FarmVille Goes Mobile As Zynga Attempts To Turn Itself Around

Zynga’s ever-popular FarmVille game for Facebook is finally making its way to mobile devices in the form of FarmVille 2: Country Escape. Zynga hopes that by allowing its users to play the game on-the-go, FarmVille and its other titles will remain popular which will keep Zynga alive.

FarmVille Goes Mobile As Zynga Attempts To Turn Itself AroundFarmVille is still on of the most popular games on Facebook but unlike the original, FarmVille 2 does not require users to have friends. The mechanics of the game are quite similar though the mobile-only version comes with mini games and an alternative social component.

The company has been trying to turnaround during the past couple of months primarily under the control of CEO Don Mattrick.

Zynga isn’t just bringing FarmVille to mobile it is also gearing up to release mobile versions of Words With Friends and Zynga Poker. On top of that, the company says that 75% of its upcoming games are for smartphones and tablets.

This transition is one that many companies have been making, but for a company that is built around app-like social games, the switch to mobile is even more important.

Losses have been decreasing in recent months and at the end of 2013, publicly traded Zynga was only down by $37 million. In comparison, the company lost $209 million by the end of 2012. Narrowing losses, a new Chief Executive, and a re-imagined business strategy has allowed Zynga to bounce back and its stock price has reflected that.

Over time, the general public has moved away from Facebook games and towards mobile titles like Candy Crush, which saw the same sort of hit success as FarmVille did. During its best year, FarmVille was attracting 32 million players each day, and anybody that remembers that time will also remember that some people were truly addicted to keeping up with their virtual plants.

Question – Do you still play FarmVille? Also, is moving towards mobile a good idea for Zynga?

 

Summary: Zynga has released FarmVille 2: Country Escape, the long-awaited mobile version of the hit Facebook title. 75% of Zynga’s upcoming games are for mobile, which is necessary considering that Facebook games are no longer as popular as they once were.

image credit: insidemobileapps