Facebook credits arrive at retail

Facebook’s push into the games sector has gone physical today as game retailer GAME and supermarket Tesco both introduce Facebook Credit gift cards in store.

GAME will sell the cards in denominations of 5, 10 and 25 while Tesco will offer the 10 and 20 versions. The supermarket expects to have rolled out the cards to all of its stories by Q1 2011.

The Credits can currently be used in over 200 games including FarmVille, Mafia Wars, Bejeweled Blitz and FIFA Superstars.

As the specialist games retailer, we know that our customers want to play games anytime and anywhere including a growing number who play games on Facebook,” GAME’s commercial and supply chain director Tricia Brennan stated.

We’re delighted to be selling Facebook Credits gift cards as it is important to us that we make it as easy as possible for everyone to play games.”

Tesco Bank’s head of cards Euan Ballantyne added: We now offer a range of gift cards, including popular brands, to provide a wide choice for our customers. Social gaming is becoming increasingly popular, so we are pleased to offer what might be an ideal Christmas present for those who enjoy playing social games on Facebook.”

Facebook has already become one of the leading forces in modern gaming, and the company itself sees this development as a key milestone in its future growth.

One of Facebook’s goals is to create a great place for games – both for the people who love to play and the developers who want to create fun and engaging social experiences,” Facebook’s head of international business development for EMEA Christian Hernandez stated.

Gift cards are easy to use and very popular and we’re really excited to be launching in certain stores here in the UK.”