FarmVille England Expansion saga continues

Back in the January 24 official FarmVille podcast, FarmVille community manager Lexilicious and her British friend Charles offered us a very quick sneak peek of new foreign content that would be added to the game. At the time, that was all we had to go on, but shortly thereafter, a sign advertising a trip to England was spotted as an unreleased image.

Now, that same sign has appeared on all farmers' land, similar to the CityVille billboard that appeared a few weeks ago. Does this sign mean we'll be able to travel to England in the incredibly near future? One would believe so. Clicking on the sign gives us a few slight details (although still vague) about this new expansion. Note: You can remove the sign by clicking on it and then clicking on the "Remove sign from farm?" toggle at the bottom of the pop-up window.

We're told that this feature will give us a "whole new way to play" FarmVille, and that it will indeed be a full "England Expansion." Furthermore, news, official sneak peeks, prizes, and more will be coming to the game "soon" to give us more details about what this entire expansion will entail.

As it stands, we're still fairly in the dark concerning this new expansion, but if assumptions hold true, this is looking to be an incredibly large feature in the game, so we can't wait to see what officially comes of it.

What are your theories concerning this new expansion? Do you think it will simply be a new neighbor to visit, or will there actually be activities to participate in once we get there?

FarmVille Sneak Peek: Gypsy King Horse gallops onto the scene

Gypsy King Horse
Another horse from the world of royalty is about to strut into FarmVille. Zynga has leaked yet another item to FarmVille Feed, the Gypsy King Horse. It's unknown exactly when this steed will be released, but FarmVille Feed predicts that it will be part of a larger medieval or King Arthur theme in the game. Either way, odds are it'll cost Farm Cash, so start saving if you want a way into the finer equine world where people raise their noses and always respond with, "Mmm... yes, with puffed chests. Alright, it won't be that bad, but expect it to cost a pretty amount of Farm Cash, if it lands in the Market. Stay tuned to find out when and how this new horse will stampede FarmVille.

[Image Credit: FarmVille Feed]

What do you think of this brand new Horse? Would you ever pay for a horse in FarmVille, or any game for that matter?

FarmVille Sneak Peek: American Express promotion coming soon

It looks like Zynga will be partnering with American Express for a new promotion in FarmVille in the coming days and weeks (perhaps for tomorrow night's update?), as FVNation has spotted images of the new promotion's loading screen, along with the prizes you'll receive.

For this promotion, it appears as though a new farm will be added to the game for us to visit, and for helping the farm in some way, we'll receive a themed Windmill (in the American Express classic blue color), an Instant Grow, and a Mystery Box, which contains an as-of-now unknown prize.

Just remember, as this is an unreleased cross-promotion, things could change before its actually launch in the game, so don't get too excited just yet. Ok, sure, get a little excited - this is a free installment of Instant Grow we're talking about here! And those four-day crops aren't going to master themselves! Put two and two together, and you've got instant progress, and there's nothing wrong with that.

[Image Credit: FVNation]

What do you think of the supposed prizes for this American Express promotion? What do you think is inside that Mystery Box? What do you hope is inside?

FarmVille: Santa's coming soon - have you been naughty?

While Winter Wonderland might offer FarmVille players more than enough content to last them through the month of December, the Christmas holiday and beyond, we'll apparently be receiving a visit from the big man in red himself: Santa! Santa looks to be coming with a new feature, if we can take a new gameplay loading screen seriously.

While it's no secret that Santa will indeed make an appearance in the game - "Guess Who's Coming to FarmVille?" pretty much guarantees it, it's what role Santa will play in the game that remains to be revealed. We're asked if we've been naughty of nice, with that text presented above a pile of presents. Could this mean that Santa will be part of an in-game gift exchange? Or, will we be able to complete a set of goals to prove to Santa how nice we've been, so that we'll be given more presents? At the very least, it looks like we'll likely end up with a Winter-themed collection event in the game, (most likely) bringing some limited edition goodies with it.

The possibilities here are endless, but we'll make sure to stay on top of things to make sure you're the first to know when Santa himself shows up on our farms.

Check out the rest of our Holiday 2011 coverage right here.

Are you excited that Santa will be making an appearance in FarmVille? What sort of feature do you think Santa will be involved in?

Want a sneak peek at FarmVille's Winter Wonderland? Use Discover

Well, not literally, but you can if you want. Following promotions by Capital One and American Express, Discover--the credit card company--announced a partnership with Zynga through FarmVille's soon-to-be-released (for free, at least) Winter Wonderland expansion. (Who's left, Visa? Maestro?) This marks the first FarmVille expansion to receive an official sponsor, and there will be plenty more to do than just visit some farm.

Starting tonight, players who log into FarmVille will be greeted by a friendly orange yeti who needs help using his Discover card to do his holiday shopping. (How cute.) And beginning tomorrow, players can visit Discover's farm to get a three-day-long sneak peek of what Winter Wonderland will look like, if they haven't already coughed up the Farm Cash. (Hey, we never said that there wouldn't be a farm to visit.)

FarmVille Winter Wonderland AnimalsAnd when Winter Wonderland opens to all of you FarmVille fans on Dec. 5, you'll be rewarded with a special in-game item from Discover just for checking out the new content. And through Dec. 14, you will have the chance to earn up to three more Discover-branded items for completing special quests during their time in Winter Wonderland. (Of course, "Liking" the Discover fan page will provide extra details on how to unlock these three items.)

If players are so inclined to pick up some Farm Cash within the next two weeks, Discover will provide card-holding customers with double their value in CashBack rewards if they use it on Farm Cash. (Essentially, you can turn $25 CashBack into $50 worth of Farm Cash.) Folks who sign up (and are approved) for a Discover card by Dec. 14 can earn a $100 Zynga Game Card after their first purchase.

Zynga's also giving back this holiday through FarmVille to three different Save the Children campaigns. Pick up a holiday pony, teddy bear tree or license for a limited peppermint lollipop crop for Farm Cash, and Zynga will provide money to campaigns benefiting healthy snacks, stocking libraries or breaking the cycle of poverty. This charity promotion starts Dec. 8.

In short, if you didn't feel up to paying Farm Cash to hop into Winter Wonderland early, you have Discover to thank for your sneak peek this weekend. We've seen Zynga partner with credit card companies before, and found it somewhat odd, but now it finally makes sense. What do you buy Farm Cash with other than Zynga Game Cards? Boom.

Check out the rest of our Holiday 2011 coverage right here.

Have you already dove into Winter Wonderland when opened up this week for Farm Cash? What do you think of the sound of this Discover promotion