Edible Apple

Fascinating read from former Omgpop programmer Shay Pierce on why he ultimately decided against joining Zynga following their acquisition of Omgpop.

The tipping point? Zynga not beeing open to Pierce keeping his unpopular iOS game Connectrode up and running. Pierce emphasizes that Connectrode makes almost no money anymore but is nonetheless a piece of software he’s immensely proud of.

But Zynga, or perhaps their attorneys, aren’t the bleeding heart types apparently.

And then I wondered: why was I even trying to compromise? Zynga has an Austin studio, where several good friends of mine work. Yet I had never applied to Zynga. Why? Because the company’s values are completely opposed to my own values, professionally and creatively. Because I believe that developers are at the front lines of game development and deserve to be treated well, and I didn’t trust Zynga to do so. All this was still true — except that their complete unwillingness to negotiate with me only confirmed my concerns. Why on earth was I even considering joining?

The full entry is worth a read. Check it out here.