By Kelly Faircloth 6/26/12 9:00am

Plotting? (Photo: flickr.com/joi)

Zynga Needs a Hit, Man

Today, Zynga is hosting the press (and their dogs) at its San Francisco HQ for something called “Unleashed,” where the company will presumably be “unleashing” some new games. Let’s hope they’re a little more entertaining than that pun, because, as the New York Times points out, the company could use some help.

It’s not like Zynga’s woes are a secret: Shares are currently at $6.07, having debuted at $10 and spent time under $5. More people are gaming on mobile devices, and Facebook’s growth is slowing. The company shelled out $180 million for Draw Something, which is currently cratering. That just goes to show you how quickly games fall out of fashion, which makes planning awfully hard.

Also, just yesterday, EA launched the open beta of its social take on SimCity, which was previously announced with a trailer proclaiming “more city, less ville,” to the sounds of Best Coast’s “The Only Place.” Ouch, guys. Read More

By Ben Popper 12/06/11 8:21am

Legal Disputes

Zynga and Vostu Kiss and Make Up

Zynga has been involved in an ongoing legal battle with Vostu, the king of social gaming in Brazil, which also has a big office here in New York. Zynga sued Vostu for copying it games, to which Vostu responded that Zynga had made its entire business off of copying people’s games. Touché.

With Zynga gearing up for an IPO, it was probably in everyone’s interest to get this settled and keep any doubts from investors minds. The company’s sent Betabeat a joint statement, “Zynga and Vostu have settled the copyright lawsuits and counterclaims against each other  in the United States and Brazil.  As part of the settlement, Vostu made a monetary payment to Zynga and made some changes to four of its games. The parties are pleased to have settled their disputes and to now put these matters behind them.” Read More