Zynga closure tally now at 11 titles
Zynga closed at least six social games in December, bringing its list of the fallen to 11 casualties.
TechCrunch compiled a list of Zynga games closed so far; the publisher has not released an official list, so it's not entirely clear when certain mobile releases were pulled.
- PetVille – shut down December 30
- Mafia Wars 2 - shut down December 30
- FishVille – shut down December 5
- Vampire Wars – shut down December 5
- Treasure Isle – shut down December 5
- Indiana Jones Adventure World – closed to new players, shuts down January 14
- Mafia Wars Shakedown – pulled from app stores
- Forestville – pulled from app stores
- Montopia – shut down December 21
- Mojitomo – pulled from app stores
- Word Scramble Challenge – pulled from app stores
Although some shut downs were announced ahead of time, including Mafia Wars 2, others were something of a surprise - although the publisher began shedding titles in November. It's still releasing new games, though.
The closures are just the latest manoeuvres in Zynga's belt-tightening strategy. In October, it laid off staff and closed offices, and has taken steps to distance itself from Facebook, ending an historic dependence, and to re-focus on mobile, real-money gambling, and mid-core gaming.
Despite these efforts, its share price continues to fluctuate, and the company is presenting a poor face to the public, with staff departures too numerous to list, and the naming of leader Mark Pincus as one of Bloomberg's worst CEO's of 2012.
Thanks, GamesIndustry.