Mark Pincus

Zynga has moved to reduce its dependence on Facebook with the announcement of its own social gaming portal, Zynga.com. The site will host not only Zynga's own games but other studios' as well. While users can log in with their Facebook accounts, they are no longer limited to connecting with those on their friends lists, but can play with other members of the site. More >

Online gambling appears to be Zynga's next big revenue stream, after CEO Mark Pincus said it was "a good natural fit" for the company's games. Speaking at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom conference in San Francisco yesterday, the controversial CEO said his company was already well-positioned to capitalise on the popularity of online gaming thanks to Zynga Poker, which has 30 million monthly active users. More >

Zynga's first financial results since it became a public company reveal an annual loss of $404 million (£257.2m). Revenue in 2011 totalled $1.14 billion (£725.2bn), almost double the company's earnings in 2010. That year, the company posted a profit of $90.6 million. The huge loss means that investors holding Zynga stock have made an annual loss of $1.40 per share. More >

Hasbro has announced a partnership that gives the company rights to make toys and games based on Zynga's social games. The deal, announced in a press release, will also result in dual-branded merchandise based on both companies' properties More >

Mark Pincus, CEO of Facebook gaming titan Zynga, has told investors the company can double the number of users who actively contribute to its revenue. Zynga is far and away the most successful developer on Facebook, with 220 million monthly active users across its games, all of which are free to play. In the 12 months to September 30, however, just 7.7 million paid for virtual items. More >

Zynga CEO Mark Pincus has dismissed claims he forced employees to give up company stock as "false and skewed." A front-page report in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) claimed that employees who were given stock options in the early days of the company had been threatened with dismissal unless they gave them up. Pincus, apparently fearing he had been over-generous early on, then offered the stock to newly headhunted employees. More >

In what is being described as an "unprecedented" move for a technology company, Zynga has changed the structure of its stock to give CEO Mark Pincus 70 times the voting power of those who buy its shares on the stock market. Each of Pincus' shares will be worth 70 votes, with current stockholders' shares worth 10 votes, and those that bought shares after Zynga filed for an IPO get just one vote per share. One observer said the move may have been designed to ensure that Zynga staff with stock options do not have the power to outvote Pincus, who founded the company in 2007 and, with a 16 per cent share, is its majority shareholder.