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Zynga buys Bonfire Studios as acquisition spree continues

Social games giant grabs former Ensemble Studios talent and renames team Zynga Dallas

Social games giant Zynga continues its acquisition spree by snapping up Bonfire Studios, renaming the outfit Zynga Dallas.

Bonfire was established in 2008 by veterans of acclaimed studio Ensemble, which was dismantled by Microsoft after the release of Halo Wars, with the team also having worked on Age of Empires and Age of Mythology.

Co-founders David Rippy, Bill Jackson and Scott Winsett will remain with the company, taking on the roles of general manager, senior art director and creative director, respectively.

Zynga has continued to grow rapidly in 2010 - the firm has moved into a 2000-desk office in San Francisco, and expanded out into regions with acquisitions in China, Germany and India.

Zynga Dallas strengthens the company's development capabilities in the US, which already include Rock Legends creator Serious Business and Challenge Games, now renamed Zynga Austin.

Zynga's games include Frontierville, Farmville, Special Forces, Vampire Wars and Mafia Wars

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Matt Martin avatar
Matt Martin joined GamesIndustry in 2006 and was made editor of the site in 2008. With over ten years experience in journalism, he has written for multiple trade, consumer, contract and business-to-business publications in the games, retail and technology sectors.
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