Zynga: FarmVille Attracts 11 Million Players Daily

Social game developer Zynga said this week that its Facebook-based virtual farming game FarmVille attracts over 11 million daily active users, making it today's "largest and fastest growing social game." The game is relatively new, having launched on June 19. Players create and manage virtual farms, with connectivity to friends through the Facebook social network. They can also purchase virtual items such as plants, animals, and buildings. Zynga said the game has attracted over 1 million new daily active users per week on average. One way that Zynga has been able to expand the reach of FarmVille is through viral methods. When a cow wanders onto your virtual farm, for instance, you aren’t allowed to keep it yourself, but can send it to a friend to get them started on FarmVille. Zynga CEO Mark Pincus dubbed FarmVille a "cultural phenomenon." He claimed the game is "the biggest online game in North America and quickly becoming the biggest online game in the world." Zynga is also the company behind the social game Mafia Wars. In July, the company said that game is attracting 4 million daily users. Zynga said in August that overall, it attracts 20 million daily active users and 68 million monthly active users across all of its games.