Zynga

What Zynga does

Zynga is a mobile game developer and publisher that operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ: TTWO) following Take-Two's $12.7 billion acquisition completed in 2022. The company was founded in 2007 by Mark Pincus as a pioneer in social gaming on Facebook, IPO'd on NASDAQ in 2011, and now operates from its headquarters in San Mateo, California with offices spanning North America, Europe, and Asia. Zynga publishes a portfolio of more than 100 free-to-play games that have been downloaded over 10 billion times across 175+ countries, spanning casual puzzle (Toon Blast, Toy Blast, Match Factory!, Merge Dragons!), farming simulation (FarmVille 2, FarmVille 3), slots and casino (Game of Thrones Slots Casino, Wizard of Oz Slots, Hit It Rich!), social word games (Words With Friends, Crosswords With Friends), racing (CSR Racing 2, Golf Rival), RPG-puzzle hybrids (Empires & Puzzles, Game of Thrones: Legends), and licensed-IP titles (Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells, Borderlands Mobile, Survivor tie-ins). Distribution is primarily through Apple App Store, Google Play, Facebook, and Digital Turbine's Launchpad platform, with a recent expansion to Steam via Zynga Poker in August 2025.

The company's underlying technology stack includes a data infrastructure built on Amazon Redshift with centralized governance through AWS IAM Identity Center and Okta/SCIM provisioning. AI/ML capabilities are layered across marketing automation (via partner Sett, reducing campaign production from weeks to hours), content moderation and anomaly detection, ad targeting (historically via the now-divested Chartboost platform), and game design and prototyping. Notably, Zynga implemented in-app web view payment technology on Empires & Puzzles that reduces Apple platform fees from approximately 30% to around 5%, a material margin lever. The company maintains an AI organizational footprint including a Director of Applied AI and Director of Applied Data Science.

Zynga operates a freemium business model monetized primarily through in-app purchases of virtual currency, items, and boosts (with VIP programs targeting high-spending 'whale' players), supplemented by in-game advertising (via Gadsme partnership and prior Chartboost/LoopMe transaction), and IP licensing arrangements with Warner Bros. Discovery (Harry Potter, Game of Thrones), CBS (Survivor), and Gearbox (Borderlands). Revenue flows entirely through B2C distribution, with no enterprise pricing or per-seat model. Customer segments include mass-market casual mobile gamers, IP franchise fans attracted through event-driven cross-title collaborations, and high-value 'whale' spenders. Go-to-market is product-led with distribution via mobile app stores, social platforms, and emerging PC channels, supplemented by event-driven cultural tie-ins (e.g., Survivor Season 50 across five titles) to drive acquisition spikes.

Name

Zynga

Legal name

Zynga Inc.

Website

https://zynga.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Zynga is a mobile game developer and wholly-owned subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, operating a free-to-play portfolio of 100+ games across casual, puzzle, slots, racing, and RPG genres, monetized via in-app purchases and advertising for a global mass-market player base.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Gaming

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Mobile & F2P Game Studios (MPAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Game Distribution Platforms & Storefronts (PC/Mobile/Console) (MPAFABAB), Virtual Goods & Digital Item Commerce (skins, cosmetics, DLC) (MPAFAJAF), Gaming & Virtual World Communities (BPAMABAE)

Keywords

• Mobile game development
• Free-to-play gaming
• Social casino games
• Mobile puzzle games
• Live game operations

