Zynga always had its detractors, being a poster child for the social gaming boom that some traditional developers and players found derivative, exploitive, or just plain evil.
But a decade ago, the social gaming giant had become a punching bag for essentially anyone and everyone. It was already in a precarious spot, suffering from a deflating Facebook social gaming bubble and struggling to build up much of a presence in mobile gaming to offset those losses. But the sentiment around the company got notably worse starting with a handful of developments in the last week of July.
First (and, if we're being honest, foremost), the company stumbled financially. This industry will forgive a lot if you're making money – hello, Activision Blizzard board of directors – but no profit margin means no margin for error.