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Zynga.com to free users from Facebook log-in requirement

Zynga finally starts acting like an independent platform. Gamers won't need a Facebook account to play on Zynga.com anymore.

Donna Tam Staff Writer / News
Donna Tam covers Amazon and other fun stuff for CNET News. She is a San Francisco native who enjoys feasting, merrymaking, checking her Gmail and reading her Kindle.
Donna Tam
Zynga.com players need to log in to Facebook to play games, but Zynga's changing that next week. Screenshot by Donna Tam/CNET

In its painfully slow efforts to find independence outside of Facebook, Zynga announced today that it's making the Facebook log-in on its site optional.

That means, starting next week, gamers who want to play the games at Zynga.com won't need a Facebook account to do so. Currently, users have to log in to Facebook to play. It's a reminder that Zynga, which has been trying to remake itself into a gaming platform rather than just a game developer, still depends on Facebook as a platform.

Really, this doesn't change too much. Zynga is trying to set itself apart from Facebook, but it knows it can't cut its former partner out of the picture entirely.

"We also wanted to make sure that existing Zynga.com players continue to have the best experience possible so you don't have to start from scratch," Zynga's blog reads. "All players will have the option to connect with Facebook and keep your game friends and game progress, while deciding what you share with your gaming community."

It's not a surprise that Zynga is keeping the option -- plenty of other sites do it to encourage a quick sign-in from potential users. In fact, so many companies integrate Facebook's log-in option into their sites and apps that when the feature goes haywire, it turns most of the Internet into a mess.