Zynga with Friends
Zynga with Friends (formerly Newtoy, Inc.) is a video game developer founded in 2008 by brothers Paul Bettner and David Bettner, and their cousin Michael Chow.[1] In November 2008, Newtoy, Inc. released its first game for the iPhone and iPod touch, Chess with Friends, an asynchronous multiplayer game released for the Apple App Store.[2] In August the following year, it released its second game for iPhone and iPod touch, Words with Friends, another asynchronous multiplayer game with gameplay similar to Scrabble, which ultimately became their best known game.[3] In November 2010, the company was acquired by Zynga for $53.3 million and an undisclosed amount of stock.[4][5] In December 2010, the studio was rebranded as Zynga with Friends. Newtoy was the fourteenth company to be acquired by Zynga during its peak years.
 The Former Zynga with Friends logo as Newtoy, Inc. | |
| Type | Subsidiary of Zynga (Formerly Private) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 2008 Texas (as Newtoy, Inc.) |
| Headquarters | McKinney, Texas |
Key people | Paul Bettner (founder) David Bettner (founder) Michael Chow (founder) |
| Products | Chess with Friends (2008) Words with Friends (2009) We Rule (2010) Hanging with Friends (2011) Scramble with Friends (2012) Matching with Friends (2012) Gems with Friends (2012) Stampede Run (2013) |
After nearly two years since the company's previous game release, Zynga with Friends released its third game, Hanging with Friends, on June 9, 2011, followed by Scramble with Friends in January 2012.[6] Attempting to capitalize on the breakthrough success of Words with Friends, Zynga re-launched Zynga with Friends as a standalone social network in June 2012.[7] By the autumn of that year, it was clear that the Zynga with Friends social network had not been a success; the Bettner brothers left the company as Zynga's stock price plummeted.[8]
Games
| Release Date |
Title | Genre | Latest Update Date | Version | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2008 | Chess with Friends | Strategy | April 4, 2014 | 4.19 | iOS (6.0 and later) |
| August 2009 | Words with Friends | Strategy Puzzle |
January 25, 2014 (iPad) April 9, 2014 (iPhone) |
6.60 (iPad) 7.22 (iPhone) |
iOS |
| February 2011 | July 12, 2012 | 4.92 | Android | ||
| March 2010 | We Rule | Simulation
RPG |
September 14, 2012 | 1.51 | iOS |
| June 2011 | Hanging with Friends | Strategy | April 3, 2014 | 4.45 | iOS |
| September 2011 | May 9, 2012 | 4.54 | Android | ||
| January 2012 | Scramble with Friends | Strategy Puzzle Word game |
May 14, 2014 (iPhone) January 22, 2014 (iPad) |
4.4.2 (iPhone) 1.06 (iPad) |
iOS |
| January 2012 | August 14, 2012 | 4.73 | Android | ||
| June 2012 | Matching with Friends | Strategy Puzzle |
21 April 2014 | 4.24 | iOS |
| September 2013 | September 10, 2013 | 4.92 | Android | ||
| August 2012 | Gems with Friends | Strategy Puzzle |
January 14, 2014 | 4.19 | iOS |
| January 2013 | Stampede Run (formerly Running with Friends)[9] |
Endless runner | May 6, 2014 | 2.42 | iOS |
| November 2013 | November 22, 2013 | 1.54 | Android | ||
References
- "Zynga acquires "words with friends" developer NEWTOY". zynga.com. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
- Snow, Jean (November 14, 2008). "Halo Wars Devs Form iPhone Game Studio | GameLife | Wired.com". wired.com. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- "Newtoy releases Words with Friends 1.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch". prmac.com. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- Takahashi, Dean (July 5, 2011). "Zynga paid $53.3M to buy Words With Friends mobile game maker Newtoy". Venture Beat. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
- "The Guys Who Did Words With Friends Could Have Made A Fortune On Zynga". Business Insider. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
- Moscaritolo, Angela (January 6, 2012). "Zynga Launches Scramble With Friends App". PC Magazine. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
- Geron, Tomio (June 26, 2012). "Zynga Unleashes 'Zynga With Friends' Platform For Real-Time Gaming". Forbes. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
- Takahashi, Dean (October 5, 2012). "Words With Friends co-creators leave Zynga". Venture Beat. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
- "Zynga rebrands Running with Friends to Stampede Run, introduces single player mode". Inside Mobile Apps. November 29, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2013.