OMGPOP

OMGPOP, initially launched as iminlikewithyou in 2006 by founder Charles Forman, was a New York-based social gaming company that developed online games for the open web, Facebook, and mobile devices. Forman, with a background in computer science and design, started the company after participating in the Y Combinator startup accelerator. The company, which also saw Dan Albritton as a co-founder and later Dan Porter as CEO, initially operated as a flash game studio and online multiplayer gaming website. After struggling for several years, Forman left the company in 2011, feeling burnt out from the pressure to generate revenue.

The company's trajectory dramatically shifted with the release of the mobile game "Draw Something" in February 2012. A Pictionary-style game, "Draw Something" was based on OMGPOP's earlier browser game, "Draw My Thing". Players took turns creating digital sketches for their partners to guess. The app achieved phenomenal success, accumulating 35 million downloads within its first six weeks and becoming the top game on Facebook by daily active users. Its business model included a free, ad-supported version and premium versions without ads, with revenue also generated from in-app purchases like additional color palettes.

This explosive growth culminated in Zynga acquiring OMGPOP in March 2012 for approximately $180-$200 million. At the time of the acquisition, "Draw Something" had reached over 50 million downloads and users had created over 6 billion drawings. Following the acquisition, Porter became the GM of Zynga New York. However, the success was short-lived. In June 2013, about a year after the purchase, Zynga laid off many former OMGPOP employees and shut down the New York office as part of a major corporate restructuring. The OMGPOP website was officially closed on September 30, 2013, and its library of games was discontinued.

Keywords: OMGPOP, Draw Something, social gaming, mobile games, Zynga acquisition, Charles Forman, Dan Porter, online multiplayer, flash games, browser games, Y Combinator, iminlikewithyou, casual games, Pictionary game, mobile app, gaming history, deadpooled, Draw My Thing, social network games, viral game, startup exit, real-time games, New York startup