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[Translation from English to Japanese ] 10.12 Zynga’s Project Z Network No Threat to Facebook For Now October 11th,...
Original Texts
10.12
Zynga’s Project Z Network No Threat to Facebook For Now
October 11th, 2011
Zynga’s newly-christened “Project Z” (or “Zynga Direct,” to hear CEO Mark Pincus tell it) is a forthcoming social games platform and social network enabled through Facebook Connect. It is also, some say, Zynga’s bid for independence from Facebook — but the details of the platform don’t support the claim any more than Zynga’s own behavior in the past year. For nearly two years, the world has been watching for signs of trouble in the relationship between one of the world’s largest social networks and its largest third-party developer. Seventeen months ago, there were spats about Facebook Credits integration, sudden platform changes that curbed viral growth for social games, and even rumored threats that Zynga would quit the platform.
Since that time, however, Zynga has gone on to launch four more social games for Facebook, as well as a series of mobile games that leverage Facebook Connect. True, the company also launched an off-Facebook player reward network and put some of its games on Google’s competing social network games platform. But in all this time, Zynga hasn’t actually done anything to cut ties with Facebook.
If anything, the ties are deepening as Zynga prepares an initial public offering based mostly on the strength of its revenues from Facebook players. According to statements made by Pincus and Zynga COO John Schappert at today’s Unleashed event in San Francisco, Project Z is enabled with Facebook Connect at a level of integration so deep that Facebook is actually a “launch partner” for the network. Zynga also supported Facebook’s launch of its mobile platform with three HTML5 games based on its most popular franchises. And with each new game release, Zynga seems to showcase more and more of Facebook’s newest social game features well before other social game developers even begin to experiment with them. It seems that the special relationship referenced in S-1 documentation filed by Zynga continues even as Zynga expands its reach to other networks. Even if Project Z launched tomorrow and Zynga’s IPO were delayed into Q2 2012, the idea that Zynga could somehow be completely independent of Facebook by that time is ridiculous. Facebook is Zynga’s primary source of traffic and no other social network or games portal in the United States is in a position to cut Zynga any kind of deals that would yield comparable numbers. There is the idea that Facebook could abruptly change its terms of service with social game developers in a way that would hurt Zynga’s revenues — but why would Facebook do that when it has spent the last year trying to rebuild and nurture its social games ecosystem? Why wouldn’t Zynga stick by Facebook if the platform continues to grow on a global scale? It seems as though, at this time, Project Z is only a supplement to the Zynga experience on Facebook. Yes, the service asks players to create a new virtual identity using Ztags, but it’s affiliating that with a player’s Facebook identity via Connect. This creates a divergent experience where, on Zynga’s network, you’d have your game-life with your game-friends and publicly displayed in-game achievements. Meanwhile, on Facebook, you’d have your actual social graph — which might include Zynga game activity. The only factor that could count as a tie cut with Facebook is whether or not Project Z would introduce a platform currency that could compete with Facebook Credits. Right now, Zynga Facebook games accept only Facebook Credits as a means to purchase in-game currency in keeping with Facebook’s July 1 policy change. Currently, Facebook does not require Facebook Connect-enabled games to make Credits a payment option; but it does require games that run both on Facebook and other networks to enforce price parity between games. If Zynga offered a paid currency only for use in Project Z games, it would be a step away from the social network and toward actual financial independence.
Project Z does not have a release date at this time. Facebook users can sign up for a Ztag virtual identity in advance of its launch here.
Zynga’s Project Z Network No Threat to Facebook For Now
October 11th, 2011
Zynga’s newly-christened “Project Z” (or “Zynga Direct,” to hear CEO Mark Pincus tell it) is a forthcoming social games platform and social network enabled through Facebook Connect. It is also, some say, Zynga’s bid for independence from Facebook — but the details of the platform don’t support the claim any more than Zynga’s own behavior in the past year. For nearly two years, the world has been watching for signs of trouble in the relationship between one of the world’s largest social networks and its largest third-party developer. Seventeen months ago, there were spats about Facebook Credits integration, sudden platform changes that curbed viral growth for social games, and even rumored threats that Zynga would quit the platform.
