Zynga Absorbs November Software. Plans to Release More Mid-core Games

Zynga is looking past the fields of Farmville and is headed for greener, perhaps more blood-soaked pastures. The company has acquired the small development team, November Software, and is set to release a mid-core game called Battlestone. Find out the details of the acquisition after the jump!

The acquisition happened in the spring, with news about the buyout only surfacing now. Perhaps they timed the announcement with November Software's namesake month? Or maybe the company wanted to wait until the shock of their falling stocks had subsided a bit before bringing us this news.

With November Software comes the startup's prototype game, Battlestone, formerly called Golden Arrow. This third person adventure was dubbed a mid-core game, for players who want more action than casual crowds but don't have the time or energy of the hardcore hordes. This acquisition, coupled with Zynga's recent release of the game Horn, shows the company looking to expand on their usual casual offerings.

Members of November Software have experience with working on console games like the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed games, so their aim is to bring the same kind of action to mobile devices. Having Zynga on board should help speed their progress and help bring the mid-core offering to the masses sooner.

Szymon Swistun, co-founder of November Software, said,

When we talk about mid-core games, we’re really talking about making a deep game experience more accessible. We know that players, like us, love a good action combat game, so we want to push the limits on social and mobile games, and at the same time create an experience that fits around their schedule.

Swistun also said that working with the team that developed Mafia Wars, "has been eye-opening," and that they, "want to push the limits on social and mobile games". There's no release date and no other details concerning the game, other than that the project name has officially been changed to Battlestone. Check out the trailer for the game, back when it was called Golden Arrow, and let us know what you think of the acquisition in the comment box below!