zynga-new-york
Latest
Former OMGPOP employees speak out following closure
Immediately following its closure by Zynga, the scene in the OMGPOP office was not what you might expect. As anonymous ex-employees told Business Insider, the Draw Something studio was determined to enjoy its final day. That meant booze, loud music, and defacing Zynga paraphernalia. "Most layoffs are sad," one former employee told Business Insider. "You imagine big corporate settings where security is there to lead people out of the office so they don't make a scene. This was the opposite. Music was being played loudly and people were ripping up Zynga hoodies and t-shirts. Anything that was Zynga was completely left there. The sentiment felt positive." That's not to say there wasn't bitterness beyond the ripped clothes. Former VP of Outreach Ali Nicolas took to Twitter to chastise Zynga for its "idiotic execution" and reminding her "how not to operate a business." Like Nicolas, some employees expressed their ire to Business Insider. One employee said OMGPOP was "totally under-utilized," while another felt no-one other than Zynga CEO Mark Pincus was "really happy" about the studio being part of the company. OMGPOP was one of three studios understood to be closed as Zynga laid off 18 percent of its staff this week. Zynga acquired OMGPOP for a reported $200 million in March 2012 following the New York-based studio's phenomenal success with social doodling app Draw Something. However, the acquisition wasn't able to survive Zynga's continuing struggles, despite OMGPOP releasing Draw Something 2 only two months ago.
Zynga buys Draw Something dev OMGPOP [update: confirmed!]
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.
Zynga acquires Drop7 developer Area/Code
Area/Code's Drop7 was one of the first big games on the App Store, and it was even recently featured in the iOS indie bundle sale over the holidays. But the developer probably can't wear the indie label too proudly any more -- the studio has been acquired by social gaming giant Zynga, and will be renamed "Zynga New York." In a blog post on the website, the company doesn't really reveal what it's working on next, but it sounds like social gaming on a large scale will be the focus (right after, we hope, Drop7 gets ported into a social browser game, though they can leave the microtransactions out of it, thanks). This is of course the second big iOS-related acquisition (and rebranding) that Zynga has done, after it bought Words with Friends developer Newtoy earlier this year. I don't think this is the last buy we'll see Zynga make off of the App Store, either -- the company is flush with Farmville cash, and has been on the hunt for talented developers for a while. The only question is who they'll bring in next.
Drop7 dev Area/Code becomes 'Zynga New York'
New York City-based developer Area/Code Inc. is the newest part of Zynga's growing family. The studio will henceforth be known as "Zynga New York." Zynga chief game designer Brian Reynolds announced as much on his Twitter account, welcoming the new studio into the fold: "Introducing Zynga New York! Welcome to the family Area/Code!" A piece on Area/Code's website celebrates the acquisition, also confirming that Frank Lantz will stay on as creative director and Demetri Detsaridis as general manager -- co-founder Kevin Slavin seems to be out of the picture, with a comment stating he "remains nearby but focused on other new ventures." A statement from Zynga on its website echoes Area/Code's excitement."We recognize great talent, and Area/Code shares our passion for building lasting games that bring family and friends together for fun," it reads. Allow us to ask the first logical question, if you will -- when will Drop7 appear on Facebook?!
