As rumoured towards the end of May, Zynga has taken the first step towards going public by filing an initial public offering (IPO) with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The filing states Zynga is looking to raise $1 billion from the offering, with Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs serving as the lead bankers for the move.

Also playing a part will be Morgan Chase, Bank of America and Barclays Capital.

Future planning

"Our strategy from the beginning has been to build the biggest macro bet on social gaming to provide our players with the most accessible, social and fun games," reads founder and CEO Mark Pincus in the S-1 form.

"Despite our rapid growth, we have been careful to build for the long term."

Also in amongst the filing are a bevy of statistics casting light on the position the social gaming giant is enjoying today, with Zynga claiming to have 232 million monthly active users (MAUs) across 166 different countries on board.

Said players create and store more than 38,000 virtual items every day, in the process of clocking up a total of 2 billion minutes of playtime daily.

Money matters

On the financial front, the company posted revenues of $597 million in 2011, and recorded a further $235 million in the first quarter of 2011.

The business is also profitable, posting $90.6 million in net income last year. Q1 2011 profits came in at $11.8 million.

"With this offering we are inviting you to join our mission," concludes Pincus.

"Invest with us because you believe in the potential for the world to play together. Evaluate us by how many of your friends and family play our games.

"Before you invest, we hope you will play our games. And, if you're part of the hundreds of millions who have already played our games, thank you. You're part of the future."

You can read the S-1 in full here.