Already working deals with 7-Eleven and Facebook, social games maker Zynga has announced yet another major deal, this time with Yahoo! and its global network of sites. Users of Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Messenger, Yahoo! Games and others will be able to play Zynga games and update their respective gamer data, extending the reach of the likes of Farmville and Mafia Wars to a possible 600 million new consumers. The games are expected to be launched “in the coming months” on the Yahoo! Application Program (YAP).
“Yahoo is focused on providing compelling, personally relevant experiences and social games are core to this experience,” said Hilary Schneider, executive vice president, Yahoo! Americas. “Zynga will bring top notch social game experiences to Yahoo!, including through our open platforms such as Yahoo! Application Platform and Yahoo! Updates. Yahoo! will also continue to work with other partners, developers and publishers to bring compelling innovations and experiences from across the web to our users.”
“With over 35 million unique users playing our games every single day, social games are fast becoming a leading source of entertainment worldwide surpassing most television shows,” said Mark Pincus, founder and CEO of Zynga. “Our partnership with Yahoo! gives millions of new users the ability to connect with friends and families through games.”