In 2012, Zynga was reportedly close to acquiring Supercell for $400 million. However, the deal fell apart after the setback with OMGPop.

In 2012, there was a potential deal for Zynga to acquire Supercell for $400 million, as revealed by Mark Pincus, the founder and former CEO of Zynga.

During an interview on the Deconstructor of Fun podcast, Pincus shared that he had reached an agreement with Ilkka Paananen, Supercell's CEO and co-founder, for an all-cash acquisition by Zynga.

The transaction was halted because, as Pincus stated, Zynga's board insisted, "until you prove you can manage what you have, we don't want to buy anything else."

Zynga had previously purchased the developer OMGPop, known for Draw Something, in 2013 for $180 million, only for the studio to shut down less than 18 months after.

"The OMGPop acquisition did not pan out, resulting in a $200 million loss," Pincus reflected. "The $400 million deal was a critical opportunity."

Pincus consulted his lawyer, who also represented Zynga. The advice was, "To utilize your voting control, you'd have to replace the board, and you would face partial lawsuits."

Expressing his regrets, Pincus remarked, "I should have trusted my instincts more and challenged the board’s decision. Unfortunately, I didn't, which led to significant setbacks. A year later, Supercell earned $500 million in net profit."

After stepping down, Pincus observed that his successor aimed to invest $550 million in a company lacking both revenue and successful games, and the board was supportive.

Don Mattrick succeeded Pincus as Zynga's CEO in 2013 after departing from Xbox, and Zynga purchased NaturalMotion for $527 million subsequently. Mattrick joined Zynga, and the acquisition of NaturalMotion followed.

Pincus returned to Zynga in 2015 when the company had $1 billion in foreign-held cash. He oversaw $800 million in stock buybacks, reduced staff by 18%, and streamlined the game lineup.

"I failed to capitalize on worthwhile investments at that time due to a defensive approach and not being the effective CEO I aspired to be," Pincus admitted.

Under the leadership of Frank Gibeau, who succeeded him, Zynga continued acquiring various entities. Nonetheless, Pincus contended that Zynga could have achieved far greater heights.

"We had an opportunity to dominate the gaming world," he claimed. "The absence of vision was evident in the industry. Tencent was the standout, but the industry lacked a Western game company with a market capitalization exceeding $100 billion. I expected several to emerge, yet they didn't. The sector remains largely defensive, lacking innovation."