Joystiq

Brett Ratner buddies up with Zynga on Farmville animated series

David Hinkle — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 19:15:00 EST

If you think the the absence of Brett Ratner is the only thing holding Farmville back from becoming a truly exciting cross-platform brand, then you're probably Brett Ratner. The brash bad boy director of Rush Hour fame is adapting Zynga's game for television. Ratner will serve as executive producer on the half-hour animated series, aided by Canadian television production firm Six Eleven Media.

"FarmVille is one of the most exciting brands out there today and its cross-platform opportunities are endless," Ratner said in a statement to the Wall Street Journal. "I am thrilled to be expanding the brand with existing fans and also engaging a whole new audience."

Zynga is no stranger to cross-promotion, having already struck up a deal with Hasbro to produce a line of board games based on its properties last year, one of which was - you guessed it - Farmville. Zynga also just reported a $209.4 million loss for 2012, subsequently shutting down three of its games, including CityVille 2.

Brett Ratner buddies up with Zynga on Farmville animated series originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Feb 2013 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Zynga closing three games including CityVille 2

Mike Schramm — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 04:00:00 EST

In a conference call yesterday, Zynga revealed plans to close three titles: The Friend Game, Party Place, and CityVille 2. The closure of CityVille 2 especially stands out since the game launched a few short months ago and lead designer Brian Reynolds announced he was leaving the social game giant in January.

In the company's 2012 financial statement, Zynga posted a loss of $209.4 million.

On a positive note, Zynga said FarmVille 2 is exceeding expectations by 100% last quarter and generating $100 million in gross bookings since launch.

Zynga admitted to analysts that FarmVille 2 may have cannibalized some of CityVille 2's attention, having launched a month before CityVille's sequel. The company said that in the future it will make sure to have fewer titles in general, and leave more space between planned game launches. Zynga is also excited about upcoming mobile and "midcore" titles (defined as "hardcore" games that can be played for only a few minutes at a time), and CEO Mark Pincus says 2013 will be a "pivotal year" for Zynga, with a goal to "make it easier and better to play across mobile and social."

Zynga closing three games including CityVille 2 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 06 Feb 2013 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Facebook and Zynga agree to new terms, create potential for official Facebook games

Mike Schramm — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 23:59:00 EST

Facebook and Zynga have worked out a new set of terms in their partnership, enabling both parties to make and promote their own games. Before the alteration, Zynga was required to use Facebook's monetization platform, and Facebook couldn't create its own titles to compete with Zynga's. The latest agreement undoes both stipulations and opens up both sides for more independence.

At this time, neither side has announced that it wants to change the way things work, so Zynga will likely still use Facebook's payments system, and Facebook hasn't announced plans to make any official games. A spokesperson for Facebook reiterated that "we will continue to work with Zynga, just as we do with developers of all sizes." It's not a break-up, in other words, but they are free to see other people.

Facebook and Zynga agree to new terms, create potential for official Facebook games originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 29 Nov 2012 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Hasbro's Zynga board games now available, paradoxical

Richard Mitchell — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 04:00:00 EST

Lest you hadn't heard, Hasbro and Zynga recently teamed up to create board game versions of its popular video games. That includes a CityVille-themed version of Monopoly, a weird mash-up of FarmVille and Hungry Hungry Hippos, and Draw Something (the board game mechanics of which should be self-explanatory).

Bizarrely, the collection also includes a board game version of Words with Friends. Words with Friends is often cited as being very similar - practically to the point of infringement - to Scrabble, the classic word game published by ... Hasbro. Just to reiterate: this is the board game version of a video game version of a different board game published by a company that should be, in theory, a competitor.

Try not to let your head explode.

Continue reading Hasbro's Zynga board games now available, paradoxical

Hasbro's Zynga board games now available, paradoxical originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

FarmVille 2 updates Zynga's cow-clicker (but not too much)

Mike Schramm — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 15:00:00 EST

FarmVille. Just the name likely conjures up some vivid thoughts and opinions in the minds of gamers everywhere. As the flagship casual social game for both Facebook and Zynga, FarmVille can't help but be a lightning rod for debates about gaming's audiences, game design, and the role that video games can and do play in our daily lives. Time labeled the game one of the "fifty worst inventions" of all time, but that hasn't stopped over 80 million people from logging on and doing some cow and crop clicking.

And now Zynga (which itself has attracted plenty of controversy recently) is going to try and recreate the game's success with a brand new version called, simply, FarmVille 2. Director of Design Wright Bagwell showed Joystiq what the future of FarmVille's crops and farm animals looks like, how the game will reach out (but not too far) toward a more hardcore audience, and how Zynga plans to take the world's most popular and oft-hated casual and social game and make it even more casual and social.

