farmville

Zynga to Cut Workforce by 18%, in Bid to Restructure Business

Zynga announces plans to cut 520 jobs, or 18% of its workforce, saying the move is necessary to "move forward."

Zynga Scores in DefectionVille Again: CFO David Wehner Exits

Here's a free game idea for Zynga. It's called DefectionVille, and you're running a company while trying to stop its executives from leaving. Unfortunately for the social gaming giant, it's losing: The exec exodus continued Tuesday as Zynga CFO David Wehner left the company for Facebook.

FarmVille Maker Closes the Barn Door Too Late on Fleeing Money

Zynga hit investors with bad news on Tuesday, announcing it would lay off 5% of its employees, scale back, and suspend development of 13 older games. And it all came out as Facebook, to which the social gaming leader's fortunes are closely linked, reported better than expected results.

Wall Street Watch Tuesday: Zynga Execs Keep Bolting

Zynga, the company behind FarmVille, Words With Friends and Mafia Wars, has been having a hard time holding on to its stock value -- and its top employees. But are executives leaving because of the weak share price or is the share price weak because of the company's prospects?

Wall Street Is Tired of Zynga's Games

Zynga has a problem keeping gamers around, and now the same thing may be happening with its executives. The social gaming giant revealed on Wednesday night that Chief Operating Officer John Schappert is leaving the company.

Living Classics: Can Amazon's New Game Save Social Gaming?

Social gaming on Facebook was the Next Big Thing last year. This year? Not so much. Online gaming powerhouse Zynga saw its numbers stumble in the second quarter. Yet Amazon.com is entering the business anyway.

Why Zynga Investors Are Losing Their Shirts

Social gaming giant Zynga has a new game for investors: DudsVille. The company behind Words With Friends and FarmVille opened 40% lower on Thursday after posting very disappointing quarterly results.

Facebook's Real Investing Story: How Brokers and Investors Use It

The most interesting story about investing and social media isn't that you can buy shares of Facebook -- it's the way so many advisers and investors are using social networking sites to connect with each other, and with market information.

Can't Get a Piece of the Facebook IPO? Lucky You!

Don't feel bad that you aren't one of those lucky, well-connected investors who gets to buy into Facebook's IPO this week. Those buyers may look lucky when the likely initial price pop happens. But odds are, the pop will be followed by a drop.

You Won't 'Like' This: How Facebook Is Draining Your Wallet

The average Facebook user spends more than eight hours a month on the site, and many of us spend much, much more. What you might not realize is how much actual spending all that social networking leads to.

The Rich Get Richer in Social Gaming: Zynga Buys OMGPOP

If you haven't started playing mobile gaming app Draw Something yet, you've probably seen it. The Pictionary clone has gone massively viral worldwide, which made its owner, OMGPOP, a minor thorn in the side of social gaming leader Zynga.

What to Watch This Week: Games, Cars, Love and Z's

There's never a dull moment on Wall Street, especially now that the market is hitting multi-year highs again. Let's go over some of the items that will help shape the week that lies ahead.

7 Startling Numbers We Now Know About Facebook

Now that Facebook has filed its IPO paperwork, we've gotten our first real glimpse at the inner workings of the world's largest social networking website. No shock, the company's fundamentals are impressive, but here are a few of the numbers that may surprise you -- and what they mean.

5 Reasons You're Not Buying Video Games Anymore

The latest news on the video game front isn't pretty. Media tracker NPD Group's data reveals that industry sales plunged 21% last month. It's clear that the industry is undergoing a radical shift, but for investors, the more important issue is why.

What to Watch This Week: Bellwethers on Land and at Sea

There's never a dull moment on Wall Street, not even when most of us are distracted by imminent arrival of the holidays. Let's go over some of the items that will help shape the week that lies ahead.

What to Watch This Week: New IPOs, IMAX, Tablets

There's never a dull moment on Wall Street, especially when you add holiday shopping season to the mix. Let's go over some of the items that will help shape the week that lies ahead.

Zynga's $10 Billion IPO Game: Should You Play?

If you're not familiar with Zynga, the undisputed champ of social gaming, odds are that you're not a fixture on Facebook or into smartphone app gaming. This month, it rolls the dice on a big public offering. Are you game?

Nokia Smartphones Finally Attracting Some App Love

Nokia smartphone users starving for app extras may finally get some new toys for their handsets. App developers who previously stuck to iOS and Android are probably going to branch out, thanks to Nokia's Windows 7 deal.

2010's Biggest Tech Surprises and Disappointments

Forecasting which technologies will succeed is always hazardous, but it proved especially difficult in 2010, a year full of surprises -- and also several disappointments. Facebook blew away even the most optimistic expectations for the year. Google Buzz? Not so much.