Zynga Inc (ZNGA) Lauches Its Second Card-Battler

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There is going to come a point when I must track down an address for Jeffrey Grubb at venturebeat.com. Not an email address, but a physical address to send him a Christmas card each year. It seems that each time I write about Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZNGA), despite using the wealth of information available on the Internet, I always come back to his solid reporting about Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZNGA) and its mobile offerings. Thanks Jeffrey, now shave that silly beard. I jest.

Zynga Inc (ZNGA) Lauches Its Second Card-Battler

When Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZNGA) released Ayakashi: Ghost Guild, a fantasy card-battler with a Japanese lean that the title suggests, they knew they were on to something. They were right, it has moved into the Top 50 in all-time, top-grossing games for the Android OS.

I remember the days of Magic: The Gathering and admittedly never saw the appeal. I saw the money involved, both the money made by Wizards of The Coast when they introduced the game in 1993 and the money that players and often their parents laid out to collect the cards needed to win. I thought Magic was a thing of the past, but it turns out they still boast over 12 million active players, and tournaments can still be found internationally.

Perhaps my ignorance of Magic’s continued following is the reason that I was initially shocked to see the successes that card-battling games are presently enjoying on both iOS and Android.

Rage of Bahamut, developed by Mobage, did as well as any game in both the iTunes Store and Google Play in 2012. This success prompted the release of Marvel War of Heroes, a Battler based on the Marvel Superheroes of comics, cartoons and screen.

Today, Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZNGA) began offering its second card-battler, War of the Fallen. While presently only available on iOS, the Android version will be released before you know it.

In order to appeal to the most users as possible, Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZNGA) went out of its way to craft a narrative that would appeal to people who might not otherwise look to the card-battler as a vehicle for a well-written romp in the fantasy world.

“It’s rare to find a card battler game that blends both accessibility and depth, and that’s what we’ve tried to deliver with War of the Fallen,” Zynga general manager Scott Koenigsberg said in a statement. “We hope players – both seasoned card battler veterans and those that are new to the genre – love the level of polish, customization and new social innovations we’ve included.”

 I may have to pick up this free offering, it will be much easier to hide from my girlfriend than decks of Magic cards.

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