Zynga on track as it files first quarterly earnings report

Social gaming giant Zynga has posted its first ever quarterly financial report, delivering numbers roughly in line with expectations.

Although it reported a loss of $435m for the quarter ending December 31st, this was widely expected and stems from the $510m stock-based compensation paid out to employees following its flotation.

Revenues for the period came in at $311m – around $10m more than had been predicted.

For the full fiscal 2011 period Zynga reported revenues of $1.14bn compared to $597m in the year before. Losses reached $404.3m, however, which compares poorly to the $90m profit reported in 2010.

User numbers in the period hit 54m, which is a jump of 6m from the quarter before. MAUs climbed 38 per cent month-on-month to 153m. Mobile successes such as Words With Friends and Zynga Poker saw the company’s mobile DAUs reach 15m.

Zynga now lays claim to the top five most played games on Facebook, including its most recent release CastleVille.

The firm has also admitted that it now employs just under 3,000 people – that’s nearly 100 per cent up on 2010.