EA signs five-year Facebook deal

Electronic Arts, the longstanding publishing giant that is slowly turning to social networks as a serious source of income, has signed a five-year deal with Facebook.

The agreement will see Facebook Credits used as the exclusive payment method for all EA games on the social network.

Last year EA spent at least $300 million on social studio Playfish. The publisher now has FIFA Superstars running on Facebook, as well as Pet Society and Restaurant City.

Since gaming has emerged as the most popular category of applications on Facebook, the natural next step is for EA to broaden its relationship with Facebook and its 500 million users," offered Barry Cottle, senior vice president and general manager for EA Interactive.

"Our goal is to make the best games tailored specifically to the platforms on which people want to play."