Business

Open marriage for FB, Zynga

Zynga and Facebook are changing the rules of the game.

The two have altered the terms of their longstanding relationship that was once key to both their corporate fortunes before they became public companies.

The new pact allows Zynga to develop games outside of Facebook, which had exclusive first dibs on games. At the same time, Facebook is free to develop its own games — something that was prohibited before.

That possibility spooked Zynga investors, who sent the shares down nearly 12 percent in after-hours trading.

While it loosens old ties, Zynga is still struggling to forge new ones. The company is scrambling to adapt its desktop games for mobile devices.

Under the new terms, Zynga no longer has to abide by Facebook’s payment system in games that run outside of the social network, and it doesn’t have to display Facebook ads outside the platform.

“Zynga wants out of Facebook for its mobile games,” one source said yesterday.