Electronic Arts makes a move into social gaming
ELECTRONIC Arts (EA) has acquired privately-held social gaming firm Playfish for $275m (£170m) in cash plus $25m in share options.
EA said the acquisition of Playfish – which makes games for people to play on computers with friends, unlike traditional videogames that need dedicated consoles – strengthened its focus on the transition to social gaming.
Playfish’s hits include the game show-styled “Who Has the Biggest Brain?” and virtual pet game “Pet Society”, which boasts some 21m users a month. The games are free, but players can purchase or give away virtual goods, such as flowers, clothes, furnishings and weapons.
The deal comes at a challenging time for the videogame market, which has seen sales slump thanks to a dearth of big-hitting blockbuster titles and cash-strapped consumers that are not buying games due to the recession.