Headquarters

HQ city

San Mateo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. In-App Purchases (Virtual Items): Zynga's primary revenue stream from free-to-play mobile games. Players purchase virtual currency, items, boosts and power-ups. VIP programmes targeting 'whales' (top 5% of spenders generating ~90% of mobile gaming revenue) are a key monetization lever.
2. In-Game Advertising: Zynga monetizes its large player base through in-game advertising, including immersive non-intrusive ads (via Gadsme partnership) and its ad network capabilities through Chartboost (sold to LoopMe in 2024). Mobile advertising recovery grew 6% year-over-year in FY2026.
3. Game Franchises & IP Licensing: Zynga generates revenue through licensed IP including Harry Potter (Warner Bros. Discovery), Game of Thrones (Warner Bros. Discovery), CSR Racing (sports car brands), and Survivor (CBS), with cross-promotional in-game events tied to show releases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Zynga develops, publishes, and operates free-to-play mobile and online games as live services across multiple genres including puzzle, social casino, farming simulation, racing, RPG, and card/word games. The company monetizes its large player base through in-app purchases of virtual items, in-game advertising, and licensed-IP collaborations with major entertainment franchises such as Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and Survivor.

Product overview

Zynga is a global mobile gaming company and wholly-owned subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ: TTWO) offering a diverse portfolio of free-to-play mobile games across multiple genres. The portfolio includes puzzle games (Words With Friends, Merge Dragons!, Toon Blast, Toy Blast, Match Factory!), casino/slots games (Game of Thrones Slots Casino, Wizard of Oz Slots Casino, Hit it Rich!, Black Diamond Casino), simulation games (FarmVille 3, FarmVille 2, FarmVille 2: Country Escape, FarmVille 2: Tropic Escape), RPGs (Game of Thrones: Legends, Empires & Puzzles, Puzzle Combat), racing games (CSR Racing 2, Golf Rival), card games (Zynga Poker, Gin Rummy Plus, Rummy Plus, Spades Plus, Backgammon Plus, various Okey variants), and licensed IP titles (Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells, Wonka's World of Candy). The company also develops hyper-casual titles (Hair Challenge, High Heels!, Blob Runner 3D) and has recently expanded into PC gaming with Zynga Poker on Steam and developed Borderlands Mobile under license from Gearbox. Games are available on iOS, Android, and web platforms with operations across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NaturalMotion: Mobile game development studio known for CSR Racing, Dawn of the Titans, and various other titles
• Zynga Poker
• FarmVille
• Words With Friends
• Merge Dragons!
• Game of Thrones: Legends
• Empires & Puzzles
• CSR Racing 2

Products and services

• Zynga Poker
• Words With Friends
• FarmVille 3
• CSR Racing 2
• Merge Dragons!
• Empires & Puzzles
• Game of Thrones: Legends
• Game of Thrones Slots Casino
• Golf Rival
• Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells
• Hit It Rich!
• Toon Blast
• Toy Blast
• Match Factory!
• Dragon City
• Two Dots
• Monster Legends
• Borderlands Mobile
• FarmVille 2
• FarmVille 2: Country Escape
• Wizard of Oz Slots Casino
• Puzzle Combat
• Wonka's World of Candy
• Willy Wonka Slots
• Crosswords With Friends
• Boggle With Friends
• Solitaire
• Gin Rummy Plus
• Spades Plus
• Backgammon Plus

