Facebook Wants To Cash In on Virtual Vegetables

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Rumors are swirling that Facebook is seeing dollar signs in the astounding number of mini-transactions that take place everyday on the site’s most popular social game, Farmville. The game, in which users maintain their own virtual farms, currently has nearly 75 million monthly active users. Players do things that normal farmers do—like fertilize, buy tractors, and care for animals—except, of course, the whole time they’re planted in front of computer screens and logged into Facebook. Farmville players don’t need to spend money playing the game, but they often do. By purchasing credits called “Farmville coins” from gaming company Zynga, they can get things to improve their farms, like seeds or crops. Paying real money for virtual vegetables may not seem like a big business, but, as it turns out, it is. Zynga reportedly made close to $250 million last year, and virtual goods account for 90 percent of its revenue.

According to rumors, as soon as this week, Farmville players may have the option to "Pay With Facebook” when buying credits. Some are speculating that, under this arrangement, Facebook could collect as much as 30 percent of each transaction. Facebook already reaps benefits from gaming companies like Zynga because they purchase ads on Facebook to attract new players. In the future, it looks like these game developers may have to fork over even more. Still, it seems only fair that Facebook gets a cut of social-gaming profits. After all, a game like Farmville relies on Facebook’s platform. Players earn credits by inviting their friends to play, and they regularly interact by trading supplies and visiting one another’s farms. Farmville grew virally thanks to Facebook. Its growth—and probably its popularity—may very well be unsustainable, but as long as it’s making money, it makes sense for Facebook to cash in.