Social gaming giant Zynga is reported to have acquired casual games company Wild Needle, in a deal that SlashGear said is worth US$3.8 million.

The target is best known for the game Shoptown Hero, which TechCrunch noted did not break into the top apps chart in the US, with its presence remaining in the smaller “Kids” and “Education” categories. The game was pulled from the store before the deal, for unspecified reasons.

It was suggested that the deal was “talent-focused,” rather than being a way for Zynga to get access to Wild Needle’s intellectual property. The company was backed by Rick Thompson, co-founder of Playdom and an investor in Funzio; and by Shasta Ventures.

Zynga has made a number of acquisitions in recent months in order to bolster its mobile proposition, culminating with the acquisition of Draw Something developer OMGPOP.  The company is looking to bolster its position in the mobile market, alongside its existing Facebook social gaming efforts.