Zynga says wants to help developers create games

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Zynga Inc plans to provide programming tools to help third-party developers devise online games based on its own software, as it tries to expand its slate of games beyond mainstays such as "Farmville" and "Mafia Wars" on Facebook Inc's network.

At a San Francisco conference showcasing their latest games on Tuesday, executives said they will provide developers a set of "application programming interfaces" -- APIs -- to make it easier for them to craft games using Zynga's software. (Reporting By Gerry Shih; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)