Zynga Shuts Down Multiple Games After Disappointing 2012

Travis Shuman / Jan 3rd, 2013 No Comments

Zynga

It seems as though social media gaming giant Zynga is looking to clean house after a very disappointing 2012. The past year was not kind to the social game developer, which has previously seen monumental success with several titles like Farmville gaining millions of players worldwide.

Despite 2012’s release of the highly anticipated Farmville 2, Zynga’s stock prices have reached one of the lowest points in recent years. This has led to a company-wide shakeup that included employee layoffs and office closures. In an attempt to pick themselves back up and bounce back from their rut, Zynga has already begun cancelling several of their games.

The following is a list of the eleven total Zynga games that have been axed. The names are instantly recognizable by Facebook users but are reportedly Zynga’s least profitable games.

Petville – cancelled Dec. 30, 2012

Mafia Wars 2 – cancelled Dec. 30, 2012

Fishville – cancelled Dec. 5, 2012

Vampire Wars – cancelled Dec. 5, 2012

Treasure Isle – cancelled Dec. 5, 2012

Indiana Jones Adventure World – cancelled Jan. 14, 2013 and now closed to new players

Mafia Wars: Shakedown – removed from app stores

Forestville – removed from app stores

Mafia Wars 2 was shut down by Zynga.

Montopia – cancelled Dec. 21, 2012

Mojitomo – removed from app stores

Word Scramble Challenge – removed from app stores

Some titles such as Petville and Mafia Wars 2 come as a big surprise due to their popularity. Yet, the idea of cancelling so many games does make sense. Facebook has seen an overabundance of “-ville” games since the overwhelming success of Farmville. Hopefully, Zynga will be focusing their attention on quality rather than quantity in 2013.

Unfortunately, even Zynga’s less profitable titles still act as amusing time-wasters for millions of people worldwide and many players will soon be losing the games they have spent so much time on. It’s a shame anytime something like this happens, but sometimes sacrifices must be made in order to open the doors to bigger things. We wish Zynga all the best for the rest of 2013 and can’t wait to see what they have planned.