Mobile games specialist Zynga experienced the best year for revenue in its history in 2020 as it grossed $1.97 billion.

The impressive figure represents a growth rate of 49 per cent year-over-year. Moreover, the company broke its record for bookings too as it saw a rise of 45 per cent year-over-year to $2.27 billion.

Meanwhile, user-pay revenue saw impressive growth too as it reached a new record of $1.67 billion, an increase of 59 per cent year-over-year.

The records didn't stop there, as advertising revenue reached $307 million in 2020, while international earnings hit $763 million. They grew 12 per cent and 54 per cent year-on-year, respectively.

Undoubtedly, the impressive revenue numbers can be attributed to the high profile acquisition Zynga secured last year. It snapped up Toon Blast creator Peak Games for a cool $1.85 billion, followed by hypercasual specialist Rollic.

Moreover, Zynga has cited Harry Potter: Puzzles and Spells as a good performer, having generated $40 million within four months of its September 2020 release.

However, it is worth noting that the company also posted net losses of $429 million in 2020.

What a quarter

Zynga also experienced record revenue and bookings in Q4 2020 as it generated $616 million and $699 million, respectively.

The impressive numbers represent a growth rate of 52 per cent year-on-year for revenue, while bookings saw an increase of 61 per cent year-on-year.

Moreover, the company saw a new record for user spending too as its revenue increased 54 per cent year-over-year to $499 million. Meanwhile, user-pay bookings hit $582 million, a growth rate of 64 per cent year-on-year.

More than that, Zynga also broke its record for advertising revenue and international earnings as the sectors generated $117 million and $236 million, respectively.

Furthermore, having grown 77 per cent year-on-year, daily active users reached 36 million in Q4, while Zynga also broke its record for monthly active users with 134 million, an increase of 103 per cent year-on-year.

Strong finish

"In an unprecedented year, our talented and resilient teams finished Q4 strong, delivering our highest quarterly revenue and bookings in Zynga's history," said Zynga CEO Frank Gibeau.

"Our execution throughout 2020 added meaningful scale to our live services platform and strengthened our position as one of the leading mobile game publishers in the world.

"Our live services portfolio is off to a tremendous start in 2021 led by our Forever Franchises, momentum in Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells and two new top downloaded hyper-casual games from Rollic.

"Zynga's multi-year strategy of growing our live services, launching new games and investing in exciting growth opportunities has us well-positioned for growth in 2021 and beyond."