Zynga remains “on track to deliver” its first real...

money gaming operator bwin.party in which the companies will offer real money poker and 180 other casino games in the U.K., starting in the first half of 2013 (CED Oct 26 p11). The poker and casino games will launch under the Zynga Plus Casino and Zynga Plus Poker brands, and the company will roll them out “in multiple phases across a range of platforms in the U.K., namely via Web, download, Facebook, and if we choose, mobile,” Ko said. Zynga filed an application for a preliminary finding of suitability with the Nevada Gaming Control Board in December, a “small first step toward participating in the U.S. online real money gaming market,” he said. “These are all steps that are moving us toward our long term vision in real money games,” he said. Zynga shares closed up 9.1 percent Wednesday at $2.90, a day after it reported mixed results for Q4 ended Dec. 31 compared to Q4 the prior year. Revenue was about flat at $311.2 million and Zynga narrowed its loss to $48.6 million, or 6 cents a share, from $435 million, or 1.22 a share. FarmVille 2 was Zynga’s “most successful launch in the past two years,” said CEO Mark Pincus. Zynga’s “number-one focus” in 2013 is “to deliver the best social games on mobile,” he said, calling it a “pivotal transition year” for the company as it tries to shift its dependence away from Facebook social games on computers. FarmVille 2 topped Zynga’s expectations in bookings and daily active users, said Ko. The company is “getting better at cross-promotion, especially in mobile,” he said. “When we launch a new game on iOS or Android, we're leveraging our audience of 72 million monthly active users,” he said. It’s “still early,” but Zynga’s mobile games are already “at the top of the app charts,” he said. Zynga Poker has been a “top-20 grossing app for more than 18 months,” while Words With Friends was No. 3 on the 25 most downloaded App Store apps of all time for the iPad and iPhone, he said. Zynga now has the fifth-largest daily audience in mobile in the U.S., behind companies including Google and Facebook, he said, citing comScore data. Zynga also ranked fifth in user time spent on mobile, with 10.7 billion minutes in December, he said. Zynga launched four mobile games in Q4 -- Ayakashi, Bubble Safari, Ruby Blast and Party Place -- and four new Web games: CoasterVille, CityVille 2, The Friend Game and Bubble Safari Ocean. CityVille 2 “missed our expectations,” while The Friend Game and Party Place “failed to achieve the mass-market appeal that Zynga franchises are known for,” said Ko. As a result, it’s “closing” all three games, he said.