News

Zynga's OMGPOP deal rumoured at $210 million as companies vow Draw Something won't change

Over 1 billion drawings sketched last week

Zynga's OMGPOP deal rumoured at $210 million as companies vow Draw Something won't change
After days of speculation, social giant Zynga has confirmed it's acquired OMGPOP, the studio behind recent iOS smash Draw Something.

The company claims the developer will be set to work on delivering new mobile IP for Zynga, following the success of its aforementioned release, which amassed 35 million downloads in its first five weeks on the platform.

Drawing focus

"Draw Something has captured the imagination of millions of people around the world," said Zynga CEO Mark Pincus of the firm's latest acquisition.

"We love the way they've worked playful and relevant culture into their games from Devo to Daft Punk, from Lin to Beckham. We're honoured to have the opportunity to partner with and support such an innovative team of creative inventors."

Indeed, Zynga's press spiel points heavily towards Draw Something being the main motivation for the buyout, with the two parties detailing a bevy of fresh stats on the game's performance to accompany the acquisition.

According to said stats, Draw Something is played host to a total of 1 billion drawings since launch, with 3,000 new sketches being created every second at the game's peak.

The two parties claim the game is currently the most downloaded word game on the App Store in a total of 84 countries.

Focus on fun

For its part, OMGPOP said Zynga "recognised the power of Draw Something" and has assured the studio it would let it continue to focus on titles with an "irreverent, social" edge.

"The game will stay true to you and what you love, and it’s my solemn vow that the magic of Draw Something will not change," said OMGPOP CEO Dan Porter.

"I know without a doubt that Zynga is the right partner for OMGPOP. Our new partners at Zynga know how to innovate at scale, and they’re pushing the limits of social with their mobile games. 

"With the added resources we now have, and the deep gaming experience we can draw from, we can’t wait to continue to surprise our users."

Zynga itself has declined to reveal how much the OMGPOP acquisition cost, though All Things D has claimed it will come in somewhere in the region of $180 million, plus $30 million in earnout.

The site also claims outsiders have been quick to criticise the deal, with Flurry CEO Simon Khalaf stating OMGPOP "sold way too early" and could have been valued at $1 billion.

It's suggested Draw Something is currently generating around $250,000 daily. 

Knock out

Zynga, therefore, might have picked up OMGPOP at a steal – a factor that may well have added to CMO David Ko's delight.

"We think Draw Something is one of the most social, most expressive mobile games ever built with its unique social competition and unmatched player generated content," added Ko.

"We're excited about the brands OMGPOP has developed to date and we look forward to supporting the team’s creativity and helping scale their incredible games to an even bigger global audience."

Zynga has confirmd OMGPOP will retain is HQ in New York, with the company reporting to Ko from now onwards.

[source: Global Newswire]

With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.