Zynga Unleashed: CEO Mark Pincus reveals Zynga Direct platform

Zynga broke big news about where the developer is headed today in San Francisco at its Unleashed news event. First, Zynga CEO Mark Pincus approached the stage and almost immediately said that 10 products will be announced today. The most notable of which is Zynga Direct, "a platform for a direct relationship with consumers," according to Pincus. This is likely what Pincus was referring to when he first uttered the words "dog-connected world."

Zynga later elaborated on what the company CEO called "Zynga Direct" with the announcement of Project Z, an "instant social" platform that is said to be the company's attempt at independence from Facebook. The codenamed project looks to connect players immediately through zTags, usernames for Zynga game players made possible through Facebook Connect.

Starting today, players can connect to Project Z through Facebook and reserve their zTags for when the service goes live officially. After claiming your zTag, you're rewarded with zCoins, implying that this service will integrate with Zynga's RewardVille program somehow.

Nothing more was revealed about the service, but we're going to bet Zynga made this move in response to investors' fears that the company might be too reliant on Facebook. The service is still tethered to Facebook, but at least this is a step in that direction, especially ahead of Zynga's imminent initial public offering. In fact, Pincus even said, "We're committed to one vision, one mission that hasn't changed, it won't change. We want to be the biggest macro bet on social gaming."

[Source: Zynga (Twitter); Zynga (Blog)]

[Image Credit: Harry McCracken]

Have you signed up for your zTag yet through Project Z? What do you think this service will eventually do for independence from Facebook when it comes to Zynga games? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.