Though Zynga hasn't gone public just yet, the social game developer is keeping busy between releasing an expansion to FrontierVille and now a whole new game called Adventure World.
The game, based on details gleaned from its fan page and trailer, is about exploration with puzzle-solving elements. On paper, it actually sounds a bit like Loot Drop's upcoming Cloudforest Expedition, to be published by RockYou. Adventure World is the first to come from Zynga Boston, the studio formed following the Conduit Labs acquisition back in August 2010. That studio has expanded via a hire-aquisition in the last year to include Floodgate Entertainment.
As to the IPO, troubled stock markets have some unnamed sources telling the New York Post that Zynga could stall well into November before pursuing the course in earnest. While not confirmed by Zynga or IPO leader Morgan Stanley, or other reporting, the idea of a delay isn't hard to imagine between hurricanes, earthquakes, and United States credit being downgraded. Where's the sense in selling stock if nobody's in a buying mood?
Zynga first moved toward IPO with an S-1 filling early this summer that has since been amended to include or exclude details on valuation, traffic target agreements with Facebook, and the exact power Zynga CEO Mark Pincus will retain once the developer goes public. The company is currently hoping to raise $1 billion in the offering.
Further details on Adventure World will become available later this week when a preview embargo lifts. You can find out more about Zynga's approach to launching its FrontierVille expansion, Pioneer Trail, here and here.
Source: Inside Social Games
Tuesday, August 30, 2011