Zynga's Social Gaming Platform Launches in Beta

Zynga has lifted the curtain on its new social gaming platform, Zynga.com.

The game maker on Monday launched a beta version of Zynga.com, dubbed "a new playground for social games." Visitors to the site can currently play five games, including CastleVille, CityVille, Hidden Chronicles, Words with Friends, and Zynga Poker. On Tuesday morning, the site boasted that more than 1.5 million people were playing.

The move to launch a social game platform puts Zynga, in a sense, in competition with Facebook as a gaming destination. Up until now, Zynga’s browser games have only been available on the social network. Zynga said it launched the site to give players more ways to meet, connect and find games.

"Zynga.com is a destination for social games built with the goal of bringing players more people to play with and more ways to play," Zynga said in a statement on its Web site.

The company pointed out that its new site is "completely integrated" with Facebook, meaning players can carry their game progress from Facebook to Zynga.com, and play games with their existing friends. And, its platform will offer players ways to progress through games faster, Zynga said.

While the site launched with five games, Zynga said it would be adding more titles soon. Zynga is also working with several third-party developers to offer their games on the site as well.

Since the site is in beta, Zynga warned that users could experience some issues while they play. Zynga asked players to provide feedback about the site.

The site will suggest new "zFriends," or Zynga friends, and show users which of their friends are online, and what games they're playing. Player profiles will highlight users' favorite games, top zFriends and recent activity. Players will also be able to chat with zFriends in real-time, without leaving a game board.

Zynga last week announced plans to launch the platform, taking the wraps off "Project Z," which it tipped last October.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade.

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes.

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app.

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth.

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light.

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

Read the latest from Angela Moscaritolo

Read full bio