Softbank Invests $150 Million in Zynga
SAN FRANCISCO & TOKYO–(Business Wire)–
Zynga and Softbank today announced a joint venture that will develop and
distribute social games across Japan. The new joint venture, Zynga Japan, brings
together leaders in social games and consumer technology to offer millions of
new users the ability to play social games anytime and anywhere. In conjunction
with today`s announcement, Softbank has completed a $150 million investment in
Zynga. With this agreement, Zynga and Softbank will tighten their relationship
as business partners.
The joint venture extends Zynga’s reach to a wider global audience and marks the
company’s first foray into the rapidly growing internet and mobile market in
Japan. Based in Tokyo, Zynga Japan will tap into Japan’s rich history of gaming
and leverage Softbank’s cutting edge mobile and Web technology to produce the
best social games in the market.
“Zynga is a leader in social games and I am delighted to partner with them to
introduce their social games to Japan,” said Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO of
Softbank. “We share the same vision as Zynga in social games and look forward to
working together to create a social game powerhouse.”
“We’re excited to partner with Softbank to bring Zynga’s social games to Japan
and gain insights from the Japanese market,” said Mark Pincus, CEO and Founder
of Zynga. “As one of the most innovative technology companies in the world,
Softbank is bringing the mobile internet to consumers making the social web more
accessible to people everywhere.”
About Zynga
Zynga`s games include FarmVille, Treasure Isle, Zynga Poker, Mafia Wars,
YoVille, Café World, FishVille, PetVille and FrontierVille. Zynga games are
available on Facebook, MySpace and the iPhone. Through Zynga.org, Zynga players
have raised over $3 million for world social causes. Zynga is headquartered in
Potrero Hill in San Francisco. For more information, visit www.Zynga.com or
www.Zynga.org.
About Softbank
Softbank is a leading technology company connecting consumers through its
broadband infrastructure, fixed-line telecommunications, and mobile
communications services. Softbank has invested in overseas companies with high
potential to provide next generation services using the internet, including Oak
Pacific Interactive (which operates China’s largest SNS site) and Ustream, Inc.
(which is the operator of the Ustream.TV website), a broadcast platform offering
live video distribution service via the Internet (video streaming service). By
leveraging this investment in Zynga and through its other efforts, Softbank.
continuously aims to generate synergies among various content and services
within its group. For more information, visit http://www.softbank.co.jp/en/.
Zynga
Lisa Chan, 415-706-1834
lchan@zynga.com
or
Softbank
pr@softbank.co.jp
Copyright Business Wire 2010
