Zynga Steps Back From Facebook?

Well, sort of. Casual-gaming behemoth Zynga, which is now worth more than all the gold in the universe, has announced that its games will now appear in a portal other than Facebook. The new portal, which will be called "Zynga Direct", will host the usual line-up of Zynga games, without you having to go to Zuckerberg's House Of Wonders. That's rendered a bit pointless by it still using Facebook Connect for the multiplayer sort of multiplayerness, allowing you to play on either Direct or Facebook without troubles. (I am guessing this is an advertising-related move?) Zynga also announced a casual medieval-themed MMO called CastleVille, because that name hadn't been used yet and well someone had to. But that's not all, they also announced Zynga Bingo, Dream Zoo, Hidden Chronicles and Mafia Wars II.

"Dream Zoo" is a lot more Lynchean in my imagination than I am betting it will be in reality. Shame. Shame.