Who are Zynga's (ZNGA) main competitors?

Originating in San Francisco in 2007, Zynga (ZNGA) is a leading developer of social media games such as "Words with Friends," "Farmville" and "Zynga Poker." As of May 2015, Zynga's main competitors in the technology sector include King Digital Entertainment (KING), Electronic Arts (EA), Activision Blizzard (ATVI) and DeNa.

The technology sector includes companies involved in all aspects of technological applications and products, including software and hardware, circuit boards, data storage devices, electronics, Internet service providers and telecom services. Most American technology sector companies, including Zynga, trade on Nasdaq.

King Digital Entertainment is a worldwide provider of interactive entertainment for mobile devices. Known as the maker of "Candy Crush," King Digital made its market debut in March 2014. Its stock quickly dropped by 15.5%, but by February 2015, King bounced back with new products such as "Bubble Witch Saga" and a Candy Crush spin-off called "Candy Crush Soda Saga." King’s stock rose 13%, while around the same time, rival company Zynga’s stock fell more than 15%.

Shortly after King’s revival on the market, Zynga returned to its original leadership under cofounder and CEO Mark Pincus. The company then announced it would cut its workforce by 18% to trim costs by $100 million. Subsequent to this announcement, share prices rose 11%.

Electronic Arts is a California-based interactive gaming software enterprise that debuted in 1982. With a 2014 net revenue of $3.6 billion, the company is known for products such as "The Sims," "Dragon Age" and "Planet vs. Zombies." In 2013, during a poor performance period, there were rumors of a possible purchase of Zynga by Electronic Arts. This strategy was seen as a potential way to modernize the company, which had been known for handheld devices and consoles and had garnered only limited success in smartphone and social network platforms.

Activision Blizzard is an international publisher of interactive software products founded in 1979. Originally known for developing cartridges for the Atari console system, Activision today specializes in products for handheld devices, consoles and PCs. Its popular games include "Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare," "Call of Duty: Ghosts," "Skylanders" and "Destiny." In 2012, Activision’s co-founder David Crane criticized Zynga, claiming its products gave the “casual game” market a bad name.

DeNa Co. is a Tokyo-based global leader of social game platforms founded in 1999. Some of its newest products include "Final Fantasy: Record Keeper" and "Transformers: Battle Tactics" for Android and iPhone as well as "Protocol Zero" for Android. Recently DeNa partnered with the console gaming company Nintendo to develop Nintendo’s products on mobile platforms. This business partnership is expected to provide strong competition for King Digital and Zynga. DeNa trades on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.