Discover® today announced it has partnered with the world’s leading social game developer, Zynga, to help launch the first-ever brand-sponsored FarmVille expansion, Winter Wonderland. The new, customizable holiday farm is the third expansion to be released by the popular social games developer following English Countryside and Lighthouse Cove.
Starting tonight, FarmVille players can get an early start on a quest to help a friendly orange Yeti use his Discover card to do his holiday shopping. Beginning tomorrow, players can get an exclusive three-day sneak peek of the new Winter Wonderland holiday destination by visiting Discover’s farm within the game. Once in FarmVille, players can click on the Discover icon located in their neighbor bar to get an exclusive sneak peek of Winter Wonderland, before it is widely available to all players.
Additionally, when Winter Wonderland becomes available to the public on December 5, players will be rewarded with a free virtual gift from Discover just for visiting Zynga’s latest creation. Through December 14, FarmVille players can earn up to three Discover-branded farm items for completing different tasks along their Winter Wonderland journey. By becoming a fan of Discover on Facebook, players will get up-to-the-minute details on how to unlock these items along with access to exclusive tips to help them complete the Discover holiday shopping quest.
“Social games bring people together into virtual communities. They’re captivating increasingly larger online audiences that include many of our Discover cardmembers,” said Mike Boush, vice president of e-business at Discover. “Partnering with Zynga to develop a unique in-game experience helps us connect and engage with players and put more fun in time spent online.”
During Discover’s two-week FarmVille Winter Wonderland sponsorship, existing cardmembers can participate in a Hot Deal promotion that allows them to double the value of their Cashback Bonus® rewards on virtual game currency for most Zynga games. This means they can turn $25 in Cashback Bonus into a $50 Zynga Game Card, while supplies last. Non-cardmembers who apply and are approved for a Discover More® card through a special link at www.facebook.com/discover can receive a $100 Zynga Game Card after making their first purchase with their Discover card.
“This is the first time a brand has helped bring an expansion to our players,” said Ryan Linton, senior director of business development at Zynga. “Discover is bringing our players what they love, and they’re giving them a sneak peek of Winter Wonderland to boot. We love that they’re partnering with us to help bring a little extra holiday cheer.”
About Discover
Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is a direct banking and payment services company with one of the most recognized brands in U.S. financial services. Since its inception in 1986, the company has become one of the largest card issuers in the United States. The company operates the Discover card, America’s cash rewards pioneer, and offers personal and student loans, online savings accounts, certificates of deposit and money market accounts through its Discover Bank subsidiary. Its payment businesses consist of Discover Network, with millions of merchant and cash access locations; PULSE, one of the nation’s leading ATM/debit networks; and Diners Club International, a global payments network with acceptance in more than 185 countries and territories. For more information, visit www.discoverfinancial.com.
About Zynga Inc.
Zynga Inc. is the world’s leading social game developer with more than 227 million monthly active users playing their games which include CastleVille, CityVille, FarmVille, Empires & Allies, FrontierVille, Words With Friends, Mafia Wars 1 and 2, Zynga Poker, Cafe World, and Treasure Isle. Zynga Inc games are available on a number of global platforms including Facebook, Google+, Tencent, MySpace, Yahoo, the iPad, the iPhone and Android devices. Through Zynga.org, Zynga players have raised more than $10 million for world social causes. Zynga Inc. is headquartered in San Francisco. For more information, visit www.zynga.com or www.zynga.org.
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