Business Wire

CA-ZYNGA

Share
Zynga Enters Into Agreement to Acquire Mobile Game Developer StarLark, Team Behind the Hit Franchise, Golf Rival

Zynga Inc . (Nasdaq: ZNGA), a global leader in interactive entertainment, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire StarLark, developer of the fast-growing and second-largest mobile golf game in the world, Golf Rival, from Betta Games for $525 million in cash and stock. This acquisition brings to Zynga a talented development team with the proven ability to create a global hit and additional projects in early development. StarLark also expands Zynga’s international presence by establishing a China-based studio with access to the region’s creative talent base.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210805005098/en/

In Golf Rival , players of all skill levels compete in real-time player-versus-player matches, including multiplayer tournaments on spectacular courses with customizable equipment. The game has rapidly grown to become the second-largest mobile golf game in the world with six million downloads in 2021 alone.

“With the acquisition of Golf Rival , Zynga becomes home to a talented team with the proven ability to create a global hit, while expanding Zynga’s international footprint with a new studio in China,” said Frank Gibeau, Chief Executive Officer of Zynga. “Golf Rival has rapidly ascended to become the second-largest mobile golf game in the world, with six million downloads in 2021 alone. Together, Zynga and StarLark are well-positioned to grow Golf Rival faster together with additional new projects in early development.”

“I’m very proud of the StarLark team for making Golf Rival a worldwide hit and we are thrilled to join Zynga to further accelerate the game’s incredible growth trajectory as a forever franchise,” said Henry You, Founder and General Manager of StarLark. “This partnership will provide Zynga with greater accessibility to China’s deep talent pool, while also giving StarLark access to Zynga’s global resources and expertise.”

Zynga will acquire the StarLark development studio and Golf Rival franchise for approximately $525 million, comprising approximately $315 million of cash and approximately $210 million of Zynga common stock (issued at the average closing price per share over the thirty-day trading period ended August 02, 2021). The final closing consideration will also include customary closing adjustments and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Zynga was advised by White & Case and Fangda Law. Aream & Co. acted as the exclusive financial advisor and Orrick served as legal advisor to Betta Games in this transaction.

Editor’s note:

Key art and broadcast assets available for use at the following link:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/k04y6d41bgrcw7m/AACg-NaEWZDbPEumf0s42qlIa?dl=0

About Zynga

Zynga is a global leader in interactive entertainment with a mission to connect the world through games. With massive global reach in more than 175 countries and regions, Zynga has a diverse portfolio of popular game franchises that have been downloaded more than four billion times on mobile, including CSR Racing ™, Empires & Puzzles ™, Hair Challenge, Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells, High Heels!, Merge Dragons! ™, Merge Magic! ™, Queen Bee ™, Toon Blast ™, Toy Blast ™, Words With Friends ™ and Zynga Poker ™. With Chartboost, a leading mobile advertising and monetization platform, Zynga is an industry-leading next-generation platform with the ability to optimize programmatic advertising and yields at scale. Founded in 2007, Zynga is headquartered in California with locations in North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.zynga.com or follow Zynga on Twitter , Instagram , Facebook or the Zynga blog .

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including those statements relating to, among other things: the proposed acquisition of Beijing StarLark Technology Co., Ltd. (“StarLark)”, the Golf Rival mobile game franchise and related other games, intellectual properties, business records and specified other assets and liabilities; our ability to achieve the intended benefits of the acquisition, including the growth of the Golf Rival franchise, the development of future games, and attracting and retaining key development and other personnel; the purchase price for the acquisition and the timing in which the transaction is expected to close. Forward-looking statements often include words such as “projected,” “planned,” “intend,” “will,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “target,” “expect,” and statements in the future tense are generally forward-looking. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and reflect management’s current expectations. The achievement or success of the matters covered by such forward-looking statements involves significant risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, and our actual results could differ materially from those predicted or implied. Undue reliance should not be placed on such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date hereof. We assume no obligation to update such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include: satisfaction of transaction closing conditions and our ability to timely close the transaction; our ability to effectively integrate and achieve the expected benefits of the transaction; and risks of litigation and/or regulatory actions related to the transaction. More information about these risks, uncertainties, and assumptions and additional factors that could cause actual results to differ are or will be described in greater detail in our public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), copies of which may be obtained by visiting our Investor Relations website at http://investor.zynga.com or the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov .

