FrontierVille -- Zynga's next big game spotted in the wild

Zynga's next big release? A Wild West themed Facebook game called FrontierVille.

We've speculated about Zynga launching a frontier-themed game for some time now, and Micheal Arrington over at TechCrunch says he discovered screenshots of the game after logging into a Developer Test Account on Facebook:

The game description? Click and then keep clicking. Ok, not really. It's "Howdy Pardner! Let's explore a new life on the frontier. You gotta chop trees to construct buildings, clear land to raise livestock, plant crops, and raise a family. The untamed wilderness is hazardous, but your fellow pioneers are there to help."

Milestones include things like "learned the ropes," "just broke ground for a new homestead!," and "just finished building a General Store in FrontierVille."

In December, we discovered that Zynga trademarked the name FrontierVille, along with several other 'Frontier' related names.

As for a game set in the Wild West -- we say -- why not? It's one of the few unexplored themes in Facebook games -- we just hope that we won't die of dysentery while waiting for the chance to test our virtual pioneering skills.