Ryan Seacrest teases Draw Something game sequel

Zynga is trying to capitalize on the popularity of its drawing game Draw Something by launching a sequel, Draw Something 2, a game unveiled today in a tweet from Ryan Seacrest.

The American Idol host tweeted a "drawing" from the new Draw Something 2, quipping, "I somehow convinced them to give me #DrawSomething2 first...this may be the best Mariah & Randy have ever looked."

I somehow convinced them to give me #DrawSomething2 first...this may be the best Mariah & Randy have ever looked twitter.com/RyanSeacrest/s...

— Ryan Seacrest (@RyanSeacrest) March 18, 2013

Seacrest (who also happens to be a former CNET TV host) is reportedly producing a TV show based on the Pictionary-like game.

Zynga Vice President Dan Porter followed up with a confirmation tweet about Draw Something 2, along with an image of the new game's logo. "So excited to confirm #DrawSomething2 is coming soon w/ new ways to draw & connect," he wrote.

We've contacted Zynga for more details on the new game and will update if we hear back.

Zynga is applying its usual franchise formula here: Find a once-addictive game with stunted growth and update it with a successor. This worked for Farmville, with Farmville 2 overtaking the original in monthly active players, but not so much for Cityville. The company shut down Cityville 2 because it didn't do well enough.

Zynga's probably hoping for a Farmville-like fate for Draw Something since it shelled out a fair amount of money for the game.

The company bought Drawing Something's creator, OMGPOP, for a reported $210 million last year, just as the game was nearing the peak of its popularity. After some steady growth, Draw Something's user numbers dropped significantly. Zynga had to write off part of the money usedfor the acquisition later that year.