Gallery: FarmVille 2 (9/5/2012)

Continue reading FarmVille 2 updates Zynga's cow-clicker (but not too much)

FarmVille 2 updates Zynga's cow-clicker (but not too much) originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Farmville 2 features 3D graphics, farming

Jessica Conditt — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 16:34:00 EST

Zynga is working on Farmville 2, a follow-up to its most successful title of all time, Farmville, the company announced at Zynga Unleashed today. Farmville 2 is Zynga's first 3D game, a short teaser demonstrated.

Farmville 2 features 3D graphics, farming originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 16:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Zynga CEO: company building cross-platform cloud compatibility

Mike Schramm — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 06:00:00 EST

We've already heard from Zynga how the company plans expand its scope a little bit from its very popular Facebook-only titles. Zynga founder Mark Pincus says in an interview with Om Malik that its policy extends to current tech being built to share saves across the cloud. "In other words, you can play a game on a computer and call it up on Xbox," Pincus says as an example, "and you resume from the point you left off, except the game play will now be customized for the Xbox controller." Game information will be shared, but the experience will be different.

That's already the case for Zynga's games on iOS -- they have a very different feel when played on mobile devices, and have even found different audiences. "Words for Friends doesn't do as well on Facebook as it does on the iPhone," for instance, "because they are a mobile first experience. Our poker game does well on the mobile as well."

This doesn't mean that Pincus is saying Zynga's working on Xbox ports of its titles. Instead, the company is building out the tech right now to extend these games out in various forms to even more platforms in the future.

Zynga CEO: company building cross-platform cloud compatibility originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Hasbro and Zynga make a deal, toys and games incoming

Jordan Mallory — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:45:00 EST

Hasbro has struck a deal with Zynga to produce toys and games based on the social developer's catalogue of rich, nuanced IPs, which is great news if you've ever found yourself wishing you could somehow continue to give Zynga all of your money, even when you're away from your computer and smartphone.

Now, Hasbro's definition of "games" is more board-oriented than Zynga's, and while the licensing arrangement allows for "co-branded merchandise," it doesn't allow Zynga to make games based on Hasbro brands. The first products will hit store shelves sometime this fall, and while no specifics toys or board games have been announced we've got a feeling that My Little Ponyville and Ouija With Friends aren't that unlikely.

Continue reading Hasbro and Zynga make a deal, toys and games incoming

Hasbro and Zynga make a deal, toys and games incoming originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Facebook seeking $5 billion in IPO fundraising

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:45:00 EST

Whoever said money can't buy friends? It certainly wasn't Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, whose company today filed for its initial public offering with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. According to the filing, Facebook seeks to raise $5 billion if and when the company goes public -- the filing is still pending approval from the SEC.

Also revealed in the filing was news that the social platform's biggest game developer, Zynga, accounts for "approximately 12 percent" of Facebook's revenue. Zynga had its own IPO late last year, which sought to raise $1 billion in going public.

That 12 percent is enough to have Zuckerberg and co. worried about going public, as the filing notes, "If the use of Zynga games on our Platform declines, if Zynga launches games on or migrates games to competing platforms, or if we fail to maintain good relations with Zynga, we may lose Zynga as a significant Platform developer and our financial results may be adversely affected." So, uh, here's hoping Google+ doesn't get into games, eh?

... oh, right.

Facebook seeking $5 billion in IPO fundraising originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Zynga's paid $300 per new user in the past nine months, says analyst

Mike Schramm — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:30:00 EST

Zynga has been struggling with its stock price since the IPO late last year, and Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia says there are more dark days ahead. When you compare Zynga's $120 million marketing budget to its recent rise in only 400,000 new players (about $300 a person), the numbers don't look good: "We know that, on average, these people are spending about $150 or so," says Bhatia, which suggests that Zynga is spending about $300 for every $150 in profit. "That math won't work for very long," obviously.

Zynga's spending is indicative of a few trends in social gaming. First, the company has discovered it's very hard to earn new players. Many of Zynga's games are similar, and without really experimenting, it's going to be hard to generate uniques. Second, Zynga's earnings are based on "whales": A small percentage of players who spend big. You need to find a lot of unique free-to-play players to land a few whales, and Bhatia doesn't see Zynga doing that lately.

So what's the solution? "Zynga will have to find their next FarmVille," says Bhatia. Until the company finds another phenomenally popular hit and the surge in new players that comes along with it (which is incredibly tough to do), Bhatia expects to see even more problems with Zynga and its stock.

Zynga's paid $300 per new user in the past nine months, says analyst originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Zynga CEO defends stock price, says culture 'not ultra competitive'

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:30:00 EST

Zynga's initial public offering (IPO) didn't exactly go swimmingly. It required assistance on its first day, and the stock currently sits below the initial $10 price. Speaking with the Wall Street Journal, Zynga CEO Mark Pincus tried to smooth over feelings about the overhyped and underperforming stock.

