Zynga snares Yahoo distribution, diversification pact
Zynga, the social gaming outfit behind Farmville and Mafia wars, has inked a distribution pact with Yahoo.
For Yahoo, Zynga can make its global network stickier (statement, Yahoo blog). For Zynga, the Yahoo deal is a bit of a diversification play since the company is dependent on Facebook for a lot of its usage.
It's unclear what this Yahoo-Zynga thing means for folks like me who are gaming anti-social---I just don't give a damn about what you did on Farmville or Mafia Wars. These social gaming updates are like swatting at flies all days if you don't hide them.
Will these social games will be less annoying on Yahoo? Yahoo will put Zynga games on the home page, Yahoo Games, Yahoo Mail and Yahoo Messenger.
In any case, it's a win-win for Yahoo and Zynga. Kleiner Perkins VC John Doerr talked about the importance of social gaming earlier this week.