Zynga, of course, isn't the only outfit in the Bay Area with a major hand in the social gaming scene.
Storm8 is another of the area's social stars, with game downloads across the firm's library totalling 400 million and the firm having had the honour of reaching #15 in PocketGamer.biz's rundown of the top 50 developers for the second year running.
The company's CEO, Perry Tam, previously worked as an Engineer at Facebook before starting up ther firm. The perfect man to ask, then, just why so many startups zero in on San Francisco.
"I imagine that it's a combination of being close to the key players in the field of mobile gaming, like Apple, Google and Facebook, and the tremendous amount of talent available here," said Tam.
"The proximity to other mobile companies is great since it presents a lot of opportunity for networking and learning."
There's plenty of finance available in the city too.
"It doesn't hurt that many venture capital firms and angel investors are located in Silicon Valley; it makes fundraising all the more convenient for those looking to go that route."
Culture clubStarting Storm8 marked a serious change in career path for Perry, but the business culture of the Bay Area meant he was never going to set up his company anywhere else.
"After graduating from Cornell University, I moved to the Bay Area and began my career in tech," he said.
"The last job I had before founding Storm8 was at Facebook, so the biggest change was transitioning from being solely an engineer to an entrepreneur."
Storm8's Bay Area offices in Redwood Shores
San Francisco had become Perry's home town during his time at Facebook, so setting up Storm8 elsewhere never crossed his mind.
"All my co-founders also lived in the Bay Area; it's a hotbed for technology and start-ups and we couldn't think of a better place to found a company than here.
"We actually never considered setting up elsewhere. Our lives and careers were just ingrained in the Bay Area that it seemed only natural to set up the company here."
One of the biggest perceived benefits for mobile studios in the Bay Area is the potential to meet the brains behind iOS and Android in person.
However, Perry believes that if you're good enough, you should be able to start a conversation with these platform holding giants from anywhere in the world.
"In-person meetings are always great and if you're local, setting them up is easier; you can easily drive down to Mountain View or Cupertino. At the end of the day though, it's what your game studio can present to the partners.
"Even if you're based elsewhere in the world, if you have a truly amazing game, Google and Apple will take notice."The battle for talent
The biggest challenge in San Francisco, however, is competing for talent.
The city's development community will always attract some of the very best individuals from around the world, but once they arrive a vast network of companies then has to compete for their attention.
However, being on the winning side is no longer all about serving up the best perks, claims Perry.
A Storm8 party in San Francisco
"We've been lucky at Storm8 to attract some of the best talent thanks to our success and the positive culture that we've fostered over the years," he said.
"It's not just about perks anymore. Anyone can give free meals. It's about what opportunity you can present to these individuals now and in the future and of course to keep challenging them every day."
Perry believes his company is well positioned to attract the best talent through the culture of the studio and their variety of projects.
"The fact that Storm8 has such a diversified portfolio of games in many different mobile gaming genres is attractive to smart candidates because they know that they're in it for the long haul and that they can dabble in many different areas and consistently grow."
No doubt these are experiences shared by Storm8's rivals, and Perry argues that spreading the studio's findings amongst others in the city has fostered a community built on co-operation.
"It's great to be close to other companies because it presents a great avenue to network," he adds.
"There's no shortage of events and meet-ups organised not only by partners and other mobile companies but also by the media in the area. It also brings some sort of camaraderie.
"We're all in the same area and we understand each others' pain points and challenges. Yes they are competitors, but they're also peers."A word of advice
It could be easy to take the city's many benefits for granted, but Perry thinks it's important that newcomers to the city balance their obvious excitement with a touch of realism.
"Founding your company in San Francisco can't guarantee success," he concludes.
"Just because you're in close proximity to partners, it doesn't mean that they will take your meetings. At the end of the day, it's about your game. Focus on your product and really make the best of it; don't get distracted by what Company A in the third floor is doing or if Startup X down the street just raised $10 million in funding.
"Stay smart, keep in touch with peers, stay on top of trends but remember that your focus 24/7 should be on your product."
Stand by for the final part of our look at the mobile development scene in San Francisco courtesy of PlayFirst tomorrow.
Have you worked in video game development in San Francisco? What was your experience of the area and what do you think the future holds?
Let us know what you think in the comments below.
