Zynga's acquisition of OMGPOP is failing to deliver the goods, with the studio's Draw Something follow up falling short of the success enjoyed by its predecessor.
That's according to research carried about by BTIG, which concludes that the strong debut of Draw Something 2 back at the end of April has been followed by a strong decline in the game's fortunes.
In short, Zynga is struggling to recapture the appeal - and, more importantly, earning potential - of the original game.
Draw Something
anything
That's a trend that won't surprise everyone, however.
The original Draw Something's popularity began to wane shortly after Zynga acquired OMGPOP - a decision that ultimately led to the social gaming giant writing off close to $95 million in revenue in 2012.
Nevertheless, Draw Something 2's start looked promising. The app reached the coveted #1 spot in iOS downloads within two days of its release.
As BTIG's analysis highlights, the game only lingered there for a week, however, before falling to the #2 spot on 2 May that it held onto for three days.
After 5 May, Draw Something 2 plummeted down to the #31 spot all less than a month after its release.
Fudged follow up?
For comparison's sake, the original Draw Something was released by OMGPOP on February 1, 2012 and reached #1 on March 3 2012.
It hovered around the top spot until 4 April (two weeks after the Zynga acquisition) and fell to the #26 spot on 24 May, nearly three months after it peaked at #1.
In terms of grossing ranks, the picture for Draw Something 2 is even bleaker. The original Draw Something peaked at #3 on March 21 2012 before falling down to the mid-70s two months later.
Draw Something 2, by contrast, peaked at #74 on the grossing ranks and has since declined to #151, painting a picture of a game that - to Zynga's cost - isn't monetising as the firm would hope.
[source: BTIG Research]
News
US Correspondent
Representing the former colonies, Matt keeps the Pocket Gamer news feed updated when sleepy Europeans are sleeping. As a frustrated journalist, diehard gamer and recovering MMO addict, this is pretty much his dream job.
Top Stories
Feature
May 17th, 2024
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from a battle royale to a console classic remake
Feature
May 16th, 2024
Behind the scenes: How adding sandwich offers to an idle merge game boosted three metrics at once
Events
Digital Dragons | Europe | May 19th |
GamesBeat Summit 2024 | North America | May 20th |
Mobidictum Meetup Tallinn May 2024 | Europe | May 21st |
Nordic Game Spring 2024 | Nordic | May 21st |
Impact 2024 - Indie Games | May 23rd | |
Morocco Gaming Expo | Africa | May 24th |
MomoCon 2024 | North America | May 24th |
Unreal Fest Gold Coast 2024 | Australasia | May 29th |
Popular Stories
Feature
May 14th, 2024
53 top mobile games in soft launch: Squad Busters, Battle Guys: Royale, Plants vs. Zombies 3, LEGO Hill Climb Adventures, and more
Feature
May 13th, 2024
Hot Five: Dubai's new Gaming Visa, April's mobile game charts, and Xbox studio closures
Interview
May 13th, 2024