Zynga

News Byte

MySpace Co-Founder’s Games Company Acquires Former Zynga Partner

Eric Johnson in News on June 13 at 12:21 pm PT

Mobile-social games company SGN, founded by MySpace co-founder Chris DeWolfe, has acquired another independent studio, Mob Science, the companies announced in a press release. Zynga had invested in Mob Science via its Partners program, and published its Facebook RPG Legends: Rise of a Hero. That game and the rest of Mob Science’s portfolio is included in the acquisition, but monetary terms of the deal were not disclosed.

News Byte

King Touts Latest Gaming Numbers: 70 Million Daily Players, 21 Billion Games Played Per Month

Eric Johnson in News on May 16 at 6:30 am PT

On the back of its hit Facebook/mobile game Candy Crush Saga, casual game studio King said in a press release that it has crossed the 70 million mark in daily active players across all platforms. That puts it within striking distance of Zynga’s all-time quarterly peak of 72 million daily active users (achieved in Q2 2012), and well beyond that competitor’s latest quarterly total of 52 million DAU, as reported last month. The company also said that its cross-platform games are now being played more than 21 billion times per month.

News Byte

Hedge Fund Investment Pulls Zynga, Groupon Shares Out of the Weeds

Eric Johnson in News on May 15 at 9:56 am PT

Zynga and Groupon shares shot up 7 percent and 5 percent, respectively, on news of an investment from hedge fund Jana Partners, first reported by Reuters earlier this morning. The long-term picture of both companies’ stock prices has been less than rosy. After peaking in March 2012 at close to $15 per share, Zynga hasn’t risen above the $5 threshold in nearly a year. Meanwhile, Groupon has similarly remained below $10 per share in the same time frame, peaking shortly after its November IPO close to $26 per share.