Facebook tries new ways to get you to pay up, like 'Game Promotions'

You still haven't bought any Facebook Credits, have you? Well, prepare to be bombarded with "Game Promotions," Facebook's brand new way to try and get social gamers to pay up for boosts and items in their favorite games. According to Inside Facebook, the social network now displays a promotion to get $4 in Facebook Credits for the price of one.

Found attached to games like Words With Friends and others, the promotion is largely designed to get players to become not just first-time buyers, but regular customers once they get a taste. Luckily for the game developers, they'll continue to be paid as if the Credits were purchased full price during this promotion. So yeah, Facebook's taking a cut, but a minuscule one when considering the desired effect.

Facebook made 15 percent of its total revenue from Facebook Credits in 2011, with Zynga providing 12 of that 15 percent. It's easy then to figure out why the company would experiment with new ways to get players to pay. And Inside Social Games reports that developers aren't terribly pleased with Facebook Credits' performance. We'll see soon enough whether these experiments work, perhaps in Facebook's next IPO filing revision.

Have you seen the Game Promotions on Facebook? Would you ever buy something in a social game with Facebook Credits? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.