Zynga return to profitability in sight - FT.com
▻http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/d31e7048-3ced-11e3-a8c4-00144feab7de.html?siteedition=uk
It is the first period under the leadership of Don Mattrick, the former Microsoft head of gaming who was previously at #Electronic_Arts, since his appointment as Zynga’s chief executive in July.
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Mr Mattrick said that he believed games such as FarmVille, Words with Friends and Zynga Poker could be “evergreen in terms of consumer interest” despite the number of people playing its games every month falling by more than half over the past year, from 311m to 133m.
The gaming company also said that it would appoint another former Electronic Arts executive, Clive Downie, as its chief operating officer. Mr Downie was most recently chief executive for the American and European division of DeNA, a Japanese mobile gaming company.
Zynga has struggled to make the transition from Facebook games to apps for smartphones and tablets. Mobile devices are attracting a growing number of casual players and driving the success of rivals such as Finland’s #Supercell, which was valued at $3bn in a deal with SoftBank last week, and #King, creator of Candy Crush Saga, which is planning to go public in the coming months.
