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PopCap CEO Believes Zynga’s Focus Is Marketing, Not Gaming
Commencing festivities at the WTIA TechNW forum this morning, PopCap CEO Dave Roberts argued that a focus on solid and engaging software will keep PopCap elevated above social games competitor Zynga because of one essential difference – Zynga’s focus is on marketing.
“They are in some ways struggling to catch up because they are not (about) gaming in their heritage -- they are a marketing company. They are a media company,” Roberts said, as recounted by TechFlash. “They are awfully good at it. But we believe that ultimately, and it's our bias, that great content wins out. And that great games are always going to be better than great marketing.”
Using current products to illustrate his point, Roberts noted that Facebook title Bejeweled Blitz is besting Zynga’s Mafia Wars in terms of returning unique visitors. He points out that PopCap managed this achievement without spending money on advertising.
“Zynga is really good at sort of using money to buy their customers every day,” he resumed. “...That's an interesting business model, but becomes complicated.”
Roberts’ viewpoint that Zynga isn’t first and foremost focused on innovative and original content isn’t the first we’ve heard in this vein. A few weeks back an ex-staffer discussed his understanding of Zynga’s design mantra, which he felt focused on cannibalizing ideas already present in the market.
“I think a lot of the easy money that catapulted companies like Zynga into this crazy stratosphere – the easy money days are gone,” said Roberts. “That doesn't mean the platform is dead, it just means that you actually now have to work at it. Now, it is not about luck, it is about good, old-fashioned hard work.”
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