Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Zynga shares close at record low following lackluster Facebook IPO]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/19/zynga-shares-close-at-record-low-following-lackluster-facebook-i/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/19/zynga-shares-close-at-record-low-following-lackluster-facebook-i/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/19/zynga-shares-close-at-record-low-following-lackluster-facebook-i/#comments Facebook went public yesterday, and its unexpectedly less-than-stellar performance on the trading floor has had powerful ramifications for its social soul sister Zynga, which finished the day's trading at a record low of $7.16 a share.

It's possible that Facebook's unimpressive IPO, closing out Friday at $38.23 a share - four dollars less than its $42.05 opening price - caused Zynga's value to drop in tandem, as the two platforms are inexorably intertwined in the public mindset. It's also possible that Zynga share holders jumped ship in favor of that new Facebook hotness, no longer having to settle for social second best.

Regardless, the severe downturn in value lead to two trading halts on Zynga shares over the course of the day; once after reaching $7.17 a share, and once again after a slight increase in market value. Despite this, share values eventually dropped to as little as $6.93 before finally settling at $7.16.

JoystiqZynga shares close at record low following lackluster Facebook IPO originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 19 May 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidfacebookiosipadiphoneIPOmacmobileNASDAQpcstock-marketzyngaSat, 19 May 2012 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Zynga sues French publisher Kojobo over 'PyramidVille']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/12/zynga-sues-french-publisher-kojobo-over-pyramidville/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/12/zynga-sues-french-publisher-kojobo-over-pyramidville/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/12/zynga-sues-french-publisher-kojobo-over-pyramidville/#comments ImageIn its continuing efforts to secure unwavering dominion over the suffix "ville," Zynga has filed suit against French publisher Kojobo over the name of its strikingly familiar-looking Facebook game PyramidVille.

As you'd imagine, the complaint has a hell of a lot to do with Kojobo's usage of "ville," with Zynga arguing that "Facebook users are likely to believe, erroneously, that PyramidVille is a member of Zynga's 'ville Family of Games," according to the complaint. Zynga hopes that its aggressive promotion of Farmville and Castleville will outweigh the fact that it doesn't actually own a trademark on the suffix.

"Given Kojobo's refusal to change their game name, legal action was necessary to defend our famous marks and prevent player confusion," Zynga said in a statement to Reuters. The San Francisco-based publisher seeks damages totaling three times the amount of profit accrued by PyramidVille since its release in 2011.

JoystiqZynga sues French publisher Kojobo over 'PyramidVille' originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 12 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>KobojolawsuitlegalmacpcPyramidVilleZyngaSat, 12 May 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[How Mark Turmell went from creating NBA Jam to match-three at Zynga]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/08/how-mark-turmell-went-from-creating-nba-jam-to-match-three-at-zy/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/08/how-mark-turmell-went-from-creating-nba-jam-to-match-three-at-zy/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/08/how-mark-turmell-went-from-creating-nba-jam-to-match-three-at-zy/#comments It's been almost a year since NBA Jam creator Mark Turmell left Electronic Arts to join social gaming powerhouse Zynga. Now, the company is finally ready to reveal his first project, Bubble Safari. Zynga's first arcade title, Bubble Safari tasks a former space program monkey named Bubbles (not that Bubbles, presumably) with saving his jungle friends. Bubbles does so in the only logical way: A match-three bubble-popping puzzle game.

Bubble Safari will launch tomorrow on both Facebook and Zynga.com, with a mobile version under consideration.

It might seem strange for Turmell to move from the likes of Smash TV, NBA Jam and NFL Blitz to a puzzle game, but he sees them all as fundamentally arcade experiences. "Match-three games have been around for 20-plus years," he says, "even the original Bust-A-Move in the arcade was one of my favorite games - that was in the same era as NBA Jam."

Gallery: Bubble Safari

Continue reading How Mark Turmell went from creating NBA Jam to match-three at Zynga

JoystiqHow Mark Turmell went from creating NBA Jam to match-three at Zynga originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 08 May 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bubble-safarimacmark-turmellpczyngaTue, 08 May 2012 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Zynga's Bubble Safari out tomorrow, created by NBA Jam's Mark Turmell]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/08/zyngas-bubble-safari-out-tomorrow-created-by-nba-jams-mark-tu/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/08/zyngas-bubble-safari-out-tomorrow-created-by-nba-jams-mark-tu/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/08/zyngas-bubble-safari-out-tomorrow-created-by-nba-jams-mark-tu/#comments Image
Zynga has announced Bubble Safari, its first project headed up by Mark Turmell, who joined the company last year after leaving EA. A match-three puzzle game, Bubble Safari has players bursting bubbles, earning power-ups, and saving woodland creatures from poachers (and generally reminiscing about Bust-A-Move).

Bubble Safari is free-to-play and will be released tomorrow on Zynga.com and Facebook, Zynga tells Joystiq. Check out the first trailer above.

Gallery: Bubble Safari

Continue reading Zynga's Bubble Safari out tomorrow, created by NBA Jam's Mark Turmell

JoystiqZynga's Bubble Safari out tomorrow, created by NBA Jam's Mark Turmell originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 08 May 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bubble-safarimacmark-turmellpczyngaTue, 08 May 2012 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Draw Something wants you to draw ads with latest update]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/04/draw-something-wants-you-to-draw-ads-with-latest-update/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/04/draw-something-wants-you-to-draw-ads-with-latest-update/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/04/draw-something-wants-you-to-draw-ads-with-latest-update/#comments If you've noticed a lot of a hockey-themed subjects cropping up during your Draw Something playtime lately, it's not just because its hockey season and Zynga is trying to stay topical. Rather, it's all part of Draw Something's new advertising initiative, which allows sponsors to insert their brand/product/whatever into the game's list of drawable somethings.

