Zynga closes three offices

As part of an initiative to drive long-term profitability, Zynga has closed three studios, the social gaming company announced today. The McKinney and downtown Austin, Texas, offices have been shut down, as well as the company's outfit in Baltimore, Maryland.

Staff at the McKinney and downtown Austin offices will be relocated to Zynga's existing Dallas and North Austin offices, the company said.

Zynga's Baltimore studio was established in 2009 with Civilization designer Brian Reynolds leading the outfit and acting as chief game designer for the company at large. Reynolds left Zynga at the end of January.

In addition, Zynga said it will consolidate its New York City offices to move staff to its NYC mobile studio. It is not clear how many were impacted by the studio closures, though the company said those in Baltimore who requested a transfer were relocated to other Zynga studios, and the overall impact was "minimal."

"These changes will further enable us to focus our resources on our most strategic opportunities," Zynga said in a statement. "We're already working to execute on leveraging franchises to build the largest game network and be profitable on an adjusted EBITDA [Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization] basis. We still have a lot of work to do, but I'm confident that we’re on the right path to deliver on the potential of Zynga."

It has been tough going at Zynga of late. The company enacted a major round of layoffs in October and has seen numerous top-level staff defections in the past year. The company's lawsuit with Electronic Arts over The Ville has been settled, though terms were not specified.