Zynga Buys 'Words With Friends' Studio NewToy Inc.

Zynga, the social-gaming giant behind FarmVille, has acquired NewToy Inc., makers of the popular Words With Friends and Chess With Friends iOS games.

"The Games With Friends franchise is the best social game experience available on mobile today and we are excited to welcome the Newtoy team to the Zynga family," said Mark Pincus, founder and CEO of Zynga. "The Zynga With Friends Studio will continue to invent great mobile social game experiences for Zynga users everywhere."

Newtoy CEO and co-founder Paul Bettner will assume the role of vice president and general manager of the newly-minted Zynga With Friends studio, reporting to Zynga HQ.

As an almost-daily player of both Words and Chess With Friends, I really hope this don't mean we'll see microtransactions coming to either game. Somehow, I think those games are safe from the FarmVille treatment, but the future might hold a different story for NewToy's next title.