Zynga with Friends (formerly Newtoy, Inc.) was a

video game developer A video game developer is a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large business with em ...

founded in 2008 by brother
Paul Bettner
and David Bettner, and their cousin Michael Chow. In November 2008, Newtoy, Inc. released its first game for the iPhone and iPod touch, ''Chess with Friends'', an

asynchronous multiplayer A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...

game released for the

Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

App Store An app store, also called an app marketplace or app catalog, is a type of digital distribution platform for computer software called applications, often in a mobile context. Apps provide a specific set of functions which, by definition, do not i ...

. In August the following year, it released its second game for iPhone and iPod touch, ''

Words with Friends ''Words with Friends'' is a multiplayer computer word game developed by Newtoy. Players take turns building words crossword-puzzle style in a manner similar to the classic board game ''Scrabble''. The rules of the two games are similar, but ''Wo ...

'', another asynchronous multiplayer game with gameplay similar to ''

Scrabble ''Scrabble'' is a word game in which two to four players score points by placing tiles, each bearing a single letter, onto a Board game, game board divided into a 15×15 grid of squares. The tiles must form words that, in crossword fashion, re ...

'', which ultimately became their best known game. In November 2010, the company was acquired by

Zynga Zynga Inc. () is an American video game developer and Video game publisher, publisher known for its social video game services. It was founded in April 2007, with headquarters in San Mateo, California. The company primarily focuses on mobile an ...

for $53.3 million and an undisclosed amount of stock. Following the acquisition, the studio would be rebranded to Zynga with Friends in December of that year. Newtoy would be the company's fourteenth acquisition within its peak years. Nearly two years since the studio's latest release, Zynga with Friends would release the company's third title, '' Hanging with Friends'', on June 9, 2011, the title would be followed by '' Scramble with Friends'' in January 2012. The company was attempting to capitalize on the breakthrough success of ''Words with Friends'', Zynga re-launched Zynga with Friends as a standalone social network in June 2012. Within the autumn of that year, it was clear that the Zynga with Friends social network was no longer a success; the Bettner brothers left the company, with Zynga's stock price beginning to decline.

Games

References

External links

Official Website
{{Take-Two Interactive Video game companies of the United States Video game companies established in 2008 Zynga Companies based in McKinney, Texas