"Our goals were we want to raise a billion dollars. Through going public, we wanted to add some more great long-term investors to the company. All of that was successful," Pincus said, as the WSJ pointed out that the stock dipped on its first day of trading. "I don't blame anybody because from our standpoint, we think it was successful. It was many times larger than the other tech IPOs that had just happened recently. We think we're now well positioned to move forward in the future."

In discussing Zynga's allegedly harsh corporate culture, Pincus says the attrition rate for the company is a little over 3 percent, which he claims is lower than Silicon Valley's 14 percent average.

One thing that hasn't slowed is Zynga's company and executive acquisition train, which recently picked up EA Interactive's former head, Barry Cottle, who joins Zynga as executive VP of business and corporate development.

Zynga CEO defends stock price, says culture 'not ultra competitive' originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Zynga stock falters, holds on first day of trading

Mike Schramm — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 07:00:00 EST

Zynga stock finally roared out of the gate and on to the trading floor yesterday at $10 a share, but investors weren't hugely impressed with the social gaming company. The stock started up a dollar at $11, and then dropped back down two, and then thirty, and then fifty cents during the day, leveling off at $9.50, which Forbes says was thanks mostly to "a stabilizing bid by Zynga's underwriters," which means Zynga's investors stepped in and bought up enough stock to keep the price up.

So what happened? Shortly put, Zynga's stock wasn't really worth what it was priced out at. An initial public offering is designed to be priced a little low, in order to drum up demand for a company's stock from the public (not to mention raise some money). But Zynga went high and, as a result, didn't quite get the graph it wanted today.

They didn't sell the FarmVille, so to speak -- ZNGA will likely be trading fine on Monday (and $9.50 is fine for the highly competitive gaming industry; THQ is sitting down at 75 cents right now). But Zynga's hype phase appears to be over. Now the company needs to prove it can sell more than just cow clickers.

Zynga stock falters, holds on first day of trading originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 17 Dec 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Zynga prices IPO at $10, begins trading today

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:30:00 EST

Step right up, step right up! Waiting for that next patch of corn to grow in Farmville? Just hanging around for your friend to make his next move in Mafia Wars? Then you need to make the most of your time, my friend, with the most splendiferous stock offering this year: ZYNGA!

Or, "ZNGA," as it will be known today on the Nasdaq Stock Market, trading for the low-low (but on the higher end of expected) price of $10. Yes, $10! And because Zynga is feeling so generous about its stock price, you won't even have to wait 10 minutes or pay any extra credits to purchasing more than one at a time.

Forget all those negative feelings you may have heard about the company. Ignore the claims of a "sketchy" business model. Today's the day to get in on the ground floor and ride that bubble into the sun!

Zynga prices IPO at $10, begins trading today originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Zynga's IPO road show begins, expects to raise $1 billion

Jessica Conditt — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 17:30:00 EST

Zynga is doing extremely well, especially for a company that started by piggybacking on a social-networking site, Facebook, and making games about farming. Zynga is in the process of launching its IPO, and while it won't be worth as much as initially expected this summer -- dropping from an expected high of $20 billion to a current possible low of about $10 billion -- Zynga is positioned to be worth more than EA, currently valued at $7.7 billion, and to compete with Activision Blizzard, which is valued at $14 billion.

Zynga plans to raise roughly $1 billion for its IPO and has begun a nine-day pitch process to convince investors that the company is truly worth it, with plans to sell shares for $8.50 to $10 each under the Nasdaq label, "ZNGA." Zynga's offerings would mark the largest for a U.S. Internet company since Google in 2004, but with Facebook expected to eclipse it in 2012.

If you're an interested investor, surveyor or slideshow-lover, you can view Zynga's complete IPO presentation right here.

Zynga's IPO road show begins, expects to raise $1 billion originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 03 Dec 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Zynga registers domains for 'Forestville'

Jordan Mallory — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 14:30:00 EST

Printing money is a lot easier than you might think. The conventional method of using a giant steampunk-tentacle robot to steal printing plates from a maximum-security bank vault is no longer necessary; these days all you need is access to Facebook APIs and the suffix "ville." Zynga, having no reason to halt their eternally forward march into a dollar-filled future, may be looking to add another printing press to its already well-stocked stable of money making franchises.

The domain detectives at Fusible have unearthed several recently registered URLs, all related to the presently unannounced IP Forestville. Registered through MarkMonitor, an intermediary used by A-list companies to register and hold domain names, the addresses run the gamut from forestvillegame.com to forestvillewithfriends.com and forestvillezynga.com.

Forestville.com is not among the registered domains, however, as it already belongs to the Forestville Central School District. Nothing else is known about the project as of yet, but we'd put good money on this being a micro-social Forest Whitaker simulator.

Zynga registers domains for 'Forestville' originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 03 Dec 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Take-Two's Zelnick thinks Zynga metrics are 'sketchy'

Alexander Sliwinski — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:30:00 EST

Wednesday 30 November

185 lbs of Ba-Zynga bashing awesomeness.

