There’s an old saying: “If you’ve two real friends, count yourself lucky.” Well, no doubt! You’re though, not going to have an easy time playing FarmVille. Its creator Zynga (also credited with popular social games like Mafia Wars and Words With Friends), is going to start providing friends to those who lack them. The company’s recent announcement of a new gaming platform suggests matching up players who don’t know each other but who might share a mutual interest in spelling quirky words with J, Q and X, or getting the crops.

The idea behind this move is to make social gaming, considered pretty easy to start with, even easier and exciting for everyone. The move is expected to reduce reliance on Facebook as far as Zynga is concerned – something that analysts have felt it needs to do urgently.

Most games on the platform are played on the all-encompassing social network that derives more than 10% percent of its revenue flow from Zynga. Hard-core gamers will most likely directly go to Zynga’s site, in the future, finding not only exclusive games but also those created by independent developers.

The interdependence, however, will only rise, in the short term. In fact, Zynga could even be looking to extend Facebook’s dominance. So when players wish to buy something on the former, they will make use of Facebook credits. While it has been experimenting with allowing other sites to use its currency, clearly the Zynga platform is a major thrust in this regard.

The platform is seen as Zynga’s critical effort for extending the growth since its inception in 2007. Its games have close to 240 million users a month. Now, there is talk of scaling the billion plus mark. To attain that number, the new platform will have to succeed. Its USP is that, everyone is out there for the same purpose, unlike on Facebook.

Zynga states its players have been seeking ‘more instant gratification’ for a while, taking a coffee break or standing at the bus stop. They do want to accomplish something meaningful in terms of entertainment especially if they do not have more than five to 10 minutes to spend on the social gaming site.

That’s not always the case while you are playing on Facebook because your other friends might have something else to do besides shipping virtual goods instantly to you. Company officials are not exactly certain how the platform and the idea behind it will work, but they are hoping that the move will work.

Their anxiety is understandable. Zynga makes major chunk of its revenue from only a small number of players who tend to spend on virtual goods heavily. These whales, as termed by everyone except the company itself, need to spend more freely if Zynga is to thrive. They also must fast multiply.