zynga Online Gaming site; Zynga raises $29 million, buys Facebook App Zynga was founded on the basis of introducing the social element to online gaming has recently got its hands grabbing a good chunk of funding. According to the press release at Zynga, it has grabbed $29 million in its series B round; leaded by Kleiner Perkins with participation from previous investors that included, Union Square Ventures, Foundry Group and Avalon Ventures.

The news doesn’t end there. Reports also tell that it will also be announcing its acquisition of YoVille, a virtual world app for Facebook that boasts of over 150,000 active users daily. Bing Gordon, who recently left Electronic Arts, will be taking charge of a board seat. CEO Zynga, Mark Pincus said:

He is super-involved in product strategy, brings the gaming DNA to us, and is an amazing CEO coach. He’s already stopped us from doing stupid things

The company masters in causal gaming that can be enjoyed with friends on various social networks that include MySpace, Facebook etc with around 1.6 million active users everyday on Facebook alone. The company had raised $10 million last January but Pincus is optimistic of raising the bar as the world of causal gaming would gain more popularity. All this would depend on how well he markets his products, as he added:

As it becomes harder to get viral growth, you will need marketing.

The basic objective behind these social gaming creators would definitely be to shake game giants like EA with their cheaper marketing and distribution cost. Plus their target platforms include the social networks that provide a gigantic userbase.

Bing Gordon also remarked, saying that the team at Zynga shares similar energy and enthusiasm that was once the hallmark of EA. He added:

But their designs, technologies and approaches are all new, and are further broadening the reach and promise of interactive entertainment.