If you don’t know about Zynga, they are the creators of popular social network games like FarmVille, Mafia Wars and CityVille. They have over 320 million registered users and have been valued at over $5 billion, leaving behind Electronic Arts. Zynga’s games have always been popular on social networks like Facebook and MySpace but since some time they have had native iPhone and iPad apps. The games are free to play but virtual merchandise can be bought for real money from within the game.
As per the recent news, Zynga is all set to target the 1 billion (and increasing) Indian population. They already have an office in Bangalore with over 100 employees. Shan Kadavil, Country Manager Zynga India, said that they see huge monetization opportunities in the second-fastest growing economy of the world. They are considering a number of options for India. The game cards route is the top contender since they have seen how retail cards have been utilised in the telecom (mobile) industry through points of purchases.
While there are many registered Zynga users in India, they clearly want users to make more in-game purchases and hence they are planning give the users easier payment options to attract. The use of prepaid gaming cards is definitely something unique and may actually work if the pricing is right. They can also partner with various products and give free game value cards to popularize the concept. Zynga is also considering premium SMSs and Internet banking for in-game purchases.
It will be interesting to see how much money Indian users are willing to sell on social gaming.
[via TNW]
