Zynga gets more social, more violent

11.10.2011
Zynga is making its games more social, but also more edgy, so players will be able to meet people more easily, then hack them to death with a chainsaw.

Zynga introduced several new games Tuesday, including a sequel to "Mafia Wars" that takes the company to a new level of violence, and a follow-on to "FarmVille" and "CityVille," called "CastleVille," that's set in a more tranquil, medieval fantasy world of dragons and maidens.

Zynga also announced that it's building a new "social games playground," code-named Project Z, that's basically a website for playing games and meeting other gamers.

"With every game, we ask the question, how can we make this more social?" founder and CEO Mark Pincus said during a launch event at Zynga's new office in a San Francisco warehouse district, summing up one of the day's big themes.

The other big theme was that Zynga is trying to make some of its games edgier and more "grown-up," so that they might appeal to more serious gamers. Both of the themes are evident in "Mafia Wars 2," which Zynga said will be launching "soon."

"Mafia Wars 2" is "easily the most edgy social game we've ever developed," said Erik Bethke, one of Zynga's general managers.