Zynga gobbled up two unnamed companies for $4.9 million in 45 days

Talk about nom-noms. VentureBeat reports that FarmVille maker Zynga has acquired two unnamed companies between Oct. 1 and now, citing an amendment to an S1 filing submitted to the U.S. Security and Exchanges Commission yesterday. Zynga has filed several amendments to the S1 filing in preparation for its expected $1 billion initial public offering, but this is by far the juiciest (and most positive, frankly).

According to the filing, Zynga paid a measly $4.9 million total for both companies, meaning they were likely rather small. But it's exactly these tiny acquisitions that have helped the company amass over 2,500 employees globally. With this news, Zynga has bought 15 companies in the past year, all for a total of $45.5 million. Zynga's most recent acquisition (that we know of) was Astro Ape back in August

EA paid nearly $1 billion upfront for Bejeweled maker PopCap, while Disney played upwards $500 million for Playdom last year. Keep in mind, however, that both EA and Disney are basically in a position where small startups simply won't do, if they want to combat Zynga. But don't think Zynga hasn't at least considered a major purchase ... or made major offers outright. Now, who's next?

Who do you think Zynga might have purchased? Do you think EA and Disney could employ a similar strategy to compete with the company? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.