Now that it's pulled in a billion dollars by selling stock to the public, what's next for Zynga? Why, a new online social game, of course.
The San Francisco company just launched "Hidden Chronicles," a find-the-hidden-object game you can get social with. After pulling in massive amounts of players with titles like "FarmVille" and "CastleVille," Zynga has extra pressure with its new title -- namely, a whole bunch of new owners, thanks to its IPO.
Puzzle games are catnip to lots of social types -- just look at the success of "Words With Friends," which Zynga bought before it went public. It's fun to discover stuff with other people, and Zynga wants to tap into that to help sustain its growth.
As for the stock? There's been a big debate about if Zynga's IPO was a success or not -- some say it was a flop; I say when you tuck a billion dollars into your bank account, and have an already hot franchise with lots of creative people onboard plotting the next course, you've got potential. Add to that a low (heck, below $10) buy-in price, and Zynga should be attractive to a lot of investors.
Is "Hidden Chronicles" the next big hit? We'll head up to Zynga HQ to check it out. Maybe even solve a puzzle or two while we're there.
Scott is easy tofind on Twitter: @scottbudman and he will be sending Qik video to this article from Zynga HQ.
