Zynga Buys Austin-Based Challenge Games

Social gaming giant and FarmVille developer Zynga is continuing its rapid expansion with the acquisition of Austin-based studio Challenge Games, which will now operate as Zynga Austin. While Zynga did not disclose financial terms for the acquisition, it revealed that the Austin developer's co-founder and CEO Andrew Busey will now serve as general manager and vice president of the branch. The company will also integrate Challenge Games' team of 35 employees into its workforce. Founded in 2006, Challenge Games specializes in casual online games built on a virtual goods business model. As Zynga Austin, the developer will continue to further develop its two most popular previously-released titles, collectible card game Warstorm and tycoon game Ponzi, Inc. This announcement follows just two weeks after Zynga announced its first step into the Asian market with the purchase of Beijing-based Chinese social gaming developer XPD Media. The FarmVille company also has development studios in San Francisco, Baltimore, Los Angeles, and Bangalore. "Austin is an ideal location to extend our studio operations with its rich talent in the games business," says Zynga VP Mike Verdu. "We look forward to building out our Zynga Austin studio with the best and brightest in the industry as we continue to bring social games to more users worldwide."