Zynga Buys Golf Rival And Developer StarLark For $525 Million

Mobile giant Zynga has agreed to purchase Chinese developer StarLark and its most popular product, Golf Rival, for almost $530 million


Published: August 6, 2021 10:27 AM /

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Artwork showing Zynga's purchase of StarLark and Golf Rival

Mobile gaming giant Zynga is continuing its recent acquisition spree. This time, the studio has acquired Chinese developer StarLark, as well as its most popular title, the mobile golf game Golf Rival. The deal totals $525 million in value.

What does Zynga's purchase of StarLark and Golf Rival mean?

This news comes via an official Zynga press release. In that announcement, Zynga says StarLark is a "talented development team" with the ability to create globally successful games. Zynga CEO Frank Gibeau says StarLark and his company are "well-positioned" to continue Golf Rival's growth, and that StarLark already has additional projects in the pipeline.

Golf Rival, a game by new Zynga acquisition StarLark
As Zynga CEO Frank Gibeau points out, Golf Rival is the second biggest mobile golf game in the world.

Golf Rival is no slouch when it comes to popularity. Gibeau points out in the press release that Golf Rival is the second-biggest mobile golf game in the world, racking up 6 million downloads just this year. The only game to which Golf Rival plays caddy is Golf Clash by British studio Playdemic, which EA is in the process of purchasing for a whopping $1.4 billion. Zynga is a player to be reckoned with, though, so there's every chance Golf Rival could be snapping at Golf Clash's heels before too long.

What's the value of this deal?

Zynga's deal to purchase StarLark and Golf Rival is worth around $525 million. This comprises around $315 million in cash, with about $210 million in Zynga stock making up the rest of the amount. The deal is expected to close in 2021's fourth quarter. As far as we know, Zynga doesn't plan to make any operational changes to the way StarLark makes games, so if you're a huge Golf Rival fan, don't expect too many changes.

This deal marks part of a wider strategy on Zynga's behalf to expand and consolidate its presence in the mobile gaming space. Earlier this year, Zynga acquired Torchlight developer Echtra Games, and just yesterday the mobile giant announced its acquisition of advertising and monetization platform Chartboost. It's all go for Zynga, so watch this space for the studio making even more acquisitions in the future.

How do you feel about Zynga acquiring StarLark and Golf Rival? Let us know in the comments below!

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Joe has been writing for TechRaptor for five years, and in those five years has learned a lot about the gaming industry and its foibles. He’s originally an… More about Joseph