Zynga Inc., the largest developer of games on Facebook Inc.’s site, will offer a Chinese version of “CityVille” via Tencent Holdings Ltd. (700)’s service to bring its most popular game to the world’s biggest Internet market.
Called “Zynga City,” the game will be available on Tencent’s Pengyou service within days before a broader release, San Francisco-based Zynga said in a statement. The game will be offered in the Chinese language, featuring elements inspired by China’s pop and traditional culture, Zynga said.
A tie-up with China’s biggest provider of online games paves the way for Zynga to expand in the country, where Mirae Asset Securities Co. estimates the social mobile-game market will more than quadruple to 27 billion yuan ($4.2 billion) by 2015. The partnership also builds on Zynga’s plans to expand beyond Facebook as it seeks to raise $1 billion in an initial public offering.
“Zynga is committed to building a truly local offering in China,” the developer of titles including “FarmVille” and “Mafia Wars” said in the statement.
CityVille, where players build cities by constructing buildings and collecting rent, was the fastest-growing Zynga game at the end of last year, David Ko, senior vice president for mobile at the company, said in December.
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