OMGPop
Independent flash game studio acquired by Zynga.
OMGPop, also written as OMGPOP and originally called i'minlikewithyou or iilwy, was an independent studio that made Flash-based games. It operated out of New York City's SoHo neighborhood. Early on, the startup received seed funding from Y Combinator. In 2009, Time magazine listed its website among the 50 Best Websites of the year. Zynga Inc. announced its acquisition of OMGPop on March 21, 2012, for $180 million, stating the purchase would help deliver fun, free games to consumers.
On June 3, 2013, Zynga CEO Mark Pincus announced layoffs of 18% of the company's workforce as part of a restructuring to cut costs. Many former OMGPop employees lost their jobs, and Zynga shut down three offices, including the New York location. Although this was reported as OMGPop's closure, the omgpop.com site stayed up. However, in July 2013, Zynga stated the site would close on September 30, 2013, with four games—Cupcake Corner, Gem Rush, Pool World Champ, and Snoops—phased out on August 29, 2013. Around 2013, Zynga suffered a large data breach that exposed over 7 million email addresses and plain text passwords for OMGPop; these were later leaked in 2019. The breach was first reported to The Hacker News in September 2019 by a hacker who claimed access to 218 million accounts across Zynga's portfolio. Zynga confirmed the breach but did not comment on the number of accounts and did not disclose the breach to users at the time.
OMGPop's game library included standard board, card, and sports games, clones of well-known titles, and special versions of licensed games like Atari's Missile Command. Its most popular game was Draw Something, a Pictionary-like title. On March 16, 2012, it was reported as Facebook's most played game, with 10.8 million daily active users—ahead of Zynga's Words with Friends at 8.6 million. On April 4, 2012, OMGPop announced Draw Something had surpassed 50 million downloads, with over 6 billion drawings shared since launch.
Quick Facts
- Collapsible
- no
- Collapsetext
- Homepage
- Commercial
- Yes
- Registration
- Free
- Language
- English
- Founder
- Charles Forman
- Owner
- Zynga Inc.
- Ceo
- Dan Porter
- Launch Date
- Late 2006
- Current Status
- inactive as of 30 September 2013
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
OMGPop was based in SoHo, New York City, and received seed funding from Y Combinator during its early days as a startup. The website was listed on Time magazine's 50 Best Websites of 2009. On 21 March 2012, Zynga announced it would acquire OMGPop for $180 million, stating, 'It is our mission to provide consumers with fun, free games. We believe OMGPop will help us fulfill our promise.'
On 3 June 2013, Zynga CEO Mark Pincus announced layoffs of 18% of employees to restructure and cut costs. Many former OMGPop employees were laid off, and the New York office was one of three that Zynga shut down. While this was reported as the closure of OMGPop, the omgpop.com website remained active until Zynga announced in July 2013 that the site would close on 30 September 2013, with four games—Cupcake Corner, Gem Rush, Pool World Champ, and Snoops—phased out on 29 August 2013.
Around 2013, Zynga suffered a large data breach exposing over 7 million email addresses and plain text passwords for OMGPop, later leaked in 2019. The breach was first reported to The Hacker News in September 2019 by a hacker claiming access to 218 million accounts across the Zynga portfolio. Zynga confirmed the breach but did not disclose it to users at the time.
Reader's Guide
OMGPop's significance lies in its rapid rise and fall within the social gaming boom of the early 2010s. Its game Draw Something became a cultural phenomenon, surpassing 50 million downloads by April 2012 and registering 10.8 million daily active users on Facebook, outpacing Zynga's own Words with Friends. The studio's acquisition by Zynga for $180 million in March 2012 exemplified the aggressive consolidation in the casual gaming market. However, the subsequent layoffs and closure of the New York office in 2013, along with the eventual shutdown of the omgpop.com website, highlighted the volatility of the industry. The 2013 data breach, which exposed millions of email addresses and plain text passwords, also raised concerns about security practices at Zynga. OMGPop's legacy is a cautionary tale of how quickly a successful independent studio can be absorbed and dissolved by a larger corporation, while its flagship game Draw Something remains a benchmark for viral social gaming.
Did You Know?
- OMGPop was formerly known as i'minlikewithyou or iilwy.
- The company received seed funding from Y Combinator.
- Draw Something had over 50 million downloads by April 2012.
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