Quantifiable outcome

• 10 billion+ mobile game downloads globally
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability9 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Digital Turbine (DT)coreTechnology or Integration · 2 June 2026Zynga leverages Digital Turbine's Launchpad platform — a unified app distribution system operating across more than 82,000 apps and over 1 billion devices — to enable frictionless app discovery and distribution. Zynga is listed as an existing developer already leveraging the platform alongside Playtika and King.
• CBSflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 February 2026Zynga and CBS announced a cross-title collaboration for Survivor Season 50, integrating Survivor-themed content into five Zynga mobile games (Words With Friends, Zynga Poker, Two Dots, FarmVille 3, Dragon City). The partnership marks the first in-game mobile integrations in Survivor's 25-year history, with custom events, challenges, and a sweepstakes tied to the February 25, 2026 premiere.
• Dots.ecominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 November 2025Zynga partnered with nonprofit Dots.eco to launch a conservation campaign within FarmVille 3, allowing players to buy bundles that support real-world environmental efforts with verifiable certificates for protecting endangered species and restoring habitats.
• GadsmecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 October 2025Gadsme partnered with Zynga to introduce immersive, non-intrusive in-game advertisements into select Zynga mobile titles, expanding Gadsme's in-game advertising platform to over 1,600 titles from various publishers. Gadsme also established a new office in New York as part of its global expansion.
• LoopMeminorOthers · 10 December 2024Zynga sold its mobile ads and monetization platform Chartboost to LoopMe. Zynga had previously acquired Chartboost in 2021 for $250 million, and the platform managed over 90 billion advertising auctions monthly before the sale.
• Warner Bros. DiscoverycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZynga holds an exclusive license to develop mobile games based on the Harry Potter franchise (Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells) and Game of Thrones IP (Game of Thrones: Legends, Game of Thrones Slots Casino). The company coordinates with Warner Bros. Discovery for IP approval on new characters, often beginning development months before show releases to maintain authenticity.
• SettcoreTechnology or IntegrationZynga uses Sett's AI agent-based marketing automation platform, which reduces marketing production times from weeks to hours and saves companies millions annually in user acquisition costs. Sett's platform uses AI agents to automate game marketing workflows.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• King (Activision Blizzard): King is the leading match-3 mobile game studio behind Candy Crush Saga, directly comparable to Zynga's Empires & Puzzles, Toon Blast, and Toy Blast. Both target mass-market casual mobile gamers with F2P + IAP models.
• Playtika: Playtika is a leading mobile social casino and casual games publisher (Slotomania, House of Fun, Bingo Blitz), directly comparable to Zynga's slots titles (Hit it Rich!, Wizard of Oz Slots, Game of Thrones Slots Casino) and live-ops expertise.
• Supercell: Supercell is a top mobile game studio (Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Brawl Stars), comparable to Zynga in mobile F2P live-ops at scale, with a similarly small number of highly monetizing flagship titles.
• Scopely: Scopely is a mobile-first game publisher (Monopoly GO!, Stumble Guys, Marvel Strike Force) with comparable IP-licensed titles (Marvel, Star Wars) and similar mid-core/casual F2P mobile model. Acquired by Savvy Games Group in 2023 for ~$4.9B.
• Voodoo: Voodoo is a leading hyper-casual mobile game publisher with 2B+ downloads globally, directly comparable to Zynga's hyper-casual portfolio (Hair Challenge, High Heels!, Blob Runner 3D) and ad-driven monetization.
• Rovio Entertainment: Rovio is the developer of Angry Birds, a mobile-first F2P studio with comparable casual puzzle + IP licensing approach (Angry Birds movies, licensed merchandise). Acquired by Sega in 2023 for ~$775M.

Broad incumbents

• Electronic Arts (EA Mobile): EA is a major AAA publisher with a large mobile games division (FIFA Mobile, Madden Mobile, The Sims Mobile). It is a broad incumbent with overlapping F2P mobile and live-service operations but a much larger console/PC footprint than Zynga.
• Roblox Corporation: Roblox operates a user-generated gaming platform with comparable F2P mobile gaming and virtual goods commerce. It is a broader incumbent focused on the metaverse/UGC category rather than first-party game publishing like Zynga.
• Activision Blizzard (Microsoft): Activision Blizzard (now under Microsoft) owns King and Call of Duty Mobile, making it a broad incumbent with a large mobile gaming portfolio that directly overlaps with Zynga's casual and mid-core mobile segments.

Emerging players

• Niantic: Niantic develops mobile AR games (Pokémon GO, Monster Hunter Now, Pikmin Bloom), comparable to Zynga's location-based and mobile social game heritage, though focused on AR rather than traditional F2P mechanics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/zynga
• Facebookfacebook.com/Zynga
• Instagraminstagram.com/zynga
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zynga

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds11 records

Investors22 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A41 records

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zynga