Exclusive Interview
Zynga’s Yaron Leyvand talks Take-Two, the games industry, and their secrets for success
We catch up with Zynga's executive vice president of mobile games, one year on from Take-Two’s acquisition
Company Profile
Zynga
Website
www.zynga.com
About
Zynga is a global leader in interactive entertainment with a mission to connect the world through games and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.
With massive global reach in more than 175 countries and regions, Zynga has a diverse portfolio of popular game franchises that have been downloaded more than four billion times on mobile including CSR Racing™, Empires & Puzzles™, FarmVille™, Golf Rival™, Hair Challenge™, Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells™, High Heels!™, Merge Dragons!™, Merge Magic!™, Toon Blast™, Toy Blast™, Words With Friends™ and Zynga Poker™. With Chartboost, a leading mobile advertising and monetization platform, Zynga is an industry-leading next-generation platform with the ability to optimize programmatic advertising and yields at scale.
Founded in 2007, Zynga is headquartered in California with locations in North America, Europe and Asia.
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Dmitriy Makiyevskiy
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Paula Neves
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Vijay Pendakur
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Keisha Krainer
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Gerard Griffin
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Yaron Leyvand
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Bernard Kim
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Henry LaBounta
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+28 more
Accolades
Articles featuring Zynga
Zynga X It Gets Better
Zynga partners with the It Gets Better Project to kick off Pride celebration
The collaboration will see pride events held in fifteen of the company’s games
Women In Games
Zynga's Paula Neves shares her journey from psychology to mobile marketing
From a psychology major in Brazil to a Senior Product manager with Zynga in Montreal, Pocketgamer.biz finds out more about Paula Neves' journey in games
Job News
Zynga appoints Akshay Bharadwaj as head of Socialpoint studio
Bharadwaj previously held the role of vice president of general manager of Zynga India
Mobile Legend
Join us at the PG Mobile Games Awards next week and meet the trailblazing legends of the mobile games industry!
See who wins our prestigious Mobile Legend award in-person at the PG Mobile Games Awards on April 20th, book your ticket to the show today!
Equity In Gaming
Zynga India’s Divya Nair on gender equity in the mobile games space
Zynga recently held a tech meet-up for women in the gaming industry
Equality In Games
Zynga India spearheads tech meetup for women in games
The meetup followed International Women’s Day
Interview
Zynga’s Mary Plaisted on diversity, equity, and inclusion
We spoke to Zynga’s senior director of diversity, equity and inclusion, talent, and social impact following the Spelman Game Jam
Roles
Living the dream: CSR2 fan lands job designing cars for Zynga
Guillaume Mille's passion for cars and games turned into an incredible job opportunity at developer NaturalMotion
Sony Acquisition
Sony reportedly eyeing up acquisition of Take-Two Interactive
The tech giant could be preparing to unleash the latest volley in its arms race with Microsoft
New Hires
International Game Developers Association Foundation board appoints three new directors
Lisy Kane, James Lewis, and Sarah Spiers bring decades of experience to their roles
Interview
"Web3 is a solution in search of a problem." FunCraft’s CEO steps back from blockchain
After considering web3 and blockchain, FunCraft's Michael Martinez decided that the future lies elsewhere
Drake Star Report
The top ten gaming industry deals of 2022
We break down the biggest acquisitions of 2022, as reported by Drake Star
Job News
Activision Blizzard veteran Eric Wood appointed as Senior Vice President of Publishing at Scopely
Wood brings over 20 years of experience to the role
Boosting Growth
Zynga's ad monetisation platform Chartboost announces Chartboost Mediation
Chartboost Mediation provides game makers with an easy-to-use solution for increasing revenue
2022 Highlights
2022 In Review – February’s Best Bits
As the year draws to a close, we take a look back with our pick of the stories that shaped the last twelve months. This time, we zoom in on February
Inclusivity
Zynga's Virtual Diversity Platform encourages inclusivity in gaming
Zynga studio NaturalMotion has created Access All Areas, a virtual studio to encourage diversity in games
Views Week
Week in Views - What caught our editorial eyes in the last seven days
The PocketGamer.biz team reflect on a week of hot new games, success stories and legal worries…
Feature
Week in Views - What caught our editorial eyes in the last seven days
The PocketGamer.biz team give their take on toxicity, acquisitions and the four day work week
Acquisitions
Zynga subsidiary Rollic acquires hypercasual games studio Popcore
The Turkish studio Rollic has closed the acquisition of Berlin-based Popcore games
Financials
Take-Two's mobile division is now the dominant revenue stream for the company, boosted by Zynga
Take-Two’s recently released financial report for the Q2 period indicates an elevated level of revenue from their mobile division, but their forecast is cautious about further success
News
Drake Star's Global Gaming Report reveals the gaming industry’s top investors
The Embracer group lives up to its name with numerous acquisitions as we break down some of the top investors in Drake Star's new report.
