作者：Eric Eldon

Zynga正准备进行首次公开募股，近期刚刚更新了S-1文件，显示出公司的业务状况。Google确实已经投资了这家新兴公司，尽管该消息还未公开。

更为有趣的是，Facebook和Zynga在盈利和流量上形成的特殊关系。

Zynga-Facebook(from topnews.in)

初看之下，好像Zynga与Facebook有着特殊的交易关系，即Zynga可从在其游戏旁运行的Facebook广告单位的盈利中获得分成。但是，事实上该文件中指的并不是应用广告盈利，而是与FarmVille.com之类的Zynga网站，甚至是游戏中运行的Facebook广告等相关的内容。

我们就相关问题询问过Facebook，得到如下答复：我们从未与包括Zynga在内的任何开发商有过相关协议，即共享其Facebook应用中的广告盈利。我们确实同意未来同Zynga合作，在Facebook之外的应用中提供广告，但我们还未决定何时开展这项计划。

Facebook似乎也保证Zynga能获得成长，以使其继续投资开发平台相关游戏，包括网页版和手机版。自平台发布以来，Facebook也通过增加或减少每用户允许接受的邀请、通知和其他交流方式数目以及为某些游戏提供特别功能等方法来奖励和惩罚开发商。

尽管如此，Facebook并未书面发表过相关的流量承诺。毫无疑问，其他开发商也都想知道他们能否获得同样的担保，以及为何他们以前未获得此类担保。

在这部分附加条款下，Facebook似乎已让Zynga同意将Facebook作为其唯一的社交平台，协议并没有公布具体的时间框架。这可以解释为何Zynga关闭了在Tagged、MySpace及其他社交网络上的游戏。Facebook似乎也已让Zynga将其作为协议期内手机应用的平台。

此次修正中另一个有趣的地方是，Facebook已经允许Zynga创建所谓的“Zynga平台”，虽然我们目前还不知道这究竟是什么。与此同时，Facebook还支持Zynga利用所谓的“Game Friends Protocol”API等平台新功能（游戏邦注：该功能支持社交游戏玩家通过新途径找到游戏，并与好友共同玩游戏）。

Zynga-ebitda(from insidesocialgames)

最后要提到的是Credits，这个虚拟货币系统自2010年第三季度其便进驻多数Zynga游戏。在Credits实行之后，Zynga游戏盈利不断增长。但是有些方面的成长速度有所下滑，交流渠道减少等因素似乎也对其产生了影响。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

New Zynga S-1 Docs: Traffic Guarantees From Facebook, but No Canvas Ad Revenue

Eric Eldon

A recent set of updates to Zynga’s S-1 document sheds new light about the company’s business position, as it prepares for an initial public offering. For starters, Google has indeed invested, although the terms were not disclosed.

More interesting is the special relationship that Facebook and Zynga have formalized over revenue and traffic, in two developer addendums. (You can find the full set of docs here, although sadly some of the most interesting bits have been removed).

At first glance, the terms read as if Zynga had a special deal with Facebook, where it gets a portion of the ad revenue from Facebook ad units that run alongside its games in canvas apps. However, the terms specific that it is not canvas app ad revenue — instead, it’s referring to Zynga web sites like FarmVille.com, or even Facebook ads that might run within games.

We asked Facebook about the matter and got this response: “We don’t have agreements with any developers, including Zynga, to share revenue from ads next to their Facebook canvas apps. We did agree with Zynga to work together in the future on providing ads on their properties beyond Facebook, but we have no current timeline for when we might start working on that.”

Facebook also appears to have guaranteed Zynga certain growth targets in exchange for continuing to invest in games on the platform, whether web or mobile. Facebook has, since the launch of the platform, rewarded and punished individual developers through increasing or decreasing the number of invites, notifications and other communications allowed per user, or by providing some games with special access to features or in-house advertising.

However, Facebook has not to our knowledge previously guaranteed traffic levels in writing. Other developers are no doubt wondering if they can get the same sorts of guarantees, and why they haven’t gotten them in the past. Unless they have their own undisclosed agreements, of course.

As part of the addendum terms, Facebook appears to have gotten Zynga to agree to make Facebook the exclusive “Social Platform” that it uses, for the unspecified time-frame of the agreement. This helps explain Zynga’s closure of its games on Tagged, MySpace and other social networks, although we’re not sure how that might conflict with anything Google might want to launch with Zynga’s participation. Facebook also appears to have required Zynga to include itself as an option for mobile apps, for the agreement’s duration. However, Zynga can also use mobile platforms as well.

Another interesting point here is that Facebook has given Zynga permission to create some sort of “Zynga Platform,” although we don’t know what that is. It also has given the developer access to new features, including a proposed “Game Friends Protocol” API, apparently offering a new way for social gamers to find and play together.

Finally, with Credits, the virtual currency exclusivity kicked in for most of Zynga’s major games over the third quarter of 2010. As we examined when the filing first came out this month, the company has continued to grow revenues after the Credits implementations kicked in; some growth rate decreases are visible, but other factors, like communication channel reductions, appear to have affected it as well. (Source: Inside Social Games)