FarmVille creator Zynga is 'not for sale,' CEO says

Mark Pincus
But going public is a likely possibility. In a recent interview with The Telegraph, Zynga CEO Mark Pincus (pictured) revealed his intentions for the $5.5 billion social game company. For starters, "Zynga is not for sale. That is not my goal," Pincus said. "I want to build an international treasure; an entity which lasts in people's live for a long time."

While Zynga, soon to release CityVille--its seventh game--has partnered with several companies including its largest investor, Google, giving all that up for a massive wad of cash apparently isn't on Pincus' agenda. Besides, most of the greatest companies in the world didn't get where they are by selling out, right? However, selling hasn't been ruled out entirely, though IPO might be his next move for Zynga.

"I cannot say Zynga will never be up for sale but we are more likely to IPO [go public] rather than be sold. Being sold is not my ambition," Pincus said. "Going public makes it easier for investors to monetize your product." A horribly brief description of IPO, or initial public offering, would be that it's when a company releases extra shares for anyone and everyone to gobble up (including other corporations)... or scoff at and look toward the next big thing. In other words, it's extremely risky as the company in question could lose millions.

Though, it might be Zynga's only option if it wants to grow into the next Internet buzz word, which is exactly what Pincus has in mind. "I want 'Zynga' to be become to a verb, like 'to Google' has," said Pincus. "I want people to 'Zynga' each other and for the word to become completely aligned with gaming."

That's a big table: Zynga Poker hits the big screen on Google TV

Is that 13-inch laptop screen you're dealing in on in Zynga Poker simply not big enough? How does a 55-inch HD screen sound? We thought so. Zynga announced that its hit poker game has landed on Google TV, the search giant's ailing set-top box platform. Players can download the Zynga Poker app on Google TV, the first TV platform to offer the game.

VentureBeat points out that Zynga Poker (and we imagine other Facebook games) were already accessible through Google TV's support for Flash-based websites. But this dedicated version is "especially optimized for playing poker from the comfort of your own couch," Zynga said in a blog post. According to AppData, Zynga's age-old poker game has over 29 million monthly players across Facebook, iPhone, Android phones and more.

Of course, Zynga is looking to grow that player base with this release, but things aren't looking so hot for Google TV. Logitech, the primary partner for the platform, just ditched Google's effort after losing $100 million on its Logitech Revue box since last year, according to VentureBeat. Regardless, this could serve as a launchpad for Zynga Poker--and other games from the publisher, for that matter--to expand onto other connected TV options.

Devices like the Roku box have already invited big time casual games like Angry Birds, and PlayJam is making strides in smart TV gaming. In the grand scheme of things, it only makes sense. If companies like CrowdStar and Rovio want to hit that 1 billion fan mark, the most popular screen in the home is a fine place to start.

Would you rather play your social games on a bigger screen than what you play on now? Is mobile or TV-based social gaming more appealing to you?