Global Top Round Announces 2022 Cohort

Zynga Inc., a wholly-owned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive, a global leader in interactive entertainment, today announced that its subsidiary Rollic has acquired Popcore, an independent mobile game developer based in Germany. Financial terms were not disclosed.

A leader in the puzzle genre, Popcore is home to chart-topping games such as Parking Jam 3D and Pull the Pin!, both of which achieved the status of being among the #1 most downloaded games in the U.S. Apple App Store. The deal further strengthens Zynga’s subsidiary Rollic as a leader among hyper-casual publishers worldwide.

“Popcore’s dedication to rapid experimentation and nimble development matches perfectly with the values and processes we live by at Rollic and I am thrilled to welcome them into our family,” said Burak Vardal, CEO of Rollic. “Combining allows us to build more gaming experiences that emphasize meaningful, lasting engagement. Furthermore, our mutual user base with Popcore will represent a great combination of new players and long-term retaining users.”

“Our teams rigorously test our games, evolving them based on in-depth data analytics to provide entertainment that balances the accessibility of hyper-casual with the lasting engagement of casual gaming,” said Johannes Heinze, Co-Founder of Popcore. “This deal will combine our specific brand of ad-driven, free-to-play mobile titles with Rollic’s global marketing expertise and Zynga’s history of live services to build the next generation of mobile games.”

Founded by brothers Thomas and Johannes Heinze, Popcore develops innovative ad-driven, free-to-play games for audiences worldwide that have been downloaded globally more than 500 million times across iOS and Android. Using unique data testing methods that facilitate experimentation with minimal risk, the team has built games with deep insights into user sentiment and behavior that have both mass appeal and long-term engagement. Headquartered in Berlin, the Popcore team has 150+ members developing, testing, and growing their games.

Based in Istanbul, Rollic recently surpassed 2 billion lifetime downloads worldwide and has had 19 titles reach the #1 or #2 spot in the U.S. Apple App Store. The company develops and publishes hit mobile titles in over 175 countries, redefining the fast-growing hyper-casual sector by adding live services and dozens of in-game events to many of its top-performing titles. This evolution helps to update engagement patterns, extending the lifecycle of Rollic’s hyper-casual titles beyond the traditional window of the genre.

Related