Zynga's plans to branch out away from Facebook on the Web are nearing fruition. Today, company CEO Mark Pincus confirmed that the Zynga Platform will enter an open beta phase within the next few days. This social gaming hub will be located at Zynga.com.

　　Zynga will soon be building its own moat around CastleVille. Zynga plans to initially stock its gaming platform with a number of its more popular titles, including Words With Friends, CastleVille, Zynga Poker, Hidden Chronicles, and CityVille.

　　The company also noted that its platform will be completely integrated with social networking giant Facebook. This integration entails letting gamers log in using their Facebook IDs, as well as continue playing with their friends on that platform.

　　"Every day, we think about the challenges in enabling play," Pincus said. "How can we surface more friends that want to help you build your bridge in CityVille? How do we help you find your perfect match in Words With Friends? Zynga.com is designed to make it easier for you to play with friends."

　　The Zynga Platform is being positioned to accomplish this goal through a number of features. The social stream is a method by which players can interact with one another in real time. Gamers will also accumulate a "helpfulness score," which is designed to aid others in figuring out who is most likely to lend a hand. The platform will also have chat functionality.

　　The company intends to add games from other developers in the future. These include MobScience (Infamous Anarchy), Row Sham Bow (Woodland Heroes), and Sava Transmedia. Zynga hopes to attract more partners by releasing its development toolkit later this year.