Microsoft X Activision Blizzard
Take-Two CEO positive about Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard Acquisition
Strauss Zelnick believes the deal will enrich the gaming industry
News
Zynga pushes forward with season passes for their catalogue
The subscription approach to their games has apparently been successful, judging by the company’s move to further expand.
News
Ankhara-based Panteon celebrates 10m Airport Master downloads
The company, based in Türkiye, has seen an impressive number of downloads for its airport manager sim.
New Studio
Netflix Gaming opens new studio in Helsinki
This marks the company’s second studio in the city
Relocation
Zynga opens new headquarters in San Mateo
The new offices were designed to optimise the company’s hybrid Connected Workplace model
New Acquisition
Zynga closes acquisition of Storemaven
The acquisition is the first Zynga has made since its own acquisition by Take-Two
Download Milestone
Rollic celebrates a milestone as it achieves 2 billion downloads across its portfolio
The Zynga subsidiary is trying to redefine the hypercasual genre
Maybe It's Zynga
Zynga teams up with Maybelline for in-game advertising
Maybelline becomes the first beauty brand to enter the hypercasual market
Industry Report
71% of H1 2022's total deal value came from just 5 deals
A new report breaks down the biggest deals, acquisitions, and mergers of the first half of 2022
Optimistic Q1 Report
Take-Two chairman and CEO optimistic about the potential long-term growth for the mobile industry
NBA 2K22, Grand Theft Auto Online and Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Red Dead Online contribute to Take-Two's strong GAAP net revenue
Roe V. Wade
Take-Two stands up for reproductive rights
The company released a statement yesterday
Pgc Toronto
Why seamless ads are essential to user retention
Zynga, Gameloft, Chaarmi Worlds, AppLovin, and re6l discuss the next iteration of rewarded and playable ads in this snapshot of their PGC Toronto panel
Studio E
Inside Studio E: Zynga's in-house advertising agency
Studio E's Gabrielle Heyman and Matt Sharpe speak with PocketGamer.biz on Studio E's decade of playable ads design, and why the format is gaining popularity
Future Is Female
Tether Games hires former Zynga exec Sara Stapleton
Stapleton joins the mobile skill-based games creator’s women-led c-suite
It's Clubberin' Time
Join our Club: Zynga’s Tatum Clanton details Words With Friends 2’s new guild system
Following its release on June 23, Zynga game design director Tatum Clanton shares her thoughts on the earliest days of WWF's new guild system, Clubs
Take Pride
Zynga’s Dr Vijay Pendakur: “It’s nice to think about diversity. It’s better to change your behaviour.”
Zynga vice president and chief of DEI details the murky act of international progressivity as the mobile mogul celebrates Pride Month
Plans For Pride
Zynga donating $50,000 for Pride Month
Employee resource group zPride donating to Brave Space Alliance, LGBT Foundation, and Gay Gaming Professionals
Roblox Role
Roblox hires former Zynga and Twitter exec Nick Tornow
Former Zynga CTO joins Roblox as vice president of technology
Welcome To The Family
Zynga acquisition by Take-Two now completed
Acquisition completed on May 23
Revenue Results
Higher revenue and lower costs for Zynga in Q1 2022
$691 million revenue marks a 2% increase over Q1 2021
Joining And Growing
Blackstone hires former Zynga COO Matthew Bromberg
Focusing on Blackstone Growth
Match Made In Heaven
Zynga’s Bernard Kim to exit games industry, join Match Group as CEO
Kim to be named Match Group CEO on May 31 after six years as Zynga president
I Got It
Zynga was right about Turkey. What’s next in the acquisition boom?
Zynga president of publishing Bernard Kim details the company’s success in supporting the Turkish mobile games industry, and his thoughts on the sustainability of M&A
Hot Five
Hot Five: Zynga, Rovio, ustwo games, Bluestacks interviews, and how to avoid UX/UI dark patterns
The hottest interviews and features on PG.biz
Made Its Way
Zynga launches FarmVille 3 in Japan
Comes six months after global release
Selling Senior Notes
Take-Two unveils funding strategy for Zynga acquisition
Selling $2.7 billion in senior notes on April 14
Zynga's Keen Eye
Zynga subsidiaries are some of Turkey's highest-earning internet companies
Peak Games, Rollic Games, and Gram Games make the cut
International Women's Day
Zynga's Nicole Hartvig David: "To attract more women in gaming, we need to ensure that they are equally represented as the face of the industry"
Maternity and paternity leave, childcare, and inclusive activities needed for greater gender representation, says Zynga VP of marketing Nicole Hartvig David