Food consumed today: Nothing. I'm being fueled by music. Specifically, one song: "Eye of the Tiger." It's on repeat and nothing is gonna get in my way.

Afternoon. It's brisk in NYC and I'm bringing the heat to Zynga. If that bubble won't pop on its own, I might as well start passing around a bottle of wake-up juice!

Continue reading Take-Two's Zelnick thinks Zynga metrics are 'sketchy'

Take-Two's Zelnick thinks Zynga metrics are 'sketchy' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

NYT: Rovio shot down $2.25 billion Zynga acquisition

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:55:00 EST

Angry Birds developer Rovio allegedly rejected a $2.25 billion acquisition offer by Zynga over the summer. The report comes from a New York Times piece about how Zynga's tough corporate culture may gush talent as soon as unhappy employees with stock make bank on the IPO.

The piece also mentions how Zynga lost out on acquiring PopCap earlier this year for nearly a billion in cash to Electronic Arts, which offered a mere $750 million with performance bonuses.

Clearly, if Zynga offered more cash and lost to a company like EA (which had its own share of image issues in the past), it's not hard to contextualize that the Farmville publisher has a slight employee perception problem. At least Zynga execs can dry their tears with thousand dollar bills.

NYT: Rovio shot down $2.25 billion Zynga acquisition originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Zynga reports record quarterly revenue, profits still down year-over-year

Jordan Mallory — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 16:30:00 EST

Never underestimate the addictive power of microtransaction infused farms, apparently, as Zynga has disclosed a record quarter for the period between July 1 and September 30: Over $306 million, an 80 percent increase in revenue over that same period in 2010. The social megalith attributes the increase in revenue to the successful launches of Adventure World and the Facebook version of Words with Friends, which took place during this quarter.

Revenue is a very different beast than profit, however, where Zynga continues to decline. Following a 95 percent year-over-year profit decrease in Q2, the SEC filing shows a 54 percent decrease year-over-year in Q3 after a total of $12.5 million in net profits.

Hey Zynga, want a tip? It's on the house: Monetize letter tiles in Words with Friends. We'll pay you fifteen dollars to get rid of "MXLCZDL."

Zynga reports record quarterly revenue, profits still down year-over-year originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 06 Nov 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Oh god, they're probably making a Farmville movie

Griffin McElroy — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 03:00:00 EST

Never before have our hearts received news with such confusion: In a recent interview with IGN, Toy Story writers Alec Sokolow and Joel Cohen hinted at their next project: A movie adaptation of Zynga's Farmville franchise. "We're in conversations with Zynga to do something with one of their brands," they teased. "Can't really say too much on that front yet, but 'Old MacDonald' didn't have a factory, if you get our drift." We do not get your drift. Your drift makes us sad.

We trust the two to craft a compelling story, but we worry there's not enough rich source material for them to base it on. All we know is we're not looking forward to receiving a hundred daily invitations to go to the movie from our distant, distant cousins and fourth grade math teachers.

Oh god, they're probably making a Farmville movie originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 08 Oct 2011 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Real-world political campaigning headed to Farmville

Griffin McElroy — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 22:00:00 EST

You can tell a lot about a person based on their agricultural lot in Farmville: For instance, one look at our fertile lands, and you'll know we're firm supporters of firm arugula, well-fed livestock and laying out pumpkin patches in the shapes of genitalia. Also, if you check back in a few months, you'll be able to tell how much we love ex-New York gubernatorial candidate and Rent is Too Damn High Party founder Jimmy McMillan, because we'll have his campaign signs plastered all over our farmgrounds.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, political marketing consultant Michael Hendrix says Farmville will allow players to post candidate signage and do door-to-door campaigning later this year. Hendrix works for the Michelle Bachmann presidential campaign, and didn't specify whether users could campaign for any other candidates. We've contacted Zynga to find out the specifics.

Also, we should be more specific: We're talking about campaigning for real-life political positions. Not the mayor of Farmville, a position we'd still probably vote to fill with Jimmy McMillan. (Come on, that facial hair? How could we not?)

Real-world political campaigning headed to Farmville originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Facebook changing games service, probably (not) unrelated to Google Plus games

Jessica Conditt — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 16:30:00 EST

Sean Ryan, Facebook's director of games partnerships, is bringing some big changes to the social network's games service, including individual game recommendations a la Netflix, improving relationships with developers and focusing on quality of games instead of quantity. Game growth has slowed since Facebook got rid of game-notification spamming last year, Ryan said, stagnating at 200 million users, but it remains a focus for the company.

Facebook's announcement of coming innovation coincides suspiciously with Google Plus' rollout of its own games service, which is only taking 5 percent commission on its games (compared to Facebook's 30 percent) and has a separate tab for games updates, meaning no wall spam. It should be interesting to see which aspects of each other's services Facebook and Google Plus steal. What won't be interesting is how similar their games sections will be in the end.

