gamers can have a hard time following the differences between a platform, publisher and developer -- you think their moms won't?
[Via Games.com]
