Video game holding company Take-Two Interactive Software owns numerous giant development studios, including Rockstar Games and 2K Games. Zynga is a social game developer famous for mobile titles and Facebook games. The two didn't have much in common until Take-Two Interactive acquired Zynga today.
The $12.7 billion USD acquisition deal was surprising to many fans of both companies. While unexpected, it makes some sense considering Take-Two seems to be interested in bringing some big game titles like Grand Theft Auto, NBA 2K, BioShock, and Red Dead Redemption into the mobile gaming space. That appears to be the main motivation behind the acquisition, but as a result of it Take-Two now owns some of Zynga's popular mobile titles as well.
FarmVille
Zynga's largest franchise FarmVille launched with a game that could only be played on Facebook in 2009. The social farming simulator quickly reached upwards of 10 million daily users and put Zynga on the map as Facebook's main game developer. Since that original title, there are now seven unique FarmVille games mostly available to play on mobile, while a few were available to play on Facebook until the death of Adobe Flash Player. FarmVille also inspired the now-defunct CityVille, a social city-management simulator.
Words With Friends
Another popular Zynga franchise is a social Scrabble-style word-building game for mobile that allows players to connect with their friends online and compete digitally. Its asynchronous format allows players to take turns whenever they get a chance and simply wait for their opponent to make a move. The original Words With Friends was compatible on both mobile and Facebook, but the current version Words With Friends 2 is only playable on mobile. The popularity of the format inspired Zynga to create several spin-off game titles, including Crossword With Friends, Chess With Friends, Hanging With Friends, Gems With Friends, Boggle With Friends, and more.
Zynga Poker
Zynga Poker, formerly called Texas Hold 'Em Poker, was the first game Facebook added to its platform in 2007. The game is online Texas Hold 'Em-style poker, allowing players to compete online against other real players. The game offers casual, competitive, and tournament play, and is one of the most popular casino games on the market. Zynga Poker offers no opportunities to win real-world money, but players can spend real-world money nonetheless with in-game purchases and microtransactions.
CSR Racing
CSR Racing and CSR Racing 2 give players the ability to compete in virtual drag races against real-world opponents. Players can also race AI drivers, attempting to beat pre-set challengers in order to improve their rankings and move to higher tiers for better cars and cosmetics. Unlike other racing games, players don't actually drive in CSR; instead, they must master timed gear shifts and nitrous boosts to maximize their speed and control on the road.
Zynga also owns a few franchises based on licensed intellectual properties, like Harry Potter: Puzzles and Spells and Game of Thrones: Slot Casino. However, these are standard gem-matching and slot games reskinned to match their respective IPs, so it seems unlikely Take-Two Interactive will be interested in them. The main reason for the acquisition appears to be Zynga turning Take-Two games into mobile ventures, not for Take-Two to take Zynga games to consoles. Still, the possibility is available. CSR Racing may even be a great next-gen console game with the right team behind it. Take-Two already has plenty of experience with video game car racing thanks to Grand Theft Auto, so if any Zynga title will move to consoles, it CSR would make sense.