Inside Social Games

Major social game developer Zynga recently acquired young social virtual world developer MyMiniLife, and it is already using some of the company’s technology in FarmVille. The MyMiniLife team has already joined Zynga’s 400-odd staff and is primarily focused on helping grow Zynga’s virtual worlds.

MyMiniLife allows users to create their own personalized spaces and homes using styles ranging from that of a budding metropolis to a tropical island getaway. Players can then, of course, expand their creations through the purchase of items using the company’s virtual currency.

Currently, the company is relatively small, but its experience in virtual worlds is what Zynga is after.

“We’re constantly looking for the highest quality talent and technology to help us build our business,” says Mark Skaggs, VP and GM of Social RTS at Zynga. “The MyMiniLife technology and team is a perfect complement to the top notch teams here at Zynga.”

Until recently, the most successful virtual world from the company has been YoVille with just under 10.3 million monthly users this past month. However, with the staggering success of its latest title, FarmVille, it will be interesting to see how the company integrates the MML team. As of last month, FarmVille garnered an incredible 16.7 million users, ousting long time top Facebook games Texas HoldEm Poker and Mafia Wars.

“We’re very excited to join Zynga and help grow the business in any way we can,” says Sizhao Yang, CEO of MyMiniLife. “We’re looking forward to being an integral part of Zynga’s leadership and growth moving forward, and are happy to have supported FarmVille’s amazing success with MyMiniLife’s technology.”