Zynga Acquires CSI: Crime City Developer Area/Code

Casual content producer Zynga continues to expand its reach, today making public the acquisition of New York developer Area/Code. Rebranded as “Zynga New York,” the deal was announced via Twitter when Zynga Chief Game Designer Brian Reynolds shared the news: “Introducing Zynga New York! Welcome to the family Area/Code!”

An update from the Area/Code website express excitement about the change, detailing that Creative Director Frank Lantz and General Manager Demetri Detsaridis will remain on the team, while co-founder Kevin Slavin “remains nearby by focused on other new ventures.”

“Zynga is the undisputed leader of an industry in the midst of an important transition,” reads the Area/Code update. “Social games have demonstrated massive popularity and commercial success even as they are still developing; Area/Code’s ideas, passion and experience will now participate in that development.”

Founded in early 2005, Area/Code has formed relationships with publishers Electronic Arts and Ubisoft, focusing on social games via platforms like Facebook. Known for early contributions in this space, Area/Code first gained momentum with the release of Parking Wars, and more recently with Facebook success story CSI: Crime City. The studio’s first iPhone game – Drop7 – has been lauded for its simplicity and ingenuity.

“Zynga is smart,” continues the Area/Code update. “They know you can’t just optimize on what stands, that you also have to push forward and explore new ideas. That’s an exciting business to be in.”

[via Joystiq]