Zynga Buys Draw Something Developer OMGPOP

Zynga on Wednesday announced that it has acquired New York-based social game developer OMGPOP, maker of the wildly popular game Draw Something and more than 35 other titles.

Zynga would not comment on the financial terms of the acquisition, but AllThingsD reported that Zynga will pay around $180 million for OMGPOP, plus another $30 million for employee retention payments.

OMGPOP will remain headquartered in New York and report to David Ko, chief mobile officer of Zynga. As part of Zynga, the 40-person team at OMGPOP will focus on building new mobile games and continuing to develop its existing titles.

OMGPOP, founded in 2006, began as a social network for gamers called "iminlikewithyou." In 2009, the company launched its social gaming Web site OMGPOP.com.

Six weeks ago, OMGPOP launched its runaway hit Draw Something, a Pictionary-like game for iPhones and Android devices. Since then, Draw Something has already been downloaded more than 35 million times. The game, which is available for free or $0.99 for the version without ads, currently sits atop the App Store's top paid, top free, and top grossing lists. In the last week, more than 1 billion drawings have been created in the app.

"If you haven't played it already I highly recommend that you check it out, it's super fun," Ko said Wednesday on a call with reporters.

Dan Porter, CEO of OMGPOP said the company will continue to focus on Draw Something.

"The game will stay true to you and what you love, and it's my solemn vow that the magic of Draw Something will not change," he said. "With the added resources we now have, and the deep gaming experience we can draw from, we can't wait to continue to surprise our users. If you're a fan, a player of ours, I can't wait to show you what's in store - it's going to be drawsome."

News of the OMGPOP acquisition first cropped up on Monday when Draw Something stole the spot as the top Facebook game from Zynga's Words With Friends, according to AppData. The Facebook app-tracking site revealed that Draw Something garnered 12.2 million daily average users compared to Words With Friends' 8 million.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade.

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes.

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app.

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth.

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light.

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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