Electronic Arts has announced that it has setup a five-year "strategic relationship" with Facebook. The deal is said to have been made to help create a better and more accessible experience for those users who play and purchase games via Facebook. As part of the agreement, EA Games will make use of Facebook Credits as their one and only payment option, according to Marketwatch.com
Many other titles make use of Facebook Credit such as Farmville, Mafia Wars, and more. Facebook Credits are a virtual currency you can use to buy virtual goods in many games and applications on the Facebook platform. You can purchase Facebook Credits using your credit card, PayPal, or simply via a mobile phone. EA did however announce that their use of Facebook Credits will not give them more money than any other developers using Facebook. They will receive the same 70 percent revenue share for Facebook Credits as is standard for all developers on Facebook.
This isn't Electronic Arts first foray into Facebook gaming though. The company bought out Playfish late last year for $275 million and they still have two of their games, Pet Society and Restaurant City in the top ten titles on Facebook. EA also has both Monopoly and Pogo Games (currently in beta) on the way very soon.
Barry Cottle, the General Manager for EA Interactive said “Since gaming has emerged as the most popular category of applications on Facebook, the natural next step is for EA to broaden its relationship with Facebook and its 500 million users,” “Our goal is to make the best games tailored specifically to the platforms on which people want to play.”
While Dan Rose, the Vice president of partnerships at Facebook stated “We are pleased to enter into this long-term partnership with EA to make it easier for people to purchase virtual goods across some of the most popular games on Facebook,” “Playfish has a great reputation for building high-quality games on Facebook, and we look forward to working even more closely with them and the larger team at EA.”
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