Lady Gaga + Farmville = Gagaville
(CBS/What's Trending) - In an unlikely partnership, Zynga announced today that they have partnered with pop sensation Lady Gaga to promote her new album, "Born This Way."
Introducing Gagaville: Lady Gaga-themed Zynga games, where (almost) anything you imagine goes. The craziness goes live May 17.
How is this exactly going to work? Well, for one thing Farmville players will be treated to "a Gaga inspired farm in-game, which will showcase Lady Gaga's style and themes from the album and videos... think crystals, unicorns, sheep on motorcycles," Zynga said in the press release. Rewardville will offer ten virtual items across their games for players to obtain.
And, for people who pay to play, a $25 Zynga Game Card will get you a free download of Lady Gaga's new "Born This Way" album plus exclusive bonus tracks when the album is released on May 23. (As an added bonus, you'll also get a free Farmville unicorn if you don't mind shelling out the bucks.)
There are other incentives to play during this time including exclusive access to "Born This Way" songs before the album officially comes out. On May 17 through 19 Farmville players can unlock and stream a new unreleased track per day and on May 20 to 23, players can unlock and stream a significant portion of songs from the new album and some special bonus remixes. There's also a couple of contests for Gaga fans, sponsored by Zynga. Seven people who buy the Game Cards win a day "On the Set With Gaga" during the artist's next music video shoot, while those who play the special Gaga word of the day on Words With Friends will be entered to win tickets to a concert on Lady Gaga's next tour, plus a signed copy of "Born this Way." I'm not exactly sure how the singer/songwriter/artiste fits in with Zynga's games, and the pairing still seems odd for me. However, for millions of fans who are ravenous for Gaga's music, this is a chance to get a hold of the material before anyone else. Perhaps some of those Little Monsters will be compelled to keep playing the Zynga games that they signed up for just to hear the exclusive content. And, that's what Zynga is counting on. I'm on to you Zynga. Now, tell me, how can I unlock that biker sheep?