The NHL is the first major sponsor to hop onboard, posting hockey-related doodles to an official Pinterest board. The concept was tested using recognizable brand names like KFC, Doritos and Nike, with the response being positive enough to implement the system for real. Whether this type of integrated, subtle advertising experience is preferable to banner ads remains a matter of personal preference, but we do love the idea of drawing a box of Toaster Scrambles(R).

This post fictionally brought to you by Pillsbury(R) Toaster Scrambles(R). "They're practically food!"

JoystiqDraw Something wants you to draw ads with latest update originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 May 2012 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>advertisementsdraw-somethingin-game-advertisingiosipadiphonemacmobilepcsponsorshipzyngaFri, 04 May 2012 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Riccitiello hip to EA's social failings: 'I'd say we're a distant number two']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/04/riccitiello-hip-to-eas-social-failings-id-say-were-a-distan/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/04/riccitiello-hip-to-eas-social-failings-id-say-were-a-distan/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/04/riccitiello-hip-to-eas-social-failings-id-say-were-a-distan/#comments EA's embattled CEO John Riccitiello isn't above admitting his mistakes, nor is he above admitting those of his company. That honesty was in full swing during an episode of NPR's Morning Edition today where he spoke to EA's social business. "We would like to be number one in every possible area, in every geography. That's a grand ambition. We're not there yet," Riccitiello said.

But then he got much, much more honest. "When it comes to Facebook, while we're number two, I'd say we're a distant number two. I mean, the other guys have lapped us three times," he said, referencing major social player Zynga. Riccitiello said EA is in the entertainment business, while his competition in social is in the data business, which he's had a hard time cracking. But he may not have to, according to his predictions.

"They're not really in the entertainment business. I think that will eventually die. Consumers want to be entertained, they don't want to be data managed," he said. Rather than model EA's future social business on that of the data-driven giants, Riccitiello hired up EA's first chief technology officer, Rajat Taneja, and is trying to get ahead of the Zyngas of the world before they take their next steps.

He told the Morning Edition that EA is planning to "apply techniques like machine learning and neural nets, to figure out what will happen next so that we can tailor the game and experiences to delight our customers." Wait ... what? In reality, this means using data for predictive modeling, which can help figure out what you'll like before you, er, like it.

Also in the report: Riccitiello wouldn't confirm or deny his company's plans to axe approximately 1,000 jobs in the near future, but he did say the company's internal statistics will see a shift from one of every eight employees being an engineer to one in two. Sounds like a bad time to be a concept artist at EA.

[Thanks, Curtis.]

JoystiqRiccitiello hip to EA's social failings: 'I'd say we're a distant number two' originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 May 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>eaea-mobileelectronic-artsjohn-riccitiellorajat-tanejasocialsocial-gamingzyngaFri, 04 May 2012 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Zynga posts loss, beats estimates following OMGPOP acquisition]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/28/zynga-posts-loss-beats-estimates-following-omgpop-acquisition/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/28/zynga-posts-loss-beats-estimates-following-omgpop-acquisition/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/28/zynga-posts-loss-beats-estimates-following-omgpop-acquisition/#comments ImageThere's good news and bad news for Zynga's financials. The good news first: Thanks to its purchase of Draw Something developer OMGPOP and some strong releases, the social game publisher beat quarterly revenue estimates from Wall Street, growing its year-over-year revenue to $321 million from $243 million. Zynga says it expects to make from $1.425 billion to $1.5 billion this year in total.

But the bad news is that outside of that big purchase, the company isn't showing the growth that Wall Street would like. Total monthly active users were up 24 percent, but analysts would prefer to see even more, and claim that Zynga only had a good quarter because of the acquisition.

Zynga also lost $85 million for the quarter. "They had to acquire to raise their numbers, but you're not going to be able to do that too many times," said Arvind Bhatia at Sterne Agee.

So Zynga will need to prove that it can sustain its growth outside of major acquisitions if it wants to keep stock prices up. We don't know much about the financial world, but would planting more corn help?

JoystiqZynga posts loss, beats estimates following OMGPOP acquisition originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>draw-somethingfinancialsmobilemoneyomgpoppcquarterlyrevenuezyngaSat, 28 Apr 2012 05:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Zynga expects to acquire more companies to rival OMGPop deal]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/17/zynga-expects-to-acquire-more-companies-to-rival-omgpop-deal/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/17/zynga-expects-to-acquire-more-companies-to-rival-omgpop-deal/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/17/zynga-expects-to-acquire-more-companies-to-rival-omgpop-deal/#comments ImageWhen some people are rejected they use it as motivation to improve their own lives: start working out, eat healthier, study harder, create something beautiful. Other people take it personally and start manically hitting on anything in a 50-mile radius to prove that one person was so terribly wrong. Zynga, it turns out, takes rejection personally, and as companies are more people than people are, it's planning a years-long acquisition spree, CEO Mark Pincus tells Bloomberg.

Rovio, the developer of Angry Birds, rejected an offer from Zynga for $2 billion, Bloomberg writes, and from 2010 to 2011 Zynga spent $147 million to acquire 22 companies, and $180 million on Draw Something's OMGPop alone. Zynga's merger chief Barry Cottle is searching for companies with blockbuster social games on the same scale as Farmville and Cityville, Bloomberg says.

Zynga plans to handle "a few" deals similar to or larger than the OMGPop acquisition in the next three to five years, Pincus says.

"We're sitting in a very advantageous position," Cottle says. "We have a significant amount of cash, we have no debt, and we have access to debt to be as aggressive as we need to be." Zynga has $1.81 billion in cash and short-term investments and its stock is unstable, dropping 3.2 percent this morning to $10.59, Bloomberg notes. Let's hope that with all those new employees Zynga is transplanting and taking on, a few of these acquisitions work out as expected.

