Surprise! Zynga wants to buy Draw Something maker OMGPOP [Report]

Come on, at least try to wear your shocked face. TechCrunch reports, citing sources close to the matter, that the FarmVille maker is in talks with OMGPOP for a purchase that it expects to be to the tune of $150 to $250 million. Draw Something by New York-based OMGPOP blew up like it was nobody's business with little to no marketing. Clearly, OMGPOP did something right.

That said, we're not at all surprised by the rumors. Draw Something booted Zynga's Words With Friends out of the top spot for Facebook-connected mobile games, seeing its 8 million daily players with a whopping 12.2 million, according to AppData. This past Friday, the game had over 10 million daily players, meaning it gained nearly 2 million this weekend alone.

A potential buyout isn't surprising, because, well, it's Zynga: The developer bought out Words With Friends maker Newtoy as its flagship game was gaining steam, but for a paltry $53.3 million in comparison. Even the suggested price of the acquisition isn't surprising, if you consider how much Zynga was supposedly willing to drop on Rovio a while back.

However, we imagine that the motivation for this buyout would be different. Zynga was impressed by Words With Friends, but in this case, it's possible that the developer feels threatened. As the saying goes: If you can't beat 'em, give 'em oodles of cash to make sure they don't beat you. We've reached out to Zynga for comment.

[Image Credit: Hongkiat]

Would you be surprised if Zynga bought OMGPOP? If in Zynga's shoes, what would you do about Draw Something? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.