About Business Wire

Business Wire
Business Wire
101 California Street, 20th Floor
CA 94111 San Francisco

http://businesswire.com

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

Rimini Street to Report Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Results on February 19, 202626.1.2026 19:46:00 CET | Press release

Rimini Street, Inc. (Nasdaq: RMNI), the Software Support and Agentic AI ERP Company™, and the leading third-party support provider for Oracle, SAP and VMware software, today announced it will report earnings after market close on February 19, 2026. The company will host a conference call and webcast on that date to discuss the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2025 results and the 2026 outlook at 5:00 p.m. Eastern / 2:00 p.m. Pacific time. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260126188817/en/ Rimini Street to Report Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Results on February 19, 2026 A live webcast of the event will be available on Rimini Street’s Investor Relations site via the Rimini Street IR events link and directly via the webcast link. Dial-in participants can access the conference by dialing 1-800-836-8184. A replay of the webcast will be available for one year following the event. About Rimini Street, In

SES Acknowledges Fitch’s Rating Action and Reiterates Deleveraging Plan26.1.2026 19:07:00 CET | Press release

SES S.A. (“SES” or the “Company”), a leading space solutions company, acknowledges the credit rating action announced by Fitch today, which follows the release of SES’ Q3 2025 results and Intelsat integration update. SES continues to be rated investment grade by Fitch with a stable outlook. SES management reiterates that the Company continues to execute on its strategy with a clear plan to strengthen its key credit metrics over time. The Company also has a clear view of the multiple cash generating levers available to it that it believes can substantially support and accelerate the deleveraging plan. SES management will use these levers in a disciplined way and keep investors informed as they deliver on the strategic plan. Consistent with this plan, it remains management’s intention to delever, with a policy objective of reducing adjusted net leverage(1) to at least 3.0x or below. (1) Adjusted net leverage is defined as Adjusted Net Debt divided by Adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted Net Debt is

A2RL Drone Championship Sets the Pace for AI in Autonomous Flight26.1.2026 18:17:00 CET | Press release

TII Racing set the fastest autonomous lap of the Championship, establishing a new benchmark for high-speed, vision-based autonomy MAVLAB secured the multi-drone title, showcasing robust multi-agent autonomy in complex, shared environments Human FPV pilot MinChan Kim narrowly defeated AI competitor in a decisive Human vs AI finale, in a down-to-the-wire showdown The Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) Drone Championship delivered a decisive test of autonomous and human performance, as Technology Innovation Institute’s TII Racing set the fastest autonomous lap to win the AI Speed Challenge, while a human first-person-view (FPV) pilot, MinChan Kim – World FPV Champion, narrowly claimed victory in the Human vs AI finale. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260126735530/en/ A2RL Drone Championship Sets the Pace for AI in Autonomous Flight (Photo: AETOSWire) Organised by ASPIRE, the innovation acceleration arm of

Zayed Sustainability Prize Opens Global Call for Submissions for 2027 Cycle26.1.2026 16:25:00 CET | Press release

With an increased prize fund of US $7.2 million, the Zayed Sustainability Prize supports enterprises, nonprofit organisations and schools delivering transformative solutions.Entries are now open, with applicants invited to submit innovative, scalable sustainability solutions.Now in its 18th year, the Prize has positively impacted over 400 million people by expanding access to clean energy, water, food, healthcare and improving climate resilience. The Zayed Sustainability Prize, an affiliate of Erth Zayed Philanthropies and the UAE’s pioneering global award for sustainability and humanitarian innovation, has opened submissions for its 2027 cycle. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260126912976/en/ Winners of the 2026 Zayed Sustainability Prize (Photo: AETOSWire) The Prize carries forward the vision and legacy of the UAE’s founding father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, by supporting those advancing a more incl

2026 Japan Prize: Two U.S. Scientists and One Japanese Scientist Awarded26.1.2026 15:00:00 CET | Press release

Presentation Ceremony to Take Place in Tokyo in April The Japan Prize Foundation announced the winners of the 2026 Japan Prize at 1:00 p.m. on 21 January 2026. Prof. Cynthia Dwork (USA) has been awarded the Japan Prize in the field of Electronics, Information, and Communication. Prof. Shizuo Akira (Japan) and Prof. Zhijian "James" Chen (USA) have been awarded the Japan Prize in the field of Life Sciences. For this year’s Japan Prize, Prof. Dwork is being recognized for her Contribution to leading research for building an ethical digital society, including differential privacy and fairness. Prof. Akira and Prof. Chen are being recognized for their Discovery of the nucleic acid sensing mechanism by the innate immune system. For the 2026 Japan Prize, the Foundation asked approximately 16,000 prominent scientists and engineers from around the world to nominate researchers working in this year’s fields. We received 107 nominations for the field of Electronics, Information, and Communication

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye