Burbank, Calif. – The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) announced on
Tuesday that it has acquired Playdom, a publisher of online social games, in a
deal valued at up to $763.2 million. Under the terms, Disney will pay $563.2
million for Playdom up front, and another $200 million should the company meet
unspecified performance milestones.
Founded in 2008, Mountain View,
Calif.-based Playdom counts 42 million active monthly players of its social
game titles, which include "Mobsters" and "Sorority Life."
The company has to date acquired 15 game development studios, including Acclaim
Games, Metaplace, Merscom and Offbeat Creations.
"By acquiring Playdom,
Disney will strengthen its already-robust digital gaming portfolio, acquire a
first-rate management team and provide consumers new ways to interact with the
company on popular social networks like Facebook and MySpace," the company
said in a statement.
Playdom has raised about $76 million in venture capital
financing, from backers including New Enterprise Associates, Lightspeed Venture
Partners, Norwest Venture Partners and the Disney-affiliated Steamboat
Ventures.
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