Why Did Zynga Give 1.8 Billion Dollars to a Turkish Company?

The mobile game industry is moving towards becoming Turkey's soft power. Just as we have food and TV series, mobile game companies have become the most valuable enterprises in our history. Masomo, Gram Games and then Peak Games sales are some of the companies that emerged from our country and expanded to the world. The biggest difference between these companies and other ordinary companies is that they are completely their own culture, working systems and unique products they have. Those products are mobile games that appeal to millions around the world.

Last week, US-based gaming giant Zynga purchased the entire Peak Games for 1.8 billion dollars. Details of this record deal are coming, and officials continue to make mutual statements about the agreement. Peak Strategy Director Ömer İnönü explained one by one what Peak was aiming for with this sale last week. And now explanation order on Zynga side.

Zynga Publishing Manager Bernard Kim explained the Peak Games process:

Zynga, which bought the okey and card games division of Peak Games for 100 million dollars in 2017, actually knew Peak and his team very well since then. Bernard Kim, a senior official of Zynga, He described Peak Games founder and CEO Sidar Şahin as "a great visionary" and underlined that a pleasant and productive partnership has been established between the two companies.

Bernard Kim, “In fact, we want to be a large umbrella company and for the companies we acquire to protect their autonomy and freedom. That's exactly what happened with the Peak team. Sidar also saw that the process associated with the card games studio went smoothly, and we developed our relationship over time. “This is a very important thing for Zynga because we invest very heavily in relationships in general.” He made a statement. 

Before the coronavirus outbreak He came to Peak Games' office in Istanbul 6 times. Bernard Kim also stated that Sidar Şahin and his team also visited the Zynga headquarters in San Francisco. Stating that the two companies can grow very quickly together, Kim stated that they were honored by Peak choosing Zynga. 

“Everyone plays Toon Blast and Toy Blast”

The two big games that Peak Games advertised on TV in the USA Toon Blast And Toy Blasthas been played all over the world, especially in Japan, for years. In fact, Toon Blast will be coming to Peak Games in April 2020. Generated revenue of 36 million dollars is also stated. Bernard Kim says that these two games are one of the best designed puzzle games on the market and emphasizes that it is an important detail that mobile games appeal to a large number of people. 

Who, “Anyone with a phone can play these games; It's very easy. You can play even while walking. However, you must develop a strategy to specialize. Games that also allow you to communicate with your family and friends. Fun games that also fuel your competitive side. “It's a great mix for the future of gaming: Mobile, accessible and social.” With his statement, he points to Peak's sustainable success. Due to this success, two games, 12 million daily active users can address. 

“We are familiar with Türkiye's capabilities”

After purchasing a part of Peak in 2017, Zynga also acquired Gram Games, another domestic gaming initiative. for 250 million dollars incorporated it. Bernard Kim, on behalf of Zynga, which made its third largest investment in Turkey with the complete acquisition of Peak, “We are very familiar with the Turkish gaming market and the talents in the gaming industry.” he says. 

After the acquisition of Gram Games, the internal dynamics of the company continued to be preserved. Peak Games will also be under Zynga, but things will continue to work the same way as before. Thus, according to Kim, what companies have brought so far brand identities, unique and in-house talents, culture will continue to be protected. 

Zynga was on the verge of bankruptcy in 2013:

FarmVille Zynga, which had a big breakthrough with games such as and went public in 2011, within two years a big drop entered the trend. As a result of this decline, the company's CEO at the time, Mark Pincus, was replaced by Frank Gibeau, who was a manager at Electronic Arts, in 2016. After this transfer, a new period of rise began for Zynga. Gibeau stated that Zynga was in a worse situation than the worst when he took office.

According to the latest figures 96% of Zynga's revenues come from mobile games welding. This being the case, the company continued to grow by making serial acquisitions both from Turkey and other countries during the rise period. According to Bernard Kim, Zynga wants to continue growing without slowing down.

Peak Games will increase Zynga's user base by 60%:

With the acquisition of Peak Games There will be a 60% increase in the number of Zynga users. In fact, even this statistic alone provides a logical explanation as to why Peak Games was acquired by Zynga. However, the fact that Zynga continues its path without disrupting the structure of the companies it acquired is an important plus for Peak Games. Following the merger of the two companies, the mobile industry in Turkey became one of the most established sources of money in the country's history.