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Zynga (ZNGA) claims Apple's App Tracking changes aren't a major threat to its fiscal year

While the Farmville and Words With Friends expects pressure from iOS 14.5's App Tracking Transparency, Zynga execs believe it's not a problematic challenge.

TJ Denzer

May 5, 2021 2:27 PM

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Zynga has made a massive name for itself over the years in the form of mobile and social media integrated “hypercasual” games. Farmville alone has been a brand on which the company could reliably count on for years and there are plenty further popular titles in Zynga’s repertoire that expand its popularity and revenue further, but a big part of that last one is in-game ads for its many free games – a matter which might have been threatened by Apple’s new iOS App Tracking Transparency features. However, in its recent earnings conference call, Zynga execs suggested they are not worried about Apple’s changes threatening the company’s 2021 fiscal year.

Zynga executives shared this sentiment in the Q4 2020 Results Conference Call alongside its Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2020 Financial Results on May 5, 2021. Coming off of one the most successful quarter and year revenues the company has experienced yet ($616 million and 51 percent up year-to-year), Zynga established itself well as one of the foremost mobile gaming developers in the world.

On the flipside, since much of Zynga’s catalogue is free-to-play content which is reliant on in-app advertising, there has been wonder about if the company will experience pressure as a result of Apple’s new iOS 14.5 update, which includes App Tracking Transparency features allowing users to block apps to information collection. During the call, when asked whether or not the company would experience issues as a result of App Tracking Transparency, executives answered that it wasn’t a challenge the company couldn’t overcome.

Chief Financial Officer Gerard Griffin shared that there would be pressure, but not so much that Zynga couldn’t alleviate issues with the various advertising and monetization options at its disposal.

Zynga’s Q4 and FY2020 results also including reveal that it was acquiring Chartboost: a leading mobile programmatic advertising and monetization platform. This acquisition may very well play into its efforts to offset any issues caused by iOS 14.5 and its effects. It's a very different tune from Facebook, which expressed concern at iOS 14.5's effects on its immediate future and has employed in-app messaging in response to App Tracking Transparency rollout. Stay tuned for further financial reporting and Zynga updates as we continue to follow these stories.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.