Zynga’s Profit Machine: Rock Star High Today, Gone Tomorrow?

We’re way too obsessed about Zynga. Well, at least I am. Why the obsession? Well, over the past year, there have been successes, scandals, and intrigue. It’s like an episode of Dallas for the social gaming world.

Here’s another article to add to the mix. Techcrunch has posted a guest blog by entrepreneur Steven Carpenter where he gets down and dirty with Zynga’s numbers in his TC Teardown.

His insights:

• Zynga has experienced the highest revenue and profitability numbers of any startup ever in a short amount of time. He estimates Zynga earns 30% net margin on $50 million in revenue a month, or close to $15 million profit a month. Gamezebo, by comparison. . . OK, I will not share, but not quite as much.

• Zynga’s future is not necessarily so bright they have to wear shades. Over the past month, game usage growth was flat. This is the result of the fact that it has not been churning out the hits (Treasure Isle, not included) and due to Facebook’s changes that have hit its viral marketing methods.

• Facebook’s 30% Credit tax takes away Zynga’s profitability. The iPhone/iPad is the next brave new world for social gaming, but they will require a 30% cut and chances are may want to control the user experience as well. Apple has a bit of a reputation about control issues, but what do I know.

Read the full expert analysis on Zynga at Techcrunch here. I know, I know, you’ll soon be sick of Zynga, but in the meantime, this is an interesting read – it’s like a Martin Scorsese flick.

Vanessa Carter