Zynga reportedly offered $1 billion for Popcap

Two days ago Electronic Arts purchased Popcap Games in a deal that, depending on Popcap’s performance, could end up being worth $1.3 billion. But it looks like EA wasn’t the only looking to get into the Bejeweled business, as rumors are now swirling that Zynga put up an offer as well, valued at $1 billion.

An unnamed source close to the deal has revealed to Forbes that Zynga was offering $1 billion in cash for the Plants vs Zombies developer. EA’s deal, meanwhile, was worth $650 million in cash, but also offered both $100 million in EA stock and $550 million depending on how Popcap performs over the next two years, making it a potentially more lucrative deal for Popcap.

Zynga, of course, is no stranger to acquisitions, having purchased developers like Newtoy, Area/Code, DNA Games, Conduit Labs, and, most recently, Five Mobile. And that’s just a few.

Popcap would have strengthened Zynga’s stranglehold on Facebook even more, as its current social games command nearly 20 million monthly active users. And, if rumors are to be believed, the developer will be bringing even more games to Facebook in the future.

Lynne Basinet