Zynga Kills 11 Games After Terrible Year

Social media gaming titan Zynga has whacked Mafia Wars 2, put down PetVille, and fried FishVille as part of a cost-cutting drive. The company is shutting down a total of 11 games, closing offices, and laying off more than 100 employees as it seeks to recover from a disastrous year that saw its stock price plummet to $2.33 from its $10 IPO price, TechCrunch reports.

While Zynga still has more than 30 games to offer, including hits like CityVille and FarmVille, and analysts say it had no choice but to shed some dead wood, pulling the plug on the 11 titles has caused a major backlash. Some players had spent thousands of hours and lots of real money on the games. Zynga has offered those players virtual currency to use in its other games, but some—especially those lamenting the loss of their virtual pets—have vowed to steer clear of the company's games in future. (More Zynga stories.)