Zynga (ZNGA +0.00%) is opening a new development studio to create a mobile game set in Disney's (DIS +0.51%) Star Wars universe. The company is looking to hire 25 new employees to help with the production of the game at the studio, which will be based out of the company's Austin, Texas, office.
The new studio will be teaming up on the upcoming Star Wars title with Zynga's NaturalMotion development unit. Titles based on the popular franchise have the potential to be performance drivers for the video game company,and gamers and investors might not have to wait long to get a look at what Zynga is cooking up in the galaxy far, far away.
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During the company's second-quarter earnings call on Nov. 4, CEO Frank Gibeau said that the company has two Star Wars games set for release. Management also said that the company will be releasing a new entry in the company's CityVille franchise and new titles from Gram Games and Peak Studios.
Zynga announced a multiyear partnership with Disney to produce Star Wars video games in 2018, but news surrounding these projects has been scarce until recently. The new Austin studio appears to have been started to accelerate the development of the Star Wars mobile game already underway at NaturalMotion, so the game probably isn't years away from release. There's also another Star Wars game in the works at the company that's yet to be revealed.
Zynga's core franchises continue to look pretty solid, and the company's big acquisitions push over the last five years has built up its development resources. The mobile games publisher looks ready for a new growth phase.