JoystiqZynga expects to acquire more companies to rival OMGPop deal originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>acquisitionandroiddraw-somethingiosipadiphonemacmobileOmgPoppcZyngaTue, 17 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Rumor: FarmVille 2 revealed by resume]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/16/rumor-farmville-2-revealed-by-resume/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/16/rumor-farmville-2-revealed-by-resume/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/16/rumor-farmville-2-revealed-by-resume/#comments ImageA San Francisco copywriter's resume appears to hint that Zynga has given the green light to making a sequel to its popular flagship Farmville title. Writer Alex Harvey, while listing out his work for "communications agency" Isobar, says he participated in the "successful" pitch for Farmville 2. That tells us that Farmville 2 was at one point a suggested thing, and that Zynga has said yes to it becoming a real thing.

For now, that's all we know. It's probably fair to say, however, that there will be cows, and you will click them.

Update: We reached out to Zynga to ask if there was any news on this front, but the company declined to comment on "rumors and speculation." Fair enough.

JoystiqRumor: FarmVille 2 revealed by resume originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alex-harveycopywritercvmobilepcresumerumorwriterzyngaMon, 16 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Draw Something hits 50 million downloads, becomes number one paid app]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/05/draw-something-draws-up-50-million-downloads/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/05/draw-something-draws-up-50-million-downloads/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/05/draw-something-draws-up-50-million-downloads/#comments Draw Something has become the fastest selling mobile title in history, moving 50 million proverbial units since its launch last February -- 13 million of which were accumulated in just the last week. The pictionary-plus-'splosions app from OMGPOP is currently the number one paid app on the iOS App Store, dethroning Rovio's flagship rocket ship Angry Birds Space.

Broken down into impressive-yet-meaningless marketing figures, Draw Something has yielded six billion drawings in total, at a rate of 3,000 per second. We'd imagine that a large percentage of those drawings are boners, but new-owners Zynga have yet to release information that specific.

JoystiqDraw Something hits 50 million downloads, becomes number one paid app originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androiddownloadsdraw-somethingfiguresiosipadiphonemobileOMGPOPsalesZyngaThu, 05 Apr 2012 11:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Zynga executives unloading 20 million shares in secondary offering]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/31/zynga-executives-unloading-20-million-shares-in-secondary-offeri/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/31/zynga-executives-unloading-20-million-shares-in-secondary-offeri/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/31/zynga-executives-unloading-20-million-shares-in-secondary-offeri/#comments Zynga is prepping for its upcoming secondary stock offering, which will put 43 million shares of the company up for sale -- 20.2 million of which are "Class B" shares that currently belong to the high ranking Zynga executives.

In descending order of shares being sold, cofounder Mark Pincus is unloading the most at 16.5 million shares, roughly 15 percent of his ownership of the company. Directors Reid Hoffman and Owen Van Natta come in second and third, selling 687,626 shares and 505,627 shares respectively. CFO David Wehner is selling more than 50 percent of his ownership in the company by offering 386,865 shares, followed closely by COO John Schappert whose 322,350 buyable shares make up nearly 45 percent of his total stake.

It's easy to read into things like this and infer all kinds of assumptions, both positive and negative, about what it means for the company. So instead of doing that, let's all forget the stock market even exists and watch cat videos.

JoystiqZynga executives unloading 20 million shares in secondary offering originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 31 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>class-bMark-Pincussecondary-offeringstock-marketstockszyngaSat, 31 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Zynga buys Draw Something dev OMGPOP [update: confirmed!]]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/21/wsj-zynga-buys-draw-something-dev-for-200-million/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/21/wsj-zynga-buys-draw-something-dev-for-200-million/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/21/wsj-zynga-buys-draw-something-dev-for-200-million/#comments Draw Something developer OMGPOP was purchased by social gaming monolith Zynga today, Zynga announced. No price is disclosed in the announcement release, but the Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital blog is reporting that OMGPOP went for the lofty price of $200 million. Sources with "first-hand knowledge" of the deal detailed it as a combined purchase amount of approximately $200 million between an outright cash transaction of $180 million, and "$30 million or so in employee retention payments." Payday for the Draw Something folks!

Beyond OMGPOP's massively successful, Pictionary-esque iOS and Android game, Draw Something, the New York City-based developer also brings a variety of Flash-based expertise to Zynga. The team will also add around 40 employees to Zynga's swelling numbers - the company repurposed NewToy into Zynga With Friends late in 2010, and did the same with NYC's Area Code in early 2011.

Additionally, OMGPOP CEO Dan Porter has become vice prez and general manager of Zynga New York (formerly Area Code), and OMGPOP will be rolled into the "Zynga New York" studio.

Update: During this afternoon's conference call regarding the purchase, OMGPOP said it would like to add picture saving and chat to Draw Something. No other potential updates were mentioned.

JoystiqZynga buys Draw Something dev OMGPOP [update: confirmed!] originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androiddan-porterdraw-somethingiosipadiphonemacmobileomgpoppcreportzyngazynga-new-yorkWed, 21 Mar 2012 14:35:00 EST<![CDATA[Zynga welcoming Konami, Rebellion, and Playdemic to Zynga.com]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/08/zynga-welcoming-konami-rebellion-and-playdemic-to-zynga-com/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/08/zynga-welcoming-konami-rebellion-and-playdemic-to-zynga-com/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/08/zynga-welcoming-konami-rebellion-and-playdemic-to-zynga-com/#comments Zynga is expanding the reach of its newly launched Zynga.com platform, with VP of platform partners Rob Dyer telling attendees of a GDC 2012 talk this afternoon that Konami, Rebellion, and Playdemic will all be contributing titles to Zynga's recently launched web portal. Moreover, Dyer teased Konami's game as a "stealth project" that will "debut soon."

