Farm Ville

We have received many questions regarding the name change that some FarmVille Freaks, like FarmVille Freak Jessica, are experiencing regarding their FarmVille Crafting Building Winery. Please note, not all farmers are experiencing this change yet.
As you know, the FarmVille Winery produces various alcoholic beverages such as Japanese Sake and Wine. In recent weeks some farmers have reported that their Winery no longer produces Goods that are alcoholic beverages. The names of the alcoholic Goods have been replaced with kid-friendly PG versions such as  “Sweet Energy Drink” for the previously named “Sweet Sake”.

FarmVille Market Good Name Change

So why did FarmVille make this change and how come farmers weren’t informed of this change? According to FarmVille, its users include a broad spectrum of players which also includes a large audience of underage users under the age of 21. In the United States, the legal drinking age for consuming alcohol is 21. An official statement from Zynga about the Winery name change can be read below:

“…Thank you for contacting Zynga Customer Support.
My name is Steve and I will be happy to assist you today.  I
am sorry to hear that you are not happy with the recent changes in the
Winery cottage. Let me apologize if this has caused you any
inconvenience. Rest assured that I will be doing my best to help you
get to the bottom of this issue.
Recently, FarmVille decided to change the products that are produced
in the Winery Cottage. The change was from alcoholic products to,
well, Non-alcoholic beverages. The reason behind this change is that
since FarmVille is a game, we have a lot of underage players. In
connection with this, FarmVille does not want to promote alcohol
consumption among the underage.
Hoping for your consideration and understanding.
Kind regards,
Steve L.
Zynga Customer Support”

Here is a list of the Winery’s Goods with new non-alcoholic names:

• Sweet Energy Drink (previously Sweet Sake)
• White Grape Cooler (previously White Sangria)
• Rich Grape Juice
• Fruit Punch
• Spicy Tomato Juice (*No Change)
• Spiced Lilac Tea
• Blackberry Explosion
• Strawberry Cranberry Juice (*No Change)
• Raspberry Energy Drink

Even though, functionally, the Winery works the same, the unannounced name changes have angered some farmers. However, the name changes seem necessary for Zynga, as I’m sure they want to remain legally responsible and not promote alcohol consumption to the underage as well as avoid the in-game placement of legal disclaimers, some alcohol-loving farmers like myself are still upset over the name changes because after all, what good is a Winery without wine?

What do you think FarmVille Freaks? Are you upset that FarmVille changed the names of the Winery Goods without notice? Would you have picked a Winery as your Crafting Building if you knew that it would not produce alcoholic beverages?