Social gaming studio possibly closes Austin, Texas-based branch, laying off 100 or more in the process; Chicago and Cambridge outfits also reportedly affected.

[UPDATE] Following the publication of this story, Gamasutra has updated its story to say Zynga Austin was only possibly going to be shut down. The story below has been updated to reflect the change.

Today is not a great day for many Zynga employees. The social gaming studio has confirmed to Gamasutra that its Austin, Texas-based studio may have closed, with more than 100 staffers losing their jobs in the process.

It is also believed that the company's Chicago and Cambridge branches may have been affected. GameSpot is chasing down details at the moment and will update the story when new information becomes available.

The announcement of the downsizing came during Apple's much-publicized press event, during which the technology giant announced the long-rumored iPad mini, among other things.

Zynga is headquartered in San Francisco, California. In addition to operations in Austin, Texas and Cambridge, Massachusetts, the company has branches in numerous North American cities, including Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Eugene, Los Angeles, Los Gatos, McKinney, New York, San Diego, and Seattle.

Zynga also has a significant international presence. The company currently has outfits in Bangalore, Dublin, Beijing, Farnham, Frankfurt, Luxembourg, Singapore, Tokyo, and Toronto.

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