No word was given on the other projects from Rebellion and Playdemic, but we're following up for more info. Like, right now.

Update: This piece originally speculated that the title was Metal Gear related, due to its "stealth" wording; however, Zynga PR tells us what the wording really means is that Konami is working on the project "quietly." With the project coming "soon," it shouldn't take too long to find out exactly what Dyer's carefully worded speech was referring to.

JoystiqZynga welcoming Konami, Rebellion, and Playdemic to Zynga.com originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gdc-2012john-schappertkonamiplaydemicrebellionrob-dyerzyngazynga-platformzynga.comThu, 08 Mar 2012 19:47:00 EST<![CDATA[Zynga Platform launches in open beta]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/06/zyngas-platform-launches-in-open-beta/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/06/zyngas-platform-launches-in-open-beta/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/06/zyngas-platform-launches-in-open-beta/#comments Well, that was fast. Just days after announcing its Zynga Platform, the casual and social games giant has revealed Zynga Platform is now available in open beta form. Like, you can go to Zynga.com right now and play some games. As of writing this post, 1.6 million people are currently doing just that.

Some functionality isn't live right now, but if you're a seasoned player, you'll find your progress there waiting for you on Zynga Platform. You can set up a Zynga profile, add some zFriends (ugh) and chat, and play any of the five games available: CastleVille, Words with Friends, CityVille, Hidden Chronicles and Zynga Poker.

JoystiqZynga Platform launches in open beta originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>castlevillecityvillehidden-chroniclesmacpcwords-with-friendszyngazynga-platformzynga-pokerTue, 06 Mar 2012 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Zynga stock jumps after announcing a platform separate from Facebook]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/02/zynga-stock-jumps-after-announcing-a-platform-separate-from-face/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/02/zynga-stock-jumps-after-announcing-a-platform-separate-from-face/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/02/zynga-stock-jumps-after-announcing-a-platform-separate-from-face/#comments One of investors' main concerns when it comes to Zynga is the fact that it piggybacks on Facebook -- very successfully, mind you, but still, its entire multi-million dollar existence relies on a social networking platform that has a mind and billions of dollars of its own. Yesterday, when Zynga announced it will be launching its own gaming/social platform at zynga.com, investors perked up, and Zynga's stock rose 10 percent.

Zynga's stock had been trading at $13.43 and it rose to $14.49 by the end of the day yesterday. For once we agree with the stock market, at least in principle. Anything that puts Zynga in its own bubble that can only be reached by choice is a very, very good thing.

JoystiqZynga stock jumps after announcing a platform separate from Facebook originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidfacebookiosipadiphonemacmobilepcPlatformstocksZyngaFri, 02 Mar 2012 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Zynga breaking away from Facebook dependency with 'Zynga Platform']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/01/zynga-breaking-away-from-facebook-dependency-with-zynga-platfor/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/01/zynga-breaking-away-from-facebook-dependency-with-zynga-platfor/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/01/zynga-breaking-away-from-facebook-dependency-with-zynga-platfor/#comments Zynga is, evidently, aware how crazy and risky it sounds to tie your entire multimillion-dollar business to a single other company (like, say, Facebook). And so it is diversifying, announcing its own Zynga Platform, a Zynga-run portal for the company's social games, like CastleVille, Words with Friends, and ... you know, Zynga stuff.

The platform will feature a live "Social Stream" to see your friends' activity, player profiles (with a "helpfulness" rating), and even a selection of games from other social game companies who are acting as "partners" on the platform.

The Platform will be located at zynga.com, and will launch in beta form "in a few days," according to the announcement from CEO Mark Pincus.

JoystiqZynga breaking away from Facebook dependency with 'Zynga Platform' originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>pcsocial-gameszyngazynga-platformThu, 01 Mar 2012 20:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Tiny Tower mission pokes fun at Zynga and Dream Heights]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/23/tiny-tower-mission-pokes-fun-at-zynga-and-dream-heights/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/23/tiny-tower-mission-pokes-fun-at-zynga-and-dream-heights/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/23/tiny-tower-mission-pokes-fun-at-zynga-and-dream-heights/#comments Tiny Tower gets a new mission every Wednesday, and they're usually simple, themed tasks which players must complete for bonus Tower Bux, the game's currency. This week, a mission called "Beware of Dog" takes a shot at Zynga's clone, Dream Heights.

"After failing to buy your tower, a rival developer would like the following: 13,500 Tower Design (Architect Office) and 4,500 City Sim (Game Studio)." The icon for the individual awarding the mission is a little man dressed as a devil.

We took a screen shot of the "Beware of Dog" mission. You can see it in full past the break.

Continue reading Tiny Tower mission pokes fun at Zynga and Dream Heights

JoystiqTiny Tower mission pokes fun at Zynga and Dream Heights originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 04:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>11bit-studiosandroidbeward-of-the-dogdream-heightsiosipadiphonemobiletiny-towerzyngazynga-dream-heightsThu, 23 Feb 2012 04:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Zynga lost over $400 million in 2011 while 58.5 million people played its games every day]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/14/zynga-lost-over-400-million-in-2011-while-58-5-million-people-p/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/14/zynga-lost-over-400-million-in-2011-while-58-5-million-people-p/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/14/zynga-lost-over-400-million-in-2011-while-58-5-million-people-p/#comments Zynga's 2011 financial report is chock full of unexciting numbers (we'll get to them in a moment, if that's your kind of thing), but it does contain a few interesting morsels. For instance, Zynga completely owned the top five most played games on Facebook -- according to daily active user numbers -- refuting a report from Facebook late last year which fudged the numbers to bizarre effect.

