Zynga makes Asian move with new acquisition

Social games company Zynga has made its first significant move into the Asian markets with the acquisition of developer XPD Media.

The developer is based in Beijing, China, and focuses on games for social networks. It was launched in 2008, backed by True Ventures and Pilot Group.

"As the largest internet market in the world, China is at the vanguard for virtual goods based gaming innovation," said Robert Goldberg, VP of corporate development at Zynga.

"We expect our new office in Beijing and the incredible talent in the local market to play a strategic role in our mission to create the best social gaming experiences worldwide."

Robin Chan, CEO of XPD Media, will become Zynga's general manager of Asian business development, while co-founder Andy Tian will lead the Zynga Beijing studio. All 40 employees of the company will focus on engineering and product development, said Zynga.