In an acquisition which underscores Zynga's attempts to move into the "mid-core" games segment - featuring titles that have more staying power than the short-lived craze of casual titles -, the company has recently announced its takeover of a startup called November Software.

With the team at the small November Software game studio currently developing a mobile tile dunned `Battlestone,' the acquisition of the studio by Zynga implies that the Zynga engineers who created hit "Mafia Wars will work with the new November Software talent on the Battlestone project.

With Battlestone essentially being a "mid-core" game which sits between conventional console games and casual social games, the title is chiefly aimed at hardcore videogame aficionados who no longer have the kind of time that they once had for playing games.

About the scope of "mid-core" games in terms of being appealing to the gamers, November Software's Szymon Swistun said in a Friday message posted on the Zynga website that "mid-core" games specifically enhance the accessibility of a "deep game experience."

Further noting that November Software is aware that "players, like us, love a good action combat game," Swistun said: "We want to push the limits on social and mobile games, and at the same time create an experience that fits around their schedule."