Since that time, however, Zynga has gone on to launch four more social games for Facebook, as well as a series of mobile games that leverage Facebook Connect. True, the company also launched an off-Facebook player reward network and put some of its games on Google’s competing social network games platform. But in all this time, Zynga hasn’t actually done anything to cut ties with Facebook.
If anything, the ties are deepening as Zynga prepares an initial public offering based mostly on the strength of its revenues from Facebook players. According to statements made by Pincus and Zynga COO John Schappert at today’s Unleashed event in San Francisco, Project Z is enabled with Facebook Connect at a level of integration so deep that Facebook is actually a “launch partner” for the network. Zynga also supported Facebook’s launch of its mobile platform with three HTML5 games based on its most popular franchises. And with each new game release, Zynga seems to showcase more and more of Facebook’s newest social game features well before other social game developers even begin to experiment with them. It seems that the special relationship referenced in S-1 documentation filed by Zynga continues even as Zynga expands its reach to other networks. Even if Project Z launched tomorrow and Zynga’s IPO were delayed into Q2 2012, the idea that Zynga could somehow be completely independent of Facebook by that time is ridiculous. Facebook is Zynga’s primary source of traffic and no other social network or games portal in the United States is in a position to cut Zynga any kind of deals that would yield comparable numbers. There is the idea that Facebook could abruptly change its terms of service with social game developers in a way that would hurt Zynga’s revenues — but why would Facebook do that when it has spent the last year trying to rebuild and nurture its social games ecosystem? Why wouldn’t Zynga stick by Facebook if the platform continues to grow on a global scale? It seems as though, at this time, Project Z is only a supplement to the Zynga experience on Facebook. Yes, the service asks players to create a new virtual identity using Ztags, but it’s affiliating that with a player’s Facebook identity via Connect. This creates a divergent experience where, on Zynga’s network, you’d have your game-life with your game-friends and publicly displayed in-game achievements. Meanwhile, on Facebook, you’d have your actual social graph — which might include Zynga game activity. The only factor that could count as a tie cut with Facebook is whether or not Project Z would introduce a platform currency that could compete with Facebook Credits. Right now, Zynga Facebook games accept only Facebook Credits as a means to purchase in-game currency in keeping with Facebook’s July 1 policy change. Currently, Facebook does not require Facebook Connect-enabled games to make Credits a payment option; but it does require games that run both on Facebook and other networks to enforce price parity between games. If Zynga offered a paid currency only for use in Project Z games, it would be a step away from the social network and toward actual financial independence.
