MySpace Mafia Wars shut down by Zynga

Social Gaming behemoth, Zynga has pulled its Mafia Wars game from social networking website Myspace.

It confirmed the news on the game's Myspace page yesterday, and all players are now re-directed to the game's official site. The game can be played there now, with the developers promising an "improved" experience with new locations.

Zynga had discontinued another MySpace game last month, RPG Street Racing, while also canceling it on Facebook, where Zynga is the undisputed market leader with nearly 266 million monthly active users across all its games - 200 million ahead of its nearest competitor.

The firm isn't alone in pulling games from MySpace, several other major social studios have done the same in recent weeks. Playdom shut down text-based RPGs Overdrive and Bloodlines, and RockYou abandoned the site entirely, pulling all their games from the service.

MySpace's traffic has decreased significantly, and the site has seen several staff layoffs in recent times. Owner News Corp. is also seeking a buyer for the site, which has failed to keep pace with competitor Facebook, both as a gaming portal and social network.

Thanks, Edge.