Draw Something Developer Dan Porter Departs Zynga a Year After $183 Million Acquisition
Dan Porter, former CEO of OMGPOP, never has to work another day in his life if he doesn't want to. Nor is obligated to work at Zynga, the casual game company that purchased OMGPOP last year for $183 million after "Draw Something" became a virtual overnight sensation. Unlike Midas, not everything Zynga touches turns to gold, and shortly after acquiring OMGPOP, Draw Something's popularity plummeted.
Maybe the game ran its course or perhaps Zynga, following the crazy success it saw with Farmville, is simply cursed these days. Either way, Porter isn't sticking around to find out. The so-called "golden handcuffs" are off, though both Porter and Zynga are publicly claiming the decision to part ways was 100 percent mutual. Whether you choose to believe that or not is up to you, but with Porter's relative new-found riches, can you really blame him for distancing himself from Zynga the first chance he got?
Image Source: Flickr (chrisjtse)
The timing may also have to do with Porter's desire to have finished Draw Something 2 before he left. Development on the sequel had been ongoing the past year and launched in Sweden last week. Why Sweden? Well, that's the first country where the original game ranked No. 1 in the App Store, so it only seemed fitting.
Since the acquisition, Porter had been serving as Vice President of Mobile at Zynga. Even so, he wasn't blind to the troubles Zynga created for itself. Speaking to a panel last month, Porter reportedly said, "Zynga is often accused of copying games, which is mostly true." He then apologized for the comment to employees and claimed it was taken out of context, but looking back, it seems clear he was biding his time.
Maybe the game ran its course or perhaps Zynga, following the crazy success it saw with Farmville, is simply cursed these days. Either way, Porter isn't sticking around to find out. The so-called "golden handcuffs" are off, though both Porter and Zynga are publicly claiming the decision to part ways was 100 percent mutual. Whether you choose to believe that or not is up to you, but with Porter's relative new-found riches, can you really blame him for distancing himself from Zynga the first chance he got?
Image Source: Flickr (chrisjtse)
The timing may also have to do with Porter's desire to have finished Draw Something 2 before he left. Development on the sequel had been ongoing the past year and launched in Sweden last week. Why Sweden? Well, that's the first country where the original game ranked No. 1 in the App Store, so it only seemed fitting.
Since the acquisition, Porter had been serving as Vice President of Mobile at Zynga. Even so, he wasn't blind to the troubles Zynga created for itself. Speaking to a panel last month, Porter reportedly said, "Zynga is often accused of copying games, which is mostly true." He then apologized for the comment to employees and claimed it was taken out of context, but looking back, it seems clear he was biding his time.
