Zynga acquires mobile growth platform Storemaven

Making successful mobile games isn’t just about game development. That’s why Zynga has acquired Storemaven, a mobile growth and app store optimization company.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The deal is the first since Take-Two Interactive acquired Zynga for $12.7 billion earlier this year. The acquisition is also interesting as it reflects how Zynga is buying marketing and adtech companies, not just game studios.

Zynga said the acquisition of Israel-based Storemaven has closed, and it will combine Storemaven’s mobile technologies with Zynga’s game portfolio and Chartboost’s advertising platform. Storemaven has 53 employees, while Zynga has 2,900.

Founded in Tel Aviv in 2015 by Gad Maor (CEO), Adam Rakib (president), and Eldad Abel (chief product officer), Storemaven creates innovative mobile growth and ASO technologies. The company changed the way mobile companies and game developers optimize their creative advertising, conduct growth experiments, and measure performance.

“Zynga has always invested in publishing technology, experimentation, and analytics that connect players to the fun and engaging experiences that we create,” said Alex Tremblay, executive vice president and chief data officer at Zynga. “With our acquisition of Storemaven, we gain additional, unmatched technologies and expertise to expand Zynga’s publishing platform and to solidify our leading position in the marketplace. Storemaven brings world-class optimization and intelligence technologies that are crucial to the success of publishing mobile games. We are excited to officially welcome this talented team to the Zynga family.”

With this acquisition, Zynga aims to enhance its usage and investment in growth technologies, augment its leadership position in reaching mass audiences, and further its mission to connect the world through games.

“Zynga’s rich culture in data-driven decision making and innovation, expansive reach, and enormous ambitions have made them an important partner for us,” said Maor, in a statement. “This combination allows us to maximize the impact of our expertise and products. We look forward to combining our technologies and unique culture with Zynga’s massive portfolio and Chartboost’s advertising platform, opening the door to building a world-class publishing platform that will launch global hits at scale”.

“Israel has firmly established itself as a hotbed of technological innovation,” said Yaron Leyvand, executive vice president of games at Zynga, in a statement. “This acquisition grants Zynga a meaningful footprint in the region. This exciting deal also allows us to continue building Zynga’s leading in-house technical capabilities and opens up our ability across the company to tap into the passionate and highly-skilled talent community in Israel.”