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Omgpop founder Dan Porter walks away from Zynga

The former CEO of the Draw Something developer -- which Zynga acquired last year for a contentious $180 million -- is no longer with Zynga, in what the company is calling a "mutual decision" as Draw Something 2 wraps up.

Frank Cifaldi, Contributor

April 2, 2013

1 Min Read

Zynga lost yet another high-ranking executive Tuesday when Dan Porter, GM of its New York studio, left the company. Porter was the CEO of OMGPOP, the Draw Something developer that Zynga acquired last year for a rather contentious $180 million. Zynga tells us that Porter's departure was a "mutual decision," implying that the company may have wanted him out. Zynga would not clarify any further. Another Omgpop executive, Wilson Kriegel, left Zynga in September. Zynga New York is putting the finishing touches on Draw Something 2, which Porter led the development of. He is being replaced as GM by Sean Uberoi Kelly, the company's VP of mobile development.

Draw Something...please?

Omgpop's acquisition came at the height of Draw Something's popularity. From the outside it seemed to many that Zynga paid $180 million just to have the game in its portfolio, leading analysts to question whether Zynga's spending was out of control. The game was a rising star with growth that seemed limitless -- there was even a deal for a network TV show -- but even the most popular games must plateau at some point. And Draw Something plateaued fast. The fad seems to have gone away, with Draw Something players abandoning ship so fast that Zynga blamed them for being a major contributor in two consecutive quarterly losses.

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