The company dominated Facebook's annual game charts with 54 million of the approximately 800 million users playing Zynga games every single day in Q4 (roughly 4.25 million fewer than Zynga's annual average DAUs). And those users were buying up enough microtransacted goods to earn Zynga $1.07 billion solely online for the entirety of 2011, with a total of $1.14 billion earned in revenue for the year.

Now here's the bad news: despite earning over $1 billion in 2011, the company ended up with a net loss for the year of $404.3 million. According to the quarterly financials press release, Zynga paid out $510 million for "stock-based compensation expense for restricted stock units issued to employees" -- compensation it didn't have to pay until the company went public. The company's stock is currently trading $4.35 north of its introductory $10 price per share.

JoystiqZynga lost over $400 million in 2011 while 58.5 million people played its games every day originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidfinancialsfy-2011iosipadiphonemacmobilepcq4-2011zyngaTue, 14 Feb 2012 23:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Zynga sued for patent infringement]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/13/zynga-sued-for-patent-infringement/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/13/zynga-sued-for-patent-infringement/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/13/zynga-sued-for-patent-infringement/#comments Zynga is being sued again, but not for any of the reasons you're probably thinking of. Personalized Media Communications, an intellectual properties company that makes its living by licensing its plethora of patents to various technology companies, has filed suit against the social mogul, alleging that Zynga's headlining titles infringe upon four of its patents.

The patents in question cover a wide range of exceedingly vague situations, from "controlled access of media content" to "personalized content based on individual attributes" and "the use of control and information signals embedded in electronic media content to generate output for display that is personalized and relevant to a user."

If you're thinking "Well gosh, those sound like they could potentially apply to literally everything on the whole Internet," that's the whole point. After countless billable hours and several appeals, this will either end with Zynga signing a licensing agreement with PMC and paying a potentially substantial amount of back license fees determined by the court, or PMC's patents will be deemed as either inapplicable or too vague, at which point everyone goes home. Either way, some lawyers are getting paid.

JoystiqZynga sued for patent infringement originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>iosipadiphonelawlawsuitlegalmacmobilepcpersonalized-media-communicationsPMCzyngaMon, 13 Feb 2012 22:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Zynga's Dream Heights ready to build tiny towers on App Store]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/13/zyngas-dream-heights-ready-to-build-tiny-towers-on-app-store/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/13/zyngas-dream-heights-ready-to-build-tiny-towers-on-app-store/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/13/zyngas-dream-heights-ready-to-build-tiny-towers-on-app-store/#comments There's been plenty of controversy regarding the visual similarities between NimbleBit's popular Tiny Tower and Zynga's Dream Heights, but now the public can check out the full monty. Zynga announced that Dream Heights, which "surely isn't the first of many great games already in this category" according to the publisher, is now widely available. Zynga describes Dream Heights as the "most social" game of its kind, allowing players to invite their Facebook friends to the mobile title.

As of this writing there are two polar reviews:

1 star: "Simply awful and shameful attempt to capitalize on the success of Tiny Tower."

5 stars: "Dream Heights is beautiful, fun and polished. Another must-play from Zynga."

Check out Dream Heights and let us know what you think.

Gallery: NimbleBit Letter to Zynga

JoystiqZynga's Dream Heights ready to build tiny towers on App Store originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dream-heightsiosipadiphonemobileNimbleBittiny-towerZyngaMon, 13 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Hasbro and Zynga make a deal, toys and games incoming]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/11/hasbro-and-zynga-make-a-deal-toys-and-games-incoming/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/11/hasbro-and-zynga-make-a-deal-toys-and-games-incoming/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/11/hasbro-and-zynga-make-a-deal-toys-and-games-incoming/#comments 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

JoystiqHasbro 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]]>board-gamesfarmvillehasbromy-little-ponyouijaouija-boardtoyswords-with-friendszyngaSat, 11 Feb 2012 01:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Kill Screen on the legality of cloning game design]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/kill-screen-on-the-legality-of-cloning-game-design/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/kill-screen-on-the-legality-of-cloning-game-design/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/kill-screen-on-the-legality-of-cloning-game-design/#comments With the recent spate of cloned game stories -- namely those alleged to be the work of Zynga -- Kill Screen has put together an interesting article about the legality of the practice and its effects on the industry. In short, cloning an entire game and stealing its assets is illegal. However, cloning a game's ideas is not -- see Scrabble vs. Words with Friends -- and, while it can be morally repugnant, it can also be healthy for the industry.

Game designers "borrow" from one another all the time, taking mechanics from successful games and implementing them elsewhere -- think stealth, cover-based shooting, power meters, triple jumps. That said, outright cloning is still a problem, one Kill Screen asserts we can address with education and a few notes from the fashion industry. In other words, teach consumers how to tell the difference between a knock-off and the real thing.

JoystiqKill Screen on the legality of cloning game design originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cloneclonescloningdream-heightsnimblebittiny-towerzyngaFri, 03 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Facebook seeking $5 billion in IPO fundraising]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/01/facebook-seeking-5-billion-in-ipo-fundraising/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/01/facebook-seeking-5-billion-in-ipo-fundraising/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/01/facebook-seeking-5-billion-in-ipo-fundraising/#comments 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.