Project Z does not have a release date at this time. Facebook users can sign up for a Ztag virtual identity in advance of its launch here.
10.12
Zyngaの「Project Z」ネットワーク、今のところFacebookへの脅威にはならない
2011年10月11日
新しく名付けられたZyngaの「Project Z」(もしくは、CEOの Mark Pincus氏が呼ぶには「Zynga Direct」）は、まもなく登場するソーシャルゲームプラットフォームであるとともに、「Facebook Connect」を通じて可能になるソーシャルネットワークである。「Project Z」がZyngaのFacebookからの自立を企てるものだという人もいるが、そのプラットフォームの詳細を見れば、「Project Z」がその意見を立証するものではないのは昨年のZyngaの動きからも同様のことが言える。
Zyngaの「Project Z」ネットワーク、今のところFacebookへの脅威にはならない
2011年10月11日
新しく名付けられたZyngaの「Project Z」(もしくは、CEOの Mark Pincus氏が呼ぶには「Zynga Direct」）は、まもなく登場するソーシャルゲームプラットフォームであるとともに、「Facebook Connect」を通じて可能になるソーシャルネットワークである。「Project Z」がZyngaのFacebookからの自立を企てるものだという人もいるが、そのプラットフォームの詳細を見れば、「Project Z」がその意見を立証するものではないのは昨年のZyngaの動きからも同様のことが言える。
およそ2年近くの間、世界最大手のソーシャルネットワークの１つであるFacebookとその最大手の外部ディベロッパーZyngaとの関係が崩れる、もめごとの兆しに世界は注目してきた。17か月前、「Facebook Credits」の一本化に対して小競り合いがあった。それは突然のプラットフォームの変更で、ソーシャルゲームのバイラル的な成長を抑制し、さらにはZyngaがそのプラットフォームを辞めるかもしれないという脅しの噂まであった。
だが、Zyngaはそれ以降、Facebook向けに4つのソーシャルゲームや「Facebook Connect」を利用した一連のモバイルゲームを導入し続けている。ZyngaがFacebook以外のゲームプレイヤーを報いるネットワークを開始したり、同社のゲームを競合しているGoogleのソーシャルネットワークプラットフォームに導入したことも事実ではある。しかし、Zyngaが実際にFacebookとの提携を崩すようなことは、これまで何一つ行なっていない。
どちらかと言えば、両社の関係は深まっている。というのは、ZyngaはFacebookのプレイヤーから得る収益を主な強みにしてIPOの準備を進めているからだ。本日サンフランシスコでおこなわれた「Unleashed」のイベントで Pincus氏とZyngaのCOOであるJohn Schappert氏が行なった発表によると、「Project Z」は統合というレベルで「Facebook Connect」を通じて可能になるもので、その統合レベルが非常に深いのでFacebookは実際にはそのネットワークのための「導入パートナー」になるということだ。Zyngaは、一番人気のフランチャイズをもとにHTML5のゲームを3種類取り入れたFacebookのモバイルプラットフォームの導入もサポートしている。そして、それぞれのゲームが発表される中、Zyngaは他のソーシャルゲームディベロッパーが彼らと一緒に試みを始めようとするはるか前に、ますます多くのFacebook最新のソーシャルゲームを披露しているように見える。
たとえZyngaが他のネットワークへの接触を広げていても、Zyngaが申請したS-1書類に記載されている特別な関係は続いているようだ。
たとえ「Project Z」のサービスが明日始まっても、ZyngaのIPOは2012年の第2四半期まで延期されたであろう。ZyngaがどうにかしてそれまでにFacebookから完全に自立するというのは、とんでもない考えだ。FacebookはZyngaにとってトラフィックを獲得する主要源で、Zyngaもしくはそれに匹敵するような数字を産み出すようなビジネスを切り捨てられるソーシャールネットワークもしくはゲームポータルはアメリカにはない。FacebookがZyngaの収益を損なうような方法でソーシャルゲームのディベロッパーとのサービス利用規約を突然変えるという考えもあるが、ソーシャルゲームのエコシステム（生態系）を再構築し育成するのに去年１年を費やしたFacebookが、どうしてそんなことをするだろうか？
プラットフォームが世界的規模で拡大し続けているのなら、ZyngaはどうしてFacebookから離脱しないのだろうか？
今のところ、「Project Z」はFacebook上でのZyngaのゲーム体験の補うものにすぎないようだ。「Project Z」はプレイヤーにZtagを用いて新たなバーチャルIDを作るよう求めているが、そのIDはConnectを通じてプレイヤーのFacebookのIDと結びついている。これは異なった経験を作り出す。Zyngaのネットワークでは、ゲーム仲間や公開されるゲーム内の実績などゲームの世界を持つ。その一方で、Facebook上では、実際のソーシャルグラフを持つが、その中にはZyngaのゲームアクティビティーも含まれることもある。
Facebookとの提携が崩れると思われる唯一の要素は、「Project Z」が「Facebook Credits」と張り合うような通貨プラットフォームを導入するかどうかということだろう。現在、Facebook上のZyngaのゲームでは、Facebookが7月1日に行なった方針変更に基づき、ゲーム内の通貨を購入する手段として利用できるのは「Facebook Credits」だけである。現状では、Facebookは「Facebook Connect」によって利用できるゲームには、「Facebook Credits」を決済オプションにはしていないが、Facebookおよび他のネットワークの両方で利用できるゲームにはゲーム間の価格を同じようにするよう要求している。もし、Zyngaが 「Project Z」のゲームだけに支払通貨サービスを提供すれば、Facebookから1歩離れたことになり、事実上の経済的自立に向かうことになるだろう。
今のところ「Project Z」がいつリリースされるかは未定だが、Facebookのユーザーは、「Project Z」のサービス開始前に、ZtagバーチャルIDの登録がここからできる。
Result of Translation in Conyac
- Number of Characters of Requests:
- 4132letters
- Translation Language
- English → Japanese
- Translation Fee
- $92.97
- Translation Time
- about 6 hours
Freelancer
zhizi
Characteristics of Translations through Conyac
