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Zynga’s Rollic hypercasual gaming division has acquired Popcore, an indie mobile game developer based in Germany.
Financial terms were not disclosed. Popcore is a leader in the puzzle genre and has made chart-topping games such as Parking Jam 3D and Pull the Pin!, both of which hit the No. 1 most-downloaded game in the U.S. on Apple’s iOS.
“Popcore’s dedication to rapid experimentation and nimble development matches perfectly with the values and processes we live by at Rollic and I am thrilled to welcome them into our family,” said Burak Vardal, CEO of Rollic, in a statement. “Combining allows us to build more gaming experiences that emphasize meaningful, lasting engagement. Furthermore, our mutual user base with Popcore will represent a great combination of new players and long-term retaining users.”
Founded by brothers Thomas and Johannes Heinze, Popcore develops ad-driven, free-to-play games for audiences worldwide that have been downloaded globally more than 500 million times across iOS and Android.
Using data-testing methods that facilitate experimentation with minimal risk, the team has built games with insights into user sentiment and behavior that have both mass appeal and long-term engagement. Headquartered in Berlin, the Popcore team has more than 150 people developing, testing and growing their games.
“Our teams rigorously test our games, evolving them based on in-depth data analytics to provide entertainment that balances the accessibility of hyper-casual with the lasting engagement of casual gaming,” said Johannes Heinze, cofounder of Popcore, in a statement. “This deal will combine our specific brand of ad-driven, free-to-play mobile titles with Rollic’s global marketing expertise and Zynga’s history of live services to build the next generation of mobile games.”
Based in Istanbul, Rollic recently surpassed two billion lifetime downloads worldwide and 19 of its titles reached the top two spots in the U.S. Apple App Store. Zynga acquired Rollic, and in turn Take-Two acquired Zynga for $12.7 billion this year.
