Zynga's senior games VP: "Barcelona has become a hub for top-level game developer talent"

• Socialpoint is 18 years old this year, following its formation in 2008 in Barcelona.
• The studio is responsible for titles such as Dragon City, Monster Legends and Two Dots.
• Socialpoint will be at Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona on June 15th and 16th.

Founded in 2008 in Barcelona, Socialpoint is one of Spain’s most famous gaming exports. The studio is one of the many companies heading to Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona on June 15th and 16th.

The developer has worked on titles such as 2012 release Dragon City and 2014 launch Monster Legends. Such was the studio’s success, it was acquired by Take-Two in 2017 for $250 million. Later, the developer would also house puzzle game Two Dots, originally made by Playdots, acquired by Take-Two in 2020 for $192m.

Take-Two partnership

Speaking to PocketGamer.biz, Zynga senior VP for games Yair Melamed says the Take-Two acquisition, along with Zynga which was itself later acquired in a $12.7 billion deal, has helped Socialpoint grow and reach more players across more markets around the world.

“Here at Socialpoint we, of course, maintain our identity and pride,” says Melamed.

“We also have a global impact and presence through our games and their audiences that is bolstered by the phenomenal partners we have at Take-Two and Zynga.”

He adds: “Reaching one billion downloads is no small feat and it is a testament to our team’s dedication to evolution and responsive design, all of which is informed by our audience.

"As the mobile game market continues to grow and evolve, that tenacity for excellence and the community we have built internally as a team and externally with our players is what makes us stand out.”

Right now, the developer is very much focused on its existing portfolio of games, with a number of content updates and campaigns for Dragon City, Monster Legends and Two Dots said to be in the pipeline. There are also a few anniversaries this year - Dragon City is 14 years old, while Two Dots and Monster Legends are hitting their 12th anniversaries.

Meanwhile, Two Dots and Dragon City recently had what Melamed calls a “massive partnership” with CBS for Survivor season 50, bringing the show’s gameplay into its own titles.

“We will continue to innovate and excite our fans with a steady cadence of updates, fresh campaigns and engaging challenges to the games they love to play everyday,” adds Melamed when asked what the company’s plans for the future are.

Bustling Barcelona

Since Socialpoint was founded back in 2008, Spain’s games industry has grown substantially - particularly in Barcelona. The city has spawned its own studios, as well as becoming a hive of activity for publishers around the world, with studios from the likes of Scopely, King, Rovio and many more in town.

“The mobile games industry has grown considerably, particularly over the last six years, with new audiences and markets expanding gaming’s reach every day,” says Melamed. “Barcelona has become a hub for top-level game developer talent and we’re proud that Socialpoint has been a big part of the industry’s growth here.”

The global games industry has faced significant challenges over the past few years, and while Spain’s games sector has grown substantially, it has also not been immune, with layoffs hitting the likes of King and Sandsoft closing down. But the sector is still full of optimism for the future.

“The games industry, and mobile gaming specifically, has been and always will be full of challenges, but Socialpoint has proven that we know how to reach a global audience,” states Melamed.

“Spain’s gaming community continues to grow and we have a great pool of local talent to help strengthen our studio and build a strong digital ecosystem here in Barcelona. Of course, there’s also the added bonus that it’s beautiful here.”

Socialpoint will be heading to Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona on June 15th and 16th, with studio head Ivan Zaguirre set to take the stage to discuss industry trends, opportunities and challenges.