Mobile games specialist Zynga has opened a new games development studio.
The new dev team will be based out of the company’s Austin office. Furthermore, the studio will collaborate with Zynga-subsidiary NaturalMotion to develop an upcoming premiere mobile title set in the Star Wars universe.
Jeff Hickman and Matthew Hemby will lead Zynga’s new studio. Moreover, it will hire 25 new members of staff across a variety of roles, including lead level designer, lead engineer and design director.
Great talent
“As a longtime Austinite, I know firsthand the immense level of talent and creativity that resides in this beautiful city,” said Zynga senior vice president of games Jeff Hickman.
“We believe that the Austin talent market is highly compatible with our mission of bringing triple-A console visuals and deep, compelling gameplay to mobile platforms.”
This year has been one of growth for Zynga, as it has acquired Toon Blast creator Peak Games and hypercasual specialist Rollic. The former of which was a deal worth a stagger $1.85 billion.
PocketGamer.biz also named Zynga the Top Mobile Game Maker for both 2019 and 2020 in our Top 50 Mobile Game Makers list, dubbing the company, “the shining example of a fast-growing, successful mobile developer with an exciting future ahead”.
