The fickleness of the mobile games industry was on full display in the earnings reports of FarmVille creator Zynga and Candy Crush maker King Digital Entertainment.
Zynga's shares fell 10 per cent while King Digital's soared 18 per cent in extended trading on Thursday after the companies reported contrasting fortunes in a key industry metric.
King's total gross bookings, an indicator of future revenue, increased 8 per cent to US$586 million in the fourth quarter, about US$45 million more than the average analyst forecast.
Zynga reported bookings of US$182.4 million, about US$19 million less than expected, according to research firm StreetAccount.
The company, whose market value hit more than US$14 billion in 2012, lost most of its shine after failing to come up with new games to match the popularity of FarmVille.
It was also caught off guard by mobile-focused rivals such as Dublin-based King Digital and Supercell, the maker of Clash of Clans and is now valued at about US$2.4 billion. King, which went public last March, has a market value of about US$4.6 billion.
Zynga said on Thursday it would launch six to 10 new mobile titles this year as it tries to reverse its fortunes.