JoystiqFacebook 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]]>androidfarmvilleinitial-public-offeringiosipadiphoneipomacmark-zuckerbergmobilemoneypcso-so-so-much-moneyzyngaWed, 01 Feb 2012 19:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Zynga responds to copycat claims, NimbleBit rebuts]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/01/zynga-responds-to-copycat-claims-nimblebit-rebuts/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/01/zynga-responds-to-copycat-claims-nimblebit-rebuts/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/01/zynga-responds-to-copycat-claims-nimblebit-rebuts/#comments "You should be careful not to throw stones when you live in glass towers," Zynga head Mark Pincus said in a recent VentureBeat interview, firing back at recent criticisms of his company's games for being copycat versions of already released games. His cheeky comment is specifically targeted at indie dev NimbleBit, creator of Tiny Tower, who recently wrote an open letter to Zynga addressing similarities between its game and Zynga's upcoming Facebook title Dream Heights.

"When you pull the lens back, you saw that their tower game looked similar to five other tower games going all the way back to SimTower in the early 1990s," he added. But Pincus' argument goes beyond cheeky jabs -- he also makes the point that Zynga isn't a copycat developer as much as it is an iteration developer. Pincus also defends against Buffalo Studios' recent accusations, citing his company's own game (Poker Blitz) as inspiration -- at least visually -- for Bingo Blitz, as seen above.

As Pincus says in an internal memo, "Google didn't create the first search engine. Apple didn't create the first mp3 player or tablet. And, Facebook didn't create the first social network. But these companies have evolved products and categories in revolutionary ways. They are all internet treasures because they all have specific and broad missions to change the world."

NimbleBit, unsurprisingly, doesn't agree. Company co-founder Ian Marsh told Touch Arcade that while "It was a smart idea for Mark Pincus and Zynga to try and lump all games with the name 'Tower' together as an actual genre whose games borrow from each other," he added, "sharing a name or setting does not a genre make." And now that we've devolved into genre definitions, we can officially declare this story over. Like, forever.

JoystiqZynga responds to copycat claims, NimbleBit rebuts originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bingo-blitzbuffalo-studiosdream-heightsmacmark-pincusnimblebitpcpoker-blitzzyngaWed, 01 Feb 2012 09:32:00 EST<![CDATA[Another indie dev points to Zynga similarity with cheeky chart]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/30/another-indie-dev-points-to-zynga-similarity-with-cheeky-chart/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/30/another-indie-dev-points-to-zynga-similarity-with-cheeky-chart/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/30/another-indie-dev-points-to-zynga-similarity-with-cheeky-chart/#comments It seems nonsensical to propose that a bingo-based game could be copied, but in the case of Buffalo Studios' Bingo Blitz and Zynga's Zynga Bingo, the evidence is rather clear. "We wanted to alert you to the striking similarities between Zynga's recently announced game, to our game Bingo Blitz," Buffalo Studios VP of product marketing and operations Salim Mith told Venture Beat. Mith also offered a cheeky visual letter addressed to the Facebook game publishing giant, comparing images of Bingo Blitz to those of Zynga Bingo to highlight the similarities (seen in full after the break).

The letter comes just five days after Tiny Tower dev NimbleBit created a similar visualization to address what it perceived as a copy of its building management sim in Zynga's Dream Heights. Zynga has yet to respond to copycat allegations from either NimbleBit or Buffalo Studios, but it's also possible that the publisher simply can't hear the complaints over the din of its coffers being filled.

Continue reading Another indie dev points to Zynga similarity with cheeky chart

JoystiqAnother indie dev points to Zynga similarity with cheeky chart originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bingo-blitzbuffalobuffalo-studioscopycatfacebookmacnimblebitpczyngazynga-bingoMon, 30 Jan 2012 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Closed beta testing for Zynga Bingo begins]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/28/closed-beta-testing-for-zynga-bingo-begins/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/28/closed-beta-testing-for-zynga-bingo-begins/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/28/closed-beta-testing-for-zynga-bingo-begins/#comments If you love games of chance and stamping cards but hate being around the elderly, know that Zynga is working on a solution for your extremely specific and worryingly ageist dilema. Zynga Bingo has begun beta testing and will be made available to the general public "very soon," according to Shacknews.

The app will join Zynga Poker as part of the Zynga Casino suite and will allow players to score on up to six cards, as well as fill in spots on friends' cards. There will also be power-ups of some kind, which is where we expect to find Zynga's trademark monetization, although that's purely speculation on our part. We also expect Zynga Bingo to post "BINGO!" on your friends' walls every time you win, but we desperately hope we're wrong about that.

JoystiqClosed beta testing for Zynga Bingo begins originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>beta-testbeta-testingbingofacebookmacMicrotransactionspczyngazynga-bingoSat, 28 Jan 2012 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Tiny Tower dev wishes Zynga luck on clone]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/25/tiny-tower-dev-wishes-zynga-luck-on-clone/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/25/tiny-tower-dev-wishes-zynga-luck-on-clone/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/25/tiny-tower-dev-wishes-zynga-luck-on-clone/#comments NimbleBit, the three-person indie team responsible for the iOS hit Tiny Tower, is voicing its displeasure with Zynga's Dream Heights via passive aggressive infographic. Posted by NimbleBit's Ian Marsh, the graphic wishes Zynga luck with its new iPhone game that shares more than a passing resemblance to Tiny Tower.

"We wanted to thank all you guys for being such big fans of our iPhone game of the year Tiny Tower," NimbleBit wrote to Zynga's 2,789 employees. "Good luck with your game, we are looking forward to inspiring you with our future games!"

Marsh does note that Zynga did try to acquire NimbleBit first, but seems to have decided on a different route. The iOS scene, with its shorter development cycles and lower barrier to entry, has seen numerous examples of games the blur the line between "inspiration" and blatant theft.

