Nearly "all of the 40-plus employees who spent the past year working on sports games at Zynga have found a new team" -- daily fantasy sports company FanDuel, according to Kurt Wagner of RE/CODE. FanDuel has "hired the majority of the group that made up Zynga Sports 365, an Orlando-based sports studio that was closed earlier this month as part of massive layoffs at Zynga." Among those now working at FanDuel is former Zynga VP MIKE TARAMYKIN, "who was running Zynga’s sports efforts." Taramykin, who was named FanDuel Exec VP/Product, said that "around 38 of the 42 employees working on Zynga’s short-lived sports vertical are joining him at the fantasy sports company." Wagner notes FanDuel "will open its first office in Orlando to accommodate the new hires." Zynga "offered just one sports game," a fantasy sports title called "NFL Showdown." The timing also "works well for FanDuel," as the NFL season "drives more users to FanDuel than at any other time of the year." The company also recently "announced sponsorship deals with 15 different NFL teams." Taramykin said that the new team "will start by simply supporting FanDuel’s existing products." Wagner also notes FanDuel "isn’t sharing how much money it’s spending on the hiring spree and new office" (RECODE.net, 5/22).
