

Free-falling Zynga needs fast turnaround - hjaved
http://www.sfgate.com/technology/dotcommentary/article/Free-falling-Zynga-needs-fast-turnaround-3796892.php

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joelrunyon
Why does this surprise anyone? Did anyone really think a company built on
virtual farming, and cloning any new games that popped up without regard to
employee morale was a great long-term bet?

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csmeder
Actually can we change this to:

Why does this surprise anyone? Did anyone really think a company built on
selling illegal scams[1], and using the psychology of addiction to inform game
design with a leader who stole stock from employees and treated them horribly
was a great long-term bet?

I bet on companies that are honest, admirable and treat their employees well.

[1] "More than $200 was illegally charged to Swift's credit card over several
months, the lawsuit alleges. It seeks compensation from Facebook and Zynga for
Swift and thousands of others, says attorney John Parker, who represents the
plaintiff." -
[http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2009-12-07-games07_ST_N....](http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2009-12-07-games07_ST_N.htm)

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joelrunyon
Well, building a business on an addiction might be terrible morally, but it
usually makes for good business ventures (gambling, porn, alcohol, etc).

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mirsadm
Given their resources, they could try creating non-shit games. Why not try and
create an awesome console/PC title? I just don't get why they insist on making
the same uninspired games over and over again. They had a good run, it's not
working anymore. Time to move on.

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csmeder
Thats like asking "Given {insert name of rich scam artist here}'s resources
why doesn't he actually sell real paintings. Dishonest people [1] like to run
dishonest companies, would be my guess.

[1]
[http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2009-12-07-games07_ST_N....](http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2009-12-07-games07_ST_N.htm)

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jiggy2011
That's true, it's not in their DNA. On the other hand they could just buy a
promising indie developer, throw money at them and get out of the way.

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abbasmehdi
It surely sounds terrible from the author's point of view. Would love to hear
the proponent side of the story.

