In 2012, there were reports that Zynga was on the verge of acquiring Supercell for $400 million. However, the deal did not materialize after issues arose with Zynga's acquisition of OMGPop.

In a 2012 incident, Supercell was nearly acquired by Zynga for $400 million, as revealed by Mark Pincus, former CEO and creator of Zynga. During an interview on the Deconstructor of Fun podcast, Pincus shared that he and Supercell's co-founder Ilkka Paananen had agreed to the acquisition deal, which was to be completed in cash.

The agreement, however, fell through after Zynga's board expressed concerns. They wanted Pincus to demonstrate the company's ability to manage existing operations before proceeding with new acquisitions. Previously, Zynga had acquired OMGPop for $180 million in 2013, but the studio was closed less than 18 months later, as reported here.

"After our OMGPop acquisition failed, we effectively squandered $200 million. Now, a $400 million opportunity slipped through my fingers," Pincus reflected. He noted that his legal advisor, who was primarily aligned with Zynga, advised against attempting to override the board's decision without drastic measures, such as replacing board members, which would have resulted in legal challenges.

Pincus regretted not having the conviction to challenge the board's decision, opting instead to comply. A year later, Supercell achieved a net profit of $500 million. Interestingly, following Pincus's step down, his successor was supported in a $550 million acquisition for a company with no notable revenue or successful games.

MobileGamer.biz highlighted that Don Mattrick transitioned from Xbox leadership to Zynga CEO in 2013, after Pincus's exit. Subsequently, Zynga acquired NaturalMotion for $527 million.

Upon returning to Zynga in 2015, Pincus managed $1 billion in foreign cash and approved $800 million in stock repurchases. This period also saw a strategic reduction in workforce by 18%, along with a streamlined game portfolio, as covered here. During his reflections, Pincus discussed missed opportunities for lucrative investments, admitting his focus was more on damage control rather than expansion.

Under the leadership of Frank Gibeau, who succeeded Pincus, Zynga pursued numerous acquisitions. Pincus, however, lamented that the company could have evolved into a much larger entity. He envisioned Zynga scaling to become the leading global game company but felt constrained by a lack of innovation in the industry. "There are no companies with ambitious foresight in gaming today, no substantial innovation," he declared, pointing to Tencent as a rare exception.