Difference between Zynga and Playfish
It truly is a great time to be alive for gamers everywhere. High-quality games can be had almost everywhere you turn, and the Internet is a particularly fertile source of some of the most fascinating and engrossing games to have ever existed. Gaming companies are largely responsible for the spread of these games, and Zynga and Playfish are some of the more significant ones to have hit the scene. This comparison article looks at the key facets of both high profile game developers.
Profile
Zynga is a game developer focusing primarily on games intended for social networking sites. The firm has offices in San Francisco, and it has developed games both for browser-based use and as stand-alone applications. The company has also developed a line of games specifically intended for social networking sites such as FaceBook and MySpace. Playfish is another game developer that has developed numerous titles for the web, and it is currently owned by Electronic Arts. Practically all the games in its lineup are of the free-to-play social networking variety.
Titles
Among the more familiar titles in Zynga's roster are Café World, FarmVille, Gang Wars, Ghost Racer, Mafia Wars and Mafia Wars for the iPhone, Sudoku, Texas Hold'Em, Vampire Wars and YoVille. Playfish on the other hand is best known for Who has the Biggest Brain?, which is the company's first big hit. Who has the Biggest Brain? was actually one of the first games on FaceBook to be played by millions of people daily, profits earned from the game enabled the company to develop other titles. The company has produced sixteen games in all, including the aforementioned Who has the Biggest Brain?, Restaurant City, Word Challenge, Gangster City and Hotel City.
Over The Years
Zynga was established in July 2007. The company was started mainly with funds provided by various sources amounting to $29 million. Early on, the company took on Bing Gordon, who was Electronic Arts Chief Creative Officer, as a board member, and it also acquired virtual world social network game YoVille. By December 2009, Zynga had managed to build up a clientele of more than 60 million users. Playfish for its part was also established in 2007, and by 2008, the company had managed to secure $17 million in venture capital from Accel Partners and Index Ventures. The company was acquired by Electronic Arts for $275 million in November 9, 2009.
Summary
Zynga
- Was founded in July 2007
- Is primarily a social network game developer
- Based in San Francisco, California
- Develops standalone and browser-based widget games for sites such as Facebook and MySpace
- Had 60 million active users by December 2009
- Released Café World, FarmVille, Gang Wars, Ghost Racer, Mafia Wars and Mafia Wars for the iPhone, Sudoku, Texas Hold'Em, Vampire Wars and YoVille among other games.
Playfish
- Was founded in 2007
- Released “Biggest Brain”, which was its first hit and one of the first hugely popular Facebook games
- Was able to release other games from profits from “Biggest Brain”
- Was acquitted by Electronic Arts for $275 million in November 2009
- Released Restaurant City, Who Has The Biggest Brain?, Word Challenge, Gangster City and Hotel City among other titles
