Today: Facebook game maker Zynga expands to Austin. Google buys online ad upstart Invite Media. SonicWall agrees to $717 million buyout.

Zynga, the San Francisco Internet upstart behind Facebook games such as “FarmVille” and “Mafia Wars,” is getting even bigger.

The company announced today that it has bought Challenge Games, an Austin social-games upstart founded in 2007 that has developed titles such as “Warstorm” and “Ponzi.” Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

Challenge’s investors include Sequoia Capital and Globespan Capital Partners. The company will become Zynga Austin, adding to Zynga’s game studios in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Beijing and Bangalore, India.

“Austin is an ideal location to extend our studio operations with its rich talent in the games business,” Mike Verdu, Zynga’s senior vice president of games, said in a statement announcing the deal.

“We look forward to building out our Zynga Austin studio with the best and brightest in the industry as we continue to bring social games to more users worldwide,” Verdu said.

Zynga last month reached a deal to add its social games to on Sunnyvale Internet content powerhouse Yahoo’s home page, games page and e-mail and messenger services. It also signed a five-year agreement to keep its games on Facebook, while expanding the use of the Palo Alto social-networking upstart’s Facebook Credits virtual

currency.

Google buys Invite Media

Mountain View Internet advertising juggernaut Google has acquired Invite Media,

Biz Break: Facebook game maker Zynga expands, buys Texas rival



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