Gallery: NimbleBit Letter to Zynga

JoystiqTiny Tower dev wishes Zynga luck on clone originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>clonedream-heightsiosiphonemobileNimbleBittiny-towerZyngaWed, 25 Jan 2012 10:50:00 EST<![CDATA[Zynga considering online gambling; puts $1 billion on Red 14]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/24/zynga-considering-online-gambling-puts-1-billion-on-red-14/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/24/zynga-considering-online-gambling-puts-1-billion-on-red-14/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/24/zynga-considering-online-gambling-puts-1-billion-on-red-14/#comments Zynga let it all ride with its IPO late last year and its stock has fluctuated ever since, with some analysts suggesting the social-games market has capped out its user base, that it doesn't generate enough consumer spending, and that Zynga just isn't worth very much as a company. Perhaps in answer to these claims, Zynga is flirting with the idea of online gambling -- the kind with real money.

Zynga is talking with several potential partners about the foray, a spokesperson told All Things D, along with the following statement: "Zynga Poker is the world's largest online poker game with more than 7 million people playing every day and over 30 million each month. We know from listening to our players that there's an interest in the real-money gambling market. We're in active conversations with potential partners to better understand and explore this new opportunity."

Entering the online-gambling industry would help Zynga end its piggyback dependence on Facebook, which may quell some investors' concerns about its future as an independent company. And it may stop Zynga from making more games like Farmville.

JoystiqZynga considering online gambling; puts $1 billion on Red 14 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidiosipadiphonemacmobileonline-gamblingpcZyngazynga-pokerTue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Zynga's paid $300 per new user in the past nine months, says analyst]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/21/zyngas-paid-300-per-new-user-in-the-past-nine-months-says-ana/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/21/zyngas-paid-300-per-new-user-in-the-past-nine-months-says-ana/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/21/zyngas-paid-300-per-new-user-in-the-past-nine-months-says-ana/#comments 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.

JoystiqZynga'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]]>arvind-bhatiafarmvillefinancialsgamingipomafia-warsmobilepcpricessocialsocial-gamingstockzyngaSat, 21 Jan 2012 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[New Zynga titles struggle, analysts call for increase in daily active users]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/18/new-zynga-titles-struggle-analysis-call-for-increase-in-daily-a/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/18/new-zynga-titles-struggle-analysis-call-for-increase-in-daily-a/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/18/new-zynga-titles-struggle-analysis-call-for-increase-in-daily-a/#comments Zynga's two latest games, Hidden Chronicles and the iOS-only Scramble With Friends, have failed to accumulate the same daily active user (DAU) totals as two of the social giant's previous releases, Castleville or Empires and Allies. This spells big trouble for the company's trading value and future growth, at least according to a report released by financial analysis group Cowen and Company.

Hidden Chronicles' 12 day post-launch DAU total of 710,000 is well below the over 5 million DAU figure reached by Empires and Allies and Castleville during their first 12 days of existence; similarly, Scramble With Friends has failed to penetrate the Top 20 barrier on the App Store. Historically, Zynga's DAU totals peak 3 months after a game has been released (according to the report), and while it's possible that both Hidden Chronicles and Scramble With Friends could slowly acquire a larger user base, there's nothing in Zynga's statistical history to make that extremely plausible.

Now, 710,000 daily users sounds like a ton of people, but Zynga has set the bar so high that it's not enough to keep the company's overall growth even: "The quarterly rate of DAU decline for Zynga's titles that are at least three months old has averaged 18.4 percent per quarter for the last two years," explained Doug Creutz of Cowen and Company. "Assuming Zynga averages a 20 percent quarterly rate of decline for titles beyond their launch windows in 2012, the company must add 9-10 million DAUs per quarter from new games just to keep total DAUs constant."

So basically, any game Zynga releases in 2012 has to achieve at least 5 million daily users in order for the company's user base to break even. In other news, Zynga has constructed a super-sonic ultra-high-altitude aircraft to recover the bar it's accidentally set for itself in the exosphere.

JoystiqNew Zynga titles struggle, analysts call for increase in daily active users originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>analystcastlevilleCowen-and-Companydaily-active-usersDAUEmpires-and-AlliesHidden-Chroniclesmobilepcscramble-with-friendszyngaWed, 18 Jan 2012 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Zynga CEO defends stock price, says culture 'not ultra competitive']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/16/zynga-ceo-defends-stock-price-says-culture-not-ultra-competiti/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/16/zynga-ceo-defends-stock-price-says-culture-not-ultra-competiti/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/16/zynga-ceo-defends-stock-price-says-culture-not-ultra-competiti/#comments 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.

JoystiqZynga 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]]>farmvillemacmark-pincuspczyngaMon, 16 Jan 2012 22:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Barry Cottle joins Zynga as Exec VP after EA Interactive absorbed into EA]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/13/barry-cottle-joins-zynga-as-exec-vp-after-ea-interactive-absorbe/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/13/barry-cottle-joins-zynga-as-exec-vp-after-ea-interactive-absorbe/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/13/barry-cottle-joins-zynga-as-exec-vp-after-ea-interactive-absorbe/#comments EA Interactive, the branch in charge of social and mobile gaming, has been folded into other divisions at EA, most notably to EA Labels and its digital ventures. EAi's former head, Barry Cottle, has jumped ship to join Zynga as executive VP of business and corporate development. Cottle was in charge of EA's social and mobile efforts, including The Sims Social on Facebook and Dead Space on iOS.

EA's digital business brought in more than $1 billion in 2011, and Zynga raised $1 billion in its IPO (although that is off to a rocky start). These are two major players in what we often see as a minor, slightly annoying subsection of the gaming industry, and it will be interesting to see what happens when their streams cross.