Facebook changing games service, probably (not) unrelated to Google Plus games originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 14 Aug 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Lawsuit filed against Zynga over Farmville source code

Jordan Mallory — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 22:30:00 EST

California-based web developer SocialApps has become the latest company to file suit against social-gaming powerhouse Zynga, seeking damages for alleged "copyright infringement, violation of trade secrets, breach of written contract, breach of implied-in-fact contract, and breach of confidence."

The argument is that SocialApps entered into an agreement with Zynga, wherein Zynga would receive access to the source code for SocialApps' Facebook game MyFarm in exchange for some form of compensation. According to the suit, Zynga was given the code, at which point they fled into the night, never to be seen or heard from again. SocialApps claims that MyFarm's source code provided the foundation for Farmville, as well as its many derivatives. They are seeking a permanent injunction, damages, attorney's fees, as well as any of Zynga's profits or gains which can be attributed to Farmville.

While theft from other developers has been implied in previous lawsuits, this is the first out-and-out accusation of theft lodged against the company. In related news, Zynga's legal department has constructed an olympic-sized swimming pool on the Moon, and filled it with real pirate treasure.

Lawsuit filed against Zynga over Farmville source code originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 18 Jul 2011 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Report: Zynga filing for IPO in the next two weeks

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 25 May 2011 12:52:00 EST

Alright, we're gonna get all of the boring business stuff out of the way up front: FarmVille creator Zynga is reportedly "poised to file" for its IPO (Initial Public Offering), effectively going from a private company to a public one. Financial firm Goldman Sachs is said to be "among the lead bankers" heading up the offering, which is expected as early as this week or "next week at the latest." Still with us? We know -- that was just as exhausting for us as it was for you.

So why should you care? Because the company could rival -- or handily best -- publishing contemporaries like Activision, EA, and Take-Two. The social game publisher's last valuation pegged it at a cool $10 billion, a number All Things D's Kara Swisher believes could climb even higher for an IPO. For comparison's sake, the largest public game publisher, Activision Blizzard, is valued at $13.07 billion as of mid-day today ... and that includes the Call of Duty series and World of Warcraft.

With a $10 billion IPO, Zynga would become the second largest game publisher in North America, eclipsing EA's current valuation of $7.81 billion. Zynga reps declined to comment.

Report: Zynga filing for IPO in the next two weeks originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 25 May 2011 12:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

You may now enter GagaVille (if that's your kinda thing)

Ben Gilbert — Tue, 17 May 2011 14:20:00 EST

Zynga has kicked off its latest cross-promotion, teaming up with the eccentric Lady Gaga for the launch of her latest album, "Born This Way." They've created a Gaga-themed farm in the enormously popular social game, FarmVille. Rather than rearing funky livestock, though, players will have a chance to listen to a handful of tracks from the album before launch on May 23.

And if that tickles your fancy, you'll be glad to know that Gaga's farm is currently live on Facebook, anxiously awaiting your arrival. Beyond early access to her next album, the promotion extends to Zynga's game cards as well, with folks purchasing $25 cards via Best Buy stores (online and off) -- between now and June 11 -- receiving a free digital copy of "Born This Way."

Gallery: FarmVille (GagaVille)

You may now enter GagaVille (if that's your kinda thing) originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 17 May 2011 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Zynga and Lady Gaga partnering up once more, opening GagaVille

Griffin McElroy — Wed, 11 May 2011 11:00:00 EST

Back in March, the ridiculously named pair of Lady Gaga and Zynga formed a union to donate funds for Japanese disaster relief; a goal they accomplished to the tune of $3 million. Yesterday, they announced a new partnership to raise money for Lady Gaga and Zynga, which entails the May 17 opening of "GagaVille" -- a neighboring region to FarmVille that features unicorns, crystals and an early chance to listen to unreleased tracks from the stylish songstylist's upcoming album, "Born this Way."

Other promotions include a free download voucher for the album included with every $25 Zynga gift card sold at Best Buy, a Words with Friends contest to snag Gaga merch, and a handful of Gaga-themed items added to the RewardVille storefront. Now, if you don't mind, we're going to print off this article, throw it in a time capsule and bury it in our yard, because in 50 years we're pretty sure most of the words we've used so far are going to be hilariously nonsensical.

Continue reading Zynga and Lady Gaga partnering up once more, opening GagaVille

Zynga and Lady Gaga partnering up once more, opening GagaVille originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 11 May 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Former Koei boss to head up Zynga Japan

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 02:00:00 EST

Ex-Tecmo Koei head Kenji Matsubara is sheathing his sword on console gaming and headed for FarmVille, as the Japanese executive has been announced as the new CEO of Zynga Japan. After stepping down from Tecmo late last year citing "personal reasons," the Japanese game industry vet had yet to reveal his plans ... until Zynga Japan's announcement this week.

"I am very pleased with the inauguration of Kenji Matsubara and his talent," current Zynga Japan head Robert Goldberg said in the company's press release. Goldberg will stay on as CEO until May 9, when Matsubara will be passed the company torch -- Goldberg will then take up a consulting role to the new CEO. And yes, as far as we can tell, that is kind of like getting paid the same to do less and have less responsibility. Hats off to you, Mr. Goldberg!

Former Koei boss to head up Zynga Japan originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Lady Gaga donates $1.5 million to Zynga for Japan disaster relief

Ben Gilbert — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 19:00:00 EST

Being enormous fame monsters ourselves, we really appreciate it when others like us -- say, Lady Gaga -- use their monstrous fame for good. Which is exactly why we were so glad to see Ms. Gaga's massive $1.5 million contribution to Zynga's continued Japan relief efforts, half of which joined Zynga's donation, adding to the $2.5 million already raised in the past two weeks by the company's Facebook games. That brings Zynga's grand total in donation to just over $3 million.

"I'm inspired that my little monsters banded together to help those affected by the terrible tragedy," Gaga colorfully noted. The money she raised came from the sale of $5 "We Pray for Japan" bracelets that her fans bought, with all proceeds going to charity. "What Zynga's players have done for the cause is equally inspiring, and I'm thrilled to partner with them to raise money that will go to Save the Children and the American Red Cross," she added. You can donate directly by heading to SaveTheChildren.org or RedCross.org.

Continue reading Lady Gaga donates $1.5 million to Zynga for Japan disaster relief

Lady Gaga donates $1.5 million to Zynga for Japan disaster relief originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

What is Zynga doing to that sheep? Brian Reynolds on the power of innuendo

JC Fletcher — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 11:30:00 EST

During a presentation at SXSW Interactive yesterday, Zynga chief designer Brian Reynolds shared an emergent game feature that the team discovered when making Frontierville, one designed to appeal to juvenility.

The "tutorial" mission in Frontierville involves finding a lost sheep and bringing it back, he explained. Because it's a Facebook game, you get the option to post when you've done so, which shares a little blurb about your achievement and a picture of a cartoony character struggling to pull a stubborn sheep. But that's not what players' friends saw.

"What is she doing to that sheep?" was a common refrain from people who saw that post, Reynolds said. "The look on the sheep's face kind of sells it." But this wasn't a problem, as it turned out. That pseudo-scandalous sheep image "has our highest post rate and our highest clickthrough rate," he explained, with many more replies to those posts creating increased visibility, and thus inadvertently promoting Frontierville. And so Zynga went forward with innuendo-laden status messages, more examples of which you can see above.

At the end of the presentation, Reynolds answered a question about his reaction to Satoru Iwata's GDC keynote, during which Iwata pretty clearly denounced social and mobile games in general. "I don't understand why they'd feel threatened," he said, suggesting that social games and console games can coexist. "Maybe that person thinks a lot about console games," but not about mobile games.

What is Zynga doing to that sheep? Brian Reynolds on the power of innuendo originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 12 Mar 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Super Meat Boy postmortem, Angry Birds and Zynga talks announced for GDC 2011

Ben Gilbert — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 17:15:00 EST

In case you didn't know, it's the 25th anniversary of the Game Developers Conference this year, and that means a load of extra special presentations. Beyond the head of Nintendo keynoting, the laundry list of legendary developers giving "classic" postmortems, and various announcements, it was revealed today that Super Meat Boy devs Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes ("Team Meat") will be giving a postmortem of their own. And hey, we think they're pretty extra special.

Additionally, Zynga VP of product development Mark Skaggs will be discussing his company's evolution, framed around the release of FarmVille and the push towards CityVille over the last year -- we'd suggest fledgling Facebook millionaires not be late. And finally, rounding out today's announcement is news of an Angry Birds talk from Rovio's Peter Vesterbacka (self-claimed "Head Eagle" at the studio). We'll be on hand at GDC bringing you all the meaty, free-to-play, bird-flinging news as it breaks.

Super Meat Boy postmortem, Angry Birds and Zynga talks announced for GDC 2011 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Facebook game Blingville gets cease and desist from Zynga

Griffin McElroy — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 15:30:00 EST

There's an immense power struggle happening right now, in the deep, deep folds of the social gaming universe -- a struggle over ownership of an extremely lucrative word fragment. Zynga recently sent a cease and desist letter to Blingville LLC, the creators of an upcoming Facebook game that shares the name of their company. According to Zynga, the use of "ville" in the game and company's moniker infringes on its own collection of social gaming trademarks.

Blingville, not a-feared of Zynga's assumedly massive litigatory army, has filed a letter to the West Virginia U.S. District Court, seeking a declaration from the court that their game doesn't actually infringe on Zynga's trademarks. The studio also hopes to have Zynga foot the bill for any legal fees potentially accrued during a legal battle. We'll keep you updated on how this turns out -- but until it gets settled, we'd suggest developers and city planners alike avoid using the suffix. (Hear that, Louisville? You're officially on notice.)

Facebook game Blingville gets cease and desist from Zynga originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

CityVille overtakes FarmVille's monthly active user count

Griffin McElroy — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 17:00:00 EST

Much like the offspring of real-life rural families yearn for a slice of that big city livin', the world of Zynga's Facebook-based social game CityVille has passed up the monthly active user count posted by former genre leader, FarmVille. In December -- the game's release month, no less -- the urban development sim pulled in 84.2 million active users, slightly edging out FarmVille's record of 83.7 million users set in March 2010.

However, CityVille hasn't had the daily active user retention that FarmVille managed to maintain at the height of its popularity. At the end of its release month, CityVille was pulling in around 20 percent of its monthly user base every day, slightly less than the 30 percent DAU retention FarmVille regularly boasts. Then again, is it that surprising that country folk are more dependable than city slickers? They clean up animal excrement like, every day, and they never even complain.

CityVille overtakes FarmVille's monthly active user count originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Zynga and Playdom hug it out, trade secret lawsuit settled

Ben Gilbert — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 11:30:00 EST

Zynga and Disney-owned Playdom have reportedly reached a settlement in their 2009 legal dispute over an alleged conspiracy by Playdom to hire Zynga employees and retrieve Zynga's "playbook" -- a book Zynga described as "the company's key and collective efforts to develop and fit games to the social networking platform in the most successful manner ... It is a 'how-to' manual that belongs to Zynga." Next-Gen.biz confirmed the settlement with Zynga, though neither Disney nor Zynga provided details of the arrangement.

Zynga did, however, issue a statement stating that it's "extremely pleased with the final resolution of its trade secret suit against Playdom and various individuals." The company added, "The settlement reflects the very serious nature of the conduct involved, as reflected by the preliminary injunction, restraining orders, and contempt order issued by the Santa Clara Superior Court. We have great respect for Disney and are thankful that following its acquisition of Playdom, Disney resolved the matter to our satisfaction." We have to imagine Disney sent over at least five or six Mickey Mouse hats to really seal the deal.

Zynga and Playdom hug it out, trade secret lawsuit settled originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 27 Nov 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Facebook game roundup: Games.com Blog's Week in Review

Libe Goad — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 22:30:00 EST

When it comes to Facebook game news, features and tips, Joystiq sister site Games.com - The Blog! has you covered. Whether you're looking for info on the hottest new Facebook game, or you're just curious about your regulars, you'll find it at GDC-TB. Check out our biggest features of the week:

	Dragon Age Legends: BioWare's epic role-player goes social In order to tide you Dragon Age lovers over until the sequel arrives in March, BioWare plans to release a Facebook game a few months beforehand. Play it to unlock items in Dragon Age 2 and, once again, take on Darkspawn and other creatures you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley. Or even a brightly lit alley.
	Mafia Wars Atlantic City swings onto iPhone Mafia Wars Atlantic City arrives on the iPhone, something totally separate from the regular iPhone version of the game. The game runs pretty smoothly, and we hope this serves as a sign that Zynga's getting closer to launching a fully-realized Mafia Wars companion app for iOS.
	Simply Hospital: The cure for the common Facebook game If you ever played any hospital tycoon game on PC, then this is the Facebook version of that same game. For social gamers who've been inundated with farming and pet simulation games, Simply Hospital makes for a welcome change of pace. Bonus for boys: The nurses have some real eye-popping assets.

Continue reading Facebook game roundup: Games.com Blog's Week in Review

Facebook game roundup: Games.com Blog's Week in Review originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Zynga estimated to be worth more than EA

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:50:00 EST

We can't help but be kept awake at night, a constant state of worry hanging over our heads, wondering whether Zynga is financially surpassing the EAs and Activisions of the world. According to a Business Week report, it seems that Zynga recently did just that -- finally -- with SharesPost Inc. reporting Zynga's stock value at $5.51 billion, a full $290 million above EA's NASDAQ valuation of $5.22 billion.

ThinkEquity LLC analyst Atul Bagga told BW that Zynga's valuation "is not that crazy, given what's going on in the market," noting that growth prospects over the next three years help add value to the still nascent social game company. Bagga estimates Zynga's virtual goods profits will rise from approximately $1.6 billion this year to $3.6 billion by 2013, making Zynga a riskier, but potentially more lucrative investment. That is, of course, if people keep buying ... whatever it is they buy in Facebook games.

Zynga estimated to be worth more than EA originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Zynga hit with class action lawsuit over alleged FarmVille privacy leaks

Griffin McElroy — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:00:00 EST

We're not sure why people place so much value on their own privacy -- after all, we spend our days pouring out our hearts on this here public website -- but apparently, it's enough to warrant a class action lawsuit over Zynga's alleged leaks of Facebook users' private info. According to a press release from law firm Edelson McGuire, the suit, filed in a San Francisco federal court by St. Paul, Minn. resident Nancy Graf, seeks "monetary relief for those whose data was wrongly shared, and injunctive relief to prevent continued privacy abuses."

No specific amount was mentioned regarding the extent of the aforementioned "monetary relief," but seeing as how the announcement claims the leaks affected 218 million Facebook users, we're guessing the damages sought will be ... significant.

Zynga hit with class action lawsuit over alleged FarmVille privacy leaks originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Facebook apps (including Farmville!) leaking private info to third parties

Christopher Grant — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Like you didn't see this one coming. According to some sleuthing by the Wall Street Journal, many popular Facebook apps - including titles from omnipresent game dev Zynga - are sharing your user ID with unauthorized third parties. The Journal found that "all 10 of the top Facebook apps transmitted user's IDs" - six of those apps, including Farmville at numero uno, are created by Zynga.

In addition, the Journal reports that "three of the top 10 apps, including FarmVille, also have been transmitting personal information about a user's friends to outside companies." Of course, your user ID is publicly available and is, by itself, just a number; however, this data can be (and, as the Journal reports is being) shared with other parties, specifically "at least 25 advertising and data firms." The Journal says that many devs may not have realized they were exposing that information - the referring page includes the user's ID in the URL. Whoops!

Facebook, for its part, says that mere knowledge of an ID "does not permit access to anyone's private information on Facebook" though some firms will pair IDs to whatever personal information is stored in a user's public Facebook profile. The company also says it will work to "contain the problem." A Zynga spokesperson said, "Zynga has a strict policy of not passing personally identifiable information to any third parties" and pledged to work with Facebook to "refine how web technologies work to keep people in control of their information." The way we see it, you've got two choices: 1) Stop using Facebook apps or 2) Resign yourself to a dystopian future wherein the entire world knows you play Farmville. How humiliating!

Facebook apps (including Farmville!) leaking private info to third parties originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Rumor: Google invests $100+ million in Zynga, preparing to launch gaming platform

Ben Gilbert — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:45:00 EST

Google has "secretly" invested an undisclosed amount of money (estimated to be between $100 million and $200 million) in virtual Ville creator Zynga Games, TechCrunch claims. Why would one highly profitable company dump such a large amount of duckets into another successful company's coffers? TechCrunch believes that it's part of a strategy to partner with Zynga Games in the forthcoming launch of something called "Google Games."

The service is said to use Google logins and will presumably run the Zynga titles popularized by Facebook, albeit with a different payment system (allegedly Google Checkout rather than PayPal). Though these claims are still unsubstantiated -- neither Google nor Zynga have officially confirmed the report -- a recent Google job listing for a "Project Management Leader, games" seems to lend the idea some credence.

Rumor: Google invests $100+ million in Zynga, preparing to launch gaming platform originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Farmville now on iPhone, iPod Touch

Richard Mitchell — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Zynga announced today that it has released Farmville for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The free app allows Farmville players to tend their crops and view their masterful creations on the go. In addition, the iPhone version will even send status updates to users via push notifications.

Not announced today, Farmville Ultimate, which connects a money siphon directly to your grandmother's purse.

Gallery: Farmville (iPhone, iPod Touch)

Farmville now on iPhone, iPod Touch originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

FarmVille to rake in iPhone audience's cash this June

Griffin McElroy — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

During today's all-things-Apple WWDC 2010 conference, Zynga founder Mark Pincus took the stage to announce a startling (albeit not entirely unexpected) technological development for the virtual agriculture industry: FarmVille is heading to iPhone at the end of June. The app will allow you to sync up with your Facebook account and tend to your pre-existing farm on the go.

Pincus teased "withering crop Push notifications," though we're not sure if that was a joke or not. We pray to any and all powers that be that it was.

FarmVille to rake in iPhone audience's cash this June originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

FarmVille, other top Facebook games seeing diminishing user base

Griffin McElroy — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Due to Facebook's recent decision to limit the notifications proliferated by third-party applications -- Join my Mafia! Feed my Goldfish! Become a Vampire! Fight my Pirates, etc. -- the creators of games which appear on the social networking site are beginning to see their player bases decrease dramatically. Gamasutra reports that 12 of the top 25 Facebook games saw more than one million players leave in May, while the worldwide FarmVille community lost more than 7.7 million of its agricultural inhabitants.

It's unclear how these losses affect the pocketbooks of social game developers such as Zynga -- its entirely possible that these quitters weren't purchasing in-game content in the first place. However, it's definitely creating some negative consequences for our untended, expansive soybean fields.

FarmVille, other top Facebook games seeing diminishing user base originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 06 Jun 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments