Well-placed skepticism led shares of King Digital Entertainment PLC (KING.DL) more than 15% lower in its IPO debut, leading some to compare the stock to that of social-games developer Zynga (ZNGA). While that's understandable given history, Fool contributor Tim Beyers says the comparison fails in one key area. Zynga's revenue base is much more diverse, Tim says in the following video.
According to data supplied by AppMtr.com, three separate Zynga games draw at least 16 million monthly active users: Texas Hold'em Poker, Words With Friends, and FarmVille 2. King also has three high-performing games, which, in total, account for 95% of bookings. Yet there's a staggering difference between Candy Crush Saga and the other two -- Farm Heroes Saga and Pet Rescue Saga. A near 3x difference in terms of monthly active users, according to AppMtr.com. For its part, King says in its F-1 filing that Candy Crush Saga accounted for 78% of bookings in Q4.
Which of these two is the better stock? Zynga, Tim says, which is slowly finding ways to generate revenue outside of Facebook. True diversity could take years, of course. At least Zynga is making progress; King has yet to prove it's more than a one-hit wonder.
Do you agree? Do you think King is the next Zynga? Leave a comment below to let us know where you stand, and whether you would buy, sell, or short King Digital stock at current prices.
