Zynga is one of the most recognizable companies in the gaming industry, best known for hits like FarmVille, Words With Friends, and Zynga Poker. Founded in 2007, the company pioneered social gaming on Facebook and later made a successful shift to mobile.
Today, Zynga operates as a label under Take-Two Interactive, running a portfolio of puzzle, casino, and RPG titles that continue to attract millions of players worldwide.
In this article, we’ll cover Zynga’s history, ownership, headquarters, valuation, top games, revenue, monetization, marketing, careers, layoffs, and what the future holds for the company.
What is Zynga?
Zynga is a mobile and social game developer and publisher founded in 2007 by Mark Pincus. Its mission has always been to “connect the world through games.”
The company’s first big hit was Zynga Poker, one of the earliest popular poker games on Facebook. But what really put Zynga on the map was FarmVille in 2009. At its peak, FarmVille had more than 30 million people playing every day, making it one of the biggest social games of its time.
Zynga was a pioneer in bringing social gaming to Facebook, and later became one of the first to successfully make the shift from Facebook to mobile games. Today, it runs a portfolio of well-known titles, including Words With Friends, CSR Racing 2, Zynga Poker, and Empires & Puzzles.
What makes Zynga matter is not just its hits, but its influence. The company helped shape modern free-to-play gaming and showed how live updates, data, and smart design can keep games alive for many years.
Who Owns Zynga?
Zynga was an independent company for many years, but in 2022 it was acquired by Take-Two Interactive for $12.7 billion. Take-Two is one of the biggest names in gaming, known for franchises like Grand Theft Auto, NBA 2K, and Red Dead Redemption.
Before the acquisition, Zynga had been publicly traded on NASDAQ under the ticker ZNGA. After the deal closed in May 2022, Zynga became a label inside Take-Two, similar to how Rockstar Games and 2K operate.
This deal gave Zynga the resources and backing of a major global publisher, while Take-Two gained a strong foothold in mobile gaming — one of the fastest-growing parts of the industry.
Zynga Headquarters
Zynga’s headquarters are in San Mateo, California, at 1200 Park Place. This is where the company’s leadership and main teams operate today.
In its early years, Zynga was based in San Francisco in a building nicknamed the “Chip Factory.” That office became something of a symbol for Zynga during the height of the FarmVille era.
Over time, as the company grew and later became part of Take-Two Interactive, Zynga shifted its main base to San Mateo while continuing to run studios and offices around the world.
Zynga Valuation
The most recent major valuation for Zynga came in 2022, when Take-Two Interactive acquired the company for $12.7 billion. At the time, it was one of the biggest deals in the history of the gaming industry.
This price reflected Zynga’s strong lineup of mobile titles, its expertise in free-to-play games, and its ability to generate steady revenue from live operations. Since then, Zynga hasn’t been valued independently, as it now operates as part of Take-Two.
Is Zynga Publicly Traded?
No — Zynga is no longer publicly traded. It used to be listed on NASDAQ under the ticker ZNGA, starting with its IPO in 2011.
When Take-Two Interactive completed its acquisition in May 2022, Zynga’s shares were delisted. Since then, Zynga has operated as a label inside Take-Two, which itself remains a public company under the ticker TTWO.
Zynga Games
Zynga manages a wide portfolio of games across different genres. Some of its most popular and recognizable titles include:
- Words With Friends – A social word game that became one of Zynga’s most iconic franchises.
- Zynga Poker – The company’s first major hit, still active today with millions of players worldwide.
- FarmVille series – The original social farming game on Facebook, later followed by FarmVille 2 and FarmVille 3 on mobile.
- CSR Racing 2 – A top mobile racing game developed by NaturalMotion, a Zynga studio.
- Empires & Puzzles – A successful match-3 and RPG hybrid from Small Giant Games.
- Merge Dragons! – A merge-puzzle game created by Gram Games.
- Toon Blast & Toy Blast – Acquired through Peak Games, both remain strong puzzle titles.
