Turkish start-up bought by gaming giant for $250 million
ISTANBUL – Reuters
Zynga Inc has bought Istanbul-based mobile gaming startup Gram Games for $250 million to boost its portfolio of franchise-based titles, it said on May 30.
With Gram, the company behind “Words with Friends” and “Farmville” will gain access to easy-to-play and addictive titles such as “1010!” and “Merge Dragons!”
“Merge Dragons!” in particular had the potential to become a long-running franchise for Zynga, its Chief Executive Officer Frank Gibeau said in a statement.
The acquisition is Zynga’s latest attempt to bolster its mobile gaming business — which generates revenue through ads and in-game purchases of additional features — as it shifts focus away from once-popular titles such as “Farmville.”
Zynga is a U.S. social game developer running social video game services founded in April 2007 and headquartered in San Francisco, California.
