Zynga sends Mafia Wars 2 to sleep with the fishes

Another Zynga game is facing the chop.

Following the news last month that both FishVille and Treasure Isle will be closing their virtual doors tomorrow, the company has now confirmed the planned closure of Mafia Wars 2.

The 3D sequel to the text-based Mafia Wars has struggled to gain traction since release, and the service will now be pulled completely on December 30th.

Kotaku reports that at the time of writing Mafia Wars 2 has in the region of 280,000 monthly users.

Thank you very much for supporting Mafia Wars 2 and for being a loyal player,” an email to players explained. We’re sorry to inform you that Mafia Wars 2 on Facebook will be shutting down on December 30th 2012.

Zynga is committed to helping Mafia Wars 2 players find a new place to play. As a thank you for your participation, we would like to offer you a one-time, complimentary bonus package in one of either CastleVille, ChefVille, FarmVille 2, Mafia Wars or YoVille. You can start the process by clicking the Redeem button in game. Please note that this offer will be valid only until December 30th 2012.”

The news comes after yesterday’s announcement that the relationship between Zynga and Facebook has cooled somewhat, with a change in terms coming in early 2013.