With three new games, Zynga is fighting to matter in mobile

For the past couple of years, Zynga’s problem was clear. The social gaming giant dominated the charts on Facebook, but not on mobile. And as mobile gaming takes off around the world, Zynga has to break into the top 20 ranks with new hits. If it doesn’t, someone else will claim the bulk of the industry’s profits — as we’ve seen with the ascendent publisher Supercell and its Hay Day social game.

That’s why the company is unveiling three new mobile versions of its top franchises today: Words With Friends, FarmVille 2, and Zynga Poker. If the company scores with these titles, it will jump-start its revenues and give it room to come up with more original hits. But it won’t be easy because of serious competition from a handful of companies that have shown they have more mojo than Zynga in mobile.