It might not be quite as gulp-inducing as shelling out $4 billion to buy Marvel, but Disney has definitely turned many a head today by announcing the purchase of social game publisher Playdom for $563.2 million.
Similar to the deal struck by Electronic Arts when it purchased social gaming hub Playfish last year, the Disney-Playdom buyout, which should be finalized by the end of Disney’s 2010 fiscal year, will also “subject to certain conditions, and a performance-linked earn-out of up to $200 million," pushing the potential buyout total towards the $800 million mark.
Considering Playdom boasts 42 million active monthly users, I have a feeling meeting these performance goals won’t be a problem. Prior to their own acquisition, Playdom, publisher of such popular Facebook and MySpace games as Social City, Sorority Life, and Bola, had snatched up seven other studios over the past several months, bringing its total studio count to 15.
“We are at the start of a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the way people of all ages play games with their friends across devices, platforms and geographical boundaries,” Playdom chief executive officer John Pleasants said in a statement. “Disney is an