Zynga Bringing Mafia Wars, FarmVille To Android

Social game developer Zynga revealed plans to release ports for two of its most popular Facebook titles, FarmVille and Mafia Wars, as apps for Android mobile devices. Though many Android device owners can already play the developer's social games using their smartphone's built-in browser, dedicated applications have the potential to provide a faster and more streamlined experience for users. Speaking at web-focused conference LeWeb in Paris earlier this week, Zynga's recently appointed Mobile SVP David Ko said the Mafia Wars app will release later this month, according to a report from Games.com. He didn't provide an expected date for FarmVille. Zynga has introduced free apps for both titles and several others games from its catalog to iPhone/iPod Touch in the past -- FarmVille even has an iPad application. It's so far put out only one app on the Android Marketplace, Zynga Poker (Texas Holdem Poker). On Facebook, Mafia Wars has 19.2 million monthly active users, according to AppData figures. FarmVille, the biggest app on Facebook in terms of audience size, has 54.4 million monthly players.