Zynga to cut more jobs
Games developer Zynga has said it plans to cut 520 jobs and warned
that it expects wider losses than it previously estimated.
The cuts, which represent about 18% of its workforce, come after the
company shed 5% of its staff in October.
Zynga is one of the pioneers of social gaming but has struggled to
replicate the success of its Farmville series. It said it now expects to
make a loss of between $28.5m to $39m (£18.6m to £25m) in the April to
June quarter.
That is worse than the projection of a loss of between $26.5m and
$36.5m the company had issued earlier this year. The firm also warned
that sales of in-game virtual goods were likely to come in at the lower
end of its estimate.
The company said that the latest move, which also includes shutting
some offices, would help it save between $70m to $80m in annual costs.
"By reducing our cost structure today we will offer our teams the
runway they need to take risks and develop these breakthrough new social
experiences," Chief Executive of Zynga, Mark Pincus said in a blog post.
However, some analysts said that cutting costs was not enough to
boost investor confidence and the company needed to find a way to
increase revenue. "You can't save your way to prosperity," said an
analyst with Wedbush Securities, Michael Pachter. "The market is telling
you that it's not confident that revenue will grow.''
BBC
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