- Dragon City & Monster Legends – Simulation and battle games developed by Socialpoint, another Zynga studio.
- Golf Rival – A competitive sports game acquired from StarLark.
- Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells – A licensed match-3 game set in the Harry Potter universe.
- Game of Thrones Slots Casino – A branded slots experience based on the HBO series.
- Star Wars: Hunters – A competitive multiplayer game (launched in 2024, with a sunset announced for 2025).
This wide mix of franchises shows Zynga’s strategy of combining original games, licensed IP, and acquired studios to build one of the most diverse mobile portfolios in the industry.
Zynga Games Downloads
Zynga’s portfolio has been downloaded over 2 billion times worldwide.
Among its games, CSR Racing, Zynga Poker, and Solitaire rank as the most downloaded overall. This massive reach highlights Zynga’s ability to attract a global audience across genres, from casual puzzle players to competitive racing fans.
How Much Money Does Zynga Make?
Zynga has been one of the most consistent names in mobile gaming revenue for over a decade. Its mix of puzzle, social casino, and licensed IP titles continues to bring in steady earnings, even as the portfolio evolves.
Zynga All-Time Revenue
So far, Zynga has generated $7.6 billion in lifetime revenue across all its games.
Zynga Revenue by Year
- 2023 – $786 million
- 2024 – $640 million
- 2025 (so far) – $404 million
While Zynga is still a top player in mobile gaming, the revenue figures show a decline compared to earlier years. After peaking during the late 2010s and early 2020s with billion-dollar acquisitions like Peak Games and Small Giant Games, the company now generates a smaller but steady stream of revenue.
Most Profitable Zynga Games
- Empires & Puzzles – around $1.5 billion
- Merge Dragons! – around $895 million
- Zynga Poker – around $758 million
Empires & Puzzles remains Zynga’s biggest earner by a wide margin, proving the strength of the match-3 + RPG formula. Merge Dragons! and Zynga Poker also stand out as long-term performers. Still, the numbers suggest Zynga faces challenges in creating new mega-hits on the scale of its past successes.
Zynga’s Monetization Strategy
Zynga has built its business on the free-to-play model, using in-app purchases, ads, and live operations to keep revenue flowing for years after a game’s launch.
In-App Purchases (IAP)
The majority of Zynga’s revenue comes from in-app purchases.
Players buy virtual currency, boosters, and special items to progress faster or unlock content. In games like Empires & Puzzles or Merge Dragons!, gacha-style mechanics and premium bundles drive big spending from dedicated users.
Advertising Revenue
Ads also play a role, especially in Zynga’s casual and hyper-casual titles from Rollic. Rewarded videos, interstitials, and banner ads allow non-paying players to contribute to revenue while still progressing in the game.
Live Operations and Events
Zynga is known for its “forever franchises” strategy — keeping games alive for years through constant updates. Events, seasonal content, and competitive challenges encourage daily play and give players reasons to spend regularly.
Adtech and User Monetization
Zynga once owned Chartboost, a mobile ad platform, which it acquired in 2021 to strengthen its in-house monetization and UA capabilities. Chartboost was later sold by Take-Two in 2024, but Zynga continues to work with external partners for advertising and player monetization.
Zynga’s Marketing Strategy
Zynga is one of the most experienced publishers in scaling mobile games to a global audience. Its marketing strategy combines performance user acquisition (UA), creative advertising, cross-promotion, and brand partnerships.
Performance UA
Zynga invests heavily in UA across platforms like Meta, Google, TikTok, and ad networks. Campaigns are constantly tested and optimized, with different ad variations localized for specific regions. This data-driven approach ensures the company can efficiently reach high-value players.
Creative Advertising
The company runs large-scale video and playable ads to showcase its puzzle, casino, and RPG titles. Licensed IP games like Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells and Game of Thrones Slots give Zynga extra marketing power, helping campaigns stand out in crowded markets.
