Zynga Japan To Cease Operations This January
In yet another blow to the gaming company, Zynga Japan will close its doors forever on January 31, 2013. This news follows the announcement of mass layoffs last October.
After receiving a sizable investment from the folks at Softbank, Zynga Japan began churning out content roughly two years ago. Following the fall from grace the company experienced over the past several months, the Japanese division has announced it will cease operations shortly into the new year.
According to PC Magazine, Zynga Japan CEO Kenji Matsubara made the unfortunate announcement on his official Facebook page. Given the company has already stopped supporting three games from the region, it’s not too surprising that executives have made the decision to close the division down.
Dr. Serkan Toto had this to say about the statement:
“Zynga Japan will be shut down at the end of January, that Matsubara thanks users for playing his company’s games, and that service for popular card battle game Ayakashi will be continued.”
TechCrunch is reporting that the official Zynga Japan website also sports a similar message. A rough Google translation of the original Japanese text reads like a typical “We’re going out of business” decree. In short, the company appreciates your support and is sorry to announce you’ll no longer be able to play its games.
As of today (December 21), the company will no longer support the titles Montopia, a Japanese version of Words with Friends, and the city-building game Machitsuku. Zynga Japan will have only one game left in its arsenal after these titles have effectively bitten the dust.
The closure of Zynga Japan isn’t the only bad news the company has dumped on its fans as of late. The game developer recently disclosed that Mafia Wars 2 would no longer be supported by the end of this year.
What do you think about Zynga Japan’s closure? Do you think the company will last much longer?
