Figures from the US-based social gaming giant Zynga show that the company’s decade-old free-play app Zynga Poker grew 44 percent in 2016.
The parent group additionally reported revenue of $190.5 million in the fourth quarter – up 3 percent on the same quarter in 2015, reaching total FY 2016 revenue of $741 million.
Zynga CEO Frank Gibeau told the publication VentureBeat that the reason for the company’s resurgent success has been a re-focus on popular but older products, including the poker app, which had not been given enough investment or attention.
The initiative to revitalise these products by devoting more time, money, innovation and talented staff had paid handsome dividends, Gibeau claimed. The revitalised brands had reinvigorated the player base and attracted more fans.
“It really paid off in terms of putting our best talent back onto franchises that have been around for a while and reinvigorating our player base by innovating and adding features,” Gibeau said. “Zynga Poker showed growth of 44 percent compared to 2015 and is estimated to make up around 20 percent or around $148.2 million, of Zynga’s revenue last year.”