Cross-Promotion
With dozens of active games, Zynga promotes new titles directly to players inside its existing portfolio. This ecosystem approach lowers acquisition costs and ensures new launches start with a built-in audience.
User Acquisition Partners
Scaling UA at Zynga’s level requires constant testing, optimization, and fresh creative ideas. That’s where UA agencies come in. We specialize in mobile game user acquisition, helping publishers like Zynga and smaller studios alike reach new audiences, lower acquisition costs, and grow faster.
Zynga Careers
Zynga employs thousands of people worldwide, with its main headquarters in San Mateo, California, and studios spread across North America, Europe, and Asia.
The company is known for its studio network model, where teams like NaturalMotion (UK), Gram Games (Turkey), Small Giant Games (Finland), and Rollic (Turkey) operate under the Zynga label while maintaining creative independence. This setup allows Zynga to develop and support a wide range of genres, from racing and puzzle to RPG and casual.
Zynga regularly hires for roles in game design, engineering, product management, data science, live operations, and marketing. The company has also been recognized as one of the Best Workplaces in the Bay Area (2025), highlighting its culture and employee programs.
For many developers, joining Zynga means being part of a publisher with global reach and the resources of parent company Take-Two Interactive behind it.
Zynga Layoffs
Like many big publishers, Zynga has gone through rounds of restructuring over the years.
In the early 2010s, as the company shifted from Facebook to mobile, Zynga cut jobs to streamline its operations. Those changes were part of its pivot strategy, which ultimately allowed Zynga to become a leader in mobile gaming.
More recently, in April 2024, parent company Take-Two Interactive announced it would cut about 5% of its workforce and cancel several projects. Zynga was included in these cuts, though exact team numbers were not disclosed. The move reflected Take-Two’s broader cost-saving strategy across all of its labels.
Despite these layoffs, Zynga continues to operate its largest franchises with full support, keeping live operations, updates, and user acquisition efforts running as usual.
What’s Next for Zynga?
Zynga’s future is tied closely to Take-Two Interactive, which sees mobile as a major growth driver. The company will continue to focus on its “forever franchises” like Words With Friends, CSR Racing 2, Empires & Puzzles, Merge Dragons!, and Zynga Poker. These games still bring in steady revenue thanks to constant live events and updates.
At the same time, Zynga will keep investing in licensed IP collaborations. Titles like Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells and Game of Thrones Slots show the power of combining big brands with Zynga’s expertise in free-to-play systems. Even though Star Wars: Hunters is set to sunset in 2025, it reflects Zynga’s willingness to experiment with new genres and partnerships.
Looking ahead, Zynga’s big challenge is creating the next generation of mega-hits. The company has proven it can acquire successful studios and scale their games globally, but the mobile market is more competitive than ever.
For smaller studios and developers, Zynga’s journey is proof of how much user acquisition and live operations matter. If you want to grow your game and build the next hit, Udonis can help. We specialize in mobile game marketing and user acquisition, helping studios of all sizes compete with the biggest publishers in the world.
Data Source
- Zynga, 2025. Our Story.
- Zynga, 2022. Take-Two and Zynga to Combine (press release).
- Business Wire, 2022. Take-Two Completes Combination with Zynga.
- TechCrunch, 2022. Take-Two completes $12.7B acquisition of Zynga.
- The Verge, 2022. Take-Two has officially acquired Zynga.
- Zynga, 2020. Peak acquisition ($1.8B).
- Zynga, 2018. Gram Games acquisition ($250M).
- TechCrunch, 2018. Small Giant Games acquisition ($700M).
- TechCrunch, 2014. NaturalMotion acquisition ($527M).
- iGB, 2020. Rollic majority acquisition ($180M for 80%).
- Zynga, 2020. Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells global launch.
- Zynga, 2024. Star Wars: Hunters global launch.
- The Verge, 2025. Star Wars: Hunters shutting down Oct 1, 2025.
- Reuters via Yahoo Finance, 2024. Take-Two to lay off ~5%.
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