Zynga to publish dark, console-style social game Citizen GRIM

Zynga wants to prove to you that it can make "hardcore" games work on Facebook. But it seems Zynga would rather leverage the power of its network than create the games itself, hence the announcement of a partnership with Eruptive Games. Together, the publisher-developer duo will bring Citizen GRIM, a gothic-style action game to Facebook and Zynga.com.

"We are very thrilled to be working with Zynga to get Citizen GRIM out in the world," Eruptive CEO Julian Ing said in a release. "This partnership will let us maintain our focus on developing award-winning titles and leverage the world's largest provider of social game services to build our user base"

That said, Zynga promises to focus on maximizing "discovery, engagement, retention and monetization" for Citizen GRIM, while Eruptive will worry about releasing a social game with "cutting-edge" graphics to combine a "rich Hollywood-inspired action setting with dynamic combat in a mysterious zombie-infested town."

That basically amounts to an isometric, bloody beat 'em up in which players fight back waves of undead with all sorts of ranged, blunt and explosive weapons. Citizen GRIM has its cross-hairs solely on the growing "mid-core" demographic of dude game fans aged 18 to 45, and is slated to launch later this summer with an iOS release coming this fall. Learn more about Citizen GRIM right here.

Click here to play Citizen GRIM on Facebook Now >

Are you excited by the idea of Citizen GRIM? Will Zynga successfully champion a hardcore-focused social game? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.