Zynga is presented in the article as a social gaming company. The Financial Times reports that Zynga raised $15m. The piece frames the raise as a continuation of the company’s social-gaming momentum. The article provides no operating metrics (users or revenue) or detailed product descriptions beyond its social-gaming focus. It does not disclose investor names or the type of financing. No additional financial details or future plans are included in the text provided. Zynga develops and operates social games and has focused on expanding its footprint in Asia. The company raised $150 million from Softbank Capital to support regional growth, bringing total funding to $366 million. Zynga has acquired Chinese gaming company XPD Media and opened an office in Beijing, and earlier established operations in Bangalore, India. The Softbank investment is likely part of a broader partnership to facilitate entry into the Japanese market. Last fall the company raised $180 million from DST and others, and its valuation was estimated around $4 billion. As it expands in Asia, Zynga will encounter regional competitors including Japan’s DeNa and China’s Tencent and Shanda. Zynga develops popular social games, including Mafia Wars, and relies heavily on Facebook for distribution and advertising. The company is reportedly Facebook’s largest advertiser and has close ties to the social network. Zynga raised a large venture round in which some proceeds were used for secondary purchases of employee shares. Investors and board connections include prominent Silicon Valley figures such as Marc Andreessen. Public discussion around the round referenced DST’s ownership ties and headlines about one of its major shareholders. Financially, the company has now raised $219 million in total after the new financing. Zynga builds casual, social-network games and operates popular Facebook titles such as Texas Hold'Em, Attack, and Scramble. On Facebook alone, Zynga’s games have 1.6 million daily active users, and Texas Hold’Em registers four million hands played daily. The company announced the acquisition of YoVille, a virtual‑world Facebook app with 150,000 daily active users. Zynga relies on cross-promotion across its most popular games as a distribution mechanism to keep player-acquisition costs low. CEO Mark Pincus says the company is cash-flow positive, retained the $10 million it raised in January, and has about 80 employees. Management expects games to become more graphical and immersive within 18 months, plans to spend more on production values and marketing, and intends to continue acquiring small gaming-app startups.

Total raised

$374M

Funding rounds

4

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Jan 2024