Continue reading Barry Cottle joins Zynga as Exec VP after EA Interactive absorbed into EA

JoystiqBarry Cottle joins Zynga as Exec VP after EA Interactive absorbed into EA originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidBarry-CottleEAEAiElectronic-ArtsiosipadiphonemacmobilepcsocialZyngaFri, 13 Jan 2012 12:50:00 EST<![CDATA[Reggie Fils-Aime doesn't think much of Zynga, but he's intrigued by free-to-play gaming]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/23/reggie-fils-aime-doesnt-think-much-of-zynga-but-hes-intrigued/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/23/reggie-fils-aime-doesnt-think-much-of-zynga-but-hes-intrigued/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/23/reggie-fils-aime-doesnt-think-much-of-zynga-but-hes-intrigued/#comments Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime is notorious for his ability to say very little with a whole lot of words, but he doesn't bother mincing words when it comes to his feelings on social gaming giant Zynga. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital blog, Fils-Aime answers a question regarding his thoughts on Zynga's recent IPO by saying, "What's the share price? It will be interesting when it breaks below $9." In case it isn't clear, that's the executive way of saying, "Your IPO ain't shit."

He continues by inferring that Zynga's creating the same titles over and over, presumably referring to the company's many "Ville" games, though he seems more than okay with his own company doing as much with its recent release of the seventh Mario Kart title.

As for the free-to-play business model, however, Fils-Aime is less pessimistic. While he says, "I would argue Facebook is a platform ... I wouldn't expect to see our franchises on other platforms [that aren't owned by Nintendo]," he admits that Nintendo will "certainly" be experimenting with "other forms of monetization." When we'll see that pricing experimentation remains to be seen, however, as Fils-Aime only reveals vaguely that said price "experimentation" is currently taking place across Nintendo's various internal studios.

[Image credit: 'nateog']

JoystiqReggie Fils-Aime doesn't think much of Zynga, but he's intrigued by free-to-play gaming originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>free-to-playnintendo-of-americareggie-fils-aimezyngaFri, 23 Dec 2011 19:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Facebook's most popular games list topped by Playdom (which isn't Zynga)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/23/facebooks-most-popular-games-list-topped-by-playdom-which-isn/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/23/facebooks-most-popular-games-list-topped-by-playdom-which-isn/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/23/facebooks-most-popular-games-list-topped-by-playdom-which-isn/#comments You'll excuse our baffled aghast, but we just saw Facebook's most played games of 2011 list and were mesmerized by this list of stuff we've never heard of. Also, we're surprised that Disney-owned Playdom sits at the top of the list with Gardens of Time, while Zynga's myriad "Ville" offerings, "... with Friends" games, Empires & Allies, and Adventure World are instead scattered throughout the bottom nine.

EA's The Sims Social edges out Zynga as well for the number two spot, though neither Playdom nor EA can compare to Zynga's four entires on the top 10. According to Facebook, the list is put together by "looking at the top games on Facebook with more than 100,000 monthly active users and giving priority to those games with the highest user satisfaction scores."

JoystiqFacebook's most popular games list topped by Playdom (which isn't Zynga) originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 23 Dec 2011 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2011cityvilleeaelectronic-artsfacebookgardens-of-timepcplaydomthe-sims-socialzyngaFri, 23 Dec 2011 06:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Zynga stock falters, holds on first day of trading]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/17/zynga-stock-falters-holds-on-first-day-of-trading/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/17/zynga-stock-falters-holds-on-first-day-of-trading/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/17/zynga-stock-falters-holds-on-first-day-of-trading/#comments 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.

JoystiqZynga 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]]>farmvilleforbesnasdaqpcpricesstock pricesStockPricesstockszngazyngaSat, 17 Dec 2011 07:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Zynga prices IPO at $10, begins trading today]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/16/zynga-prices-ipo-at-10-begins-trading-today/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/16/zynga-prices-ipo-at-10-begins-trading-today/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/16/zynga-prices-ipo-at-10-begins-trading-today/#comments 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!

JoystiqZynga 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]]>androidfarmvillemacmobilepcZyngaFri, 16 Dec 2011 09:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Zynga's IPO road show begins, expects to raise $1 billion]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/03/zyngas-ipo-road-show-begins-expects-to-raise-1-billion/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/03/zyngas-ipo-road-show-begins-expects-to-raise-1-billion/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/03/zyngas-ipo-road-show-begins-expects-to-raise-1-billion/#comments 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.

JoystiqZynga'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]]>Activision-BlizzardEAfarmvilleipomobilemoneyNASDAQpcZNGAZyngaSat, 03 Dec 2011 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Zynga registers domains for 'Forestville']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/03/zynga-registers-domains-for-forsetville/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/03/zynga-registers-domains-for-forsetville/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/03/zynga-registers-domains-for-forsetville/#comments 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.

JoystiqZynga 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]]>castlevillecityvillefarmvilleforest-whitakerforestvillemacmobilepczyngaSat, 03 Dec 2011 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick thinks Zynga metrics are 'sketchy']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/30/take-twos-zelnick-thinks-zynga-metrics-are-sketchy/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/30/take-twos-zelnick-thinks-zynga-metrics-are-sketchy/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/30/take-twos-zelnick-thinks-zynga-metrics-are-sketchy/#comments 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'

JoystiqTake-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]]>farmvillepcStrauss-Zelnickstrauss-zelnick-diaryTake-Two-InteractiveZyngaWed, 30 Nov 2011 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[NYT: Rovio shot down $2.25 billion Zynga acquisition]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/28/nyt-rovio-shot-down-2-25-billion-zynga-acquisition/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/28/nyt-rovio-shot-down-2-25-billion-zynga-acquisition/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/28/nyt-rovio-shot-down-2-25-billion-zynga-acquisition/#comments 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.

JoystiqNYT: 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]]>farmvilleiosipadiphonemobilepcRovioZyngaMon, 28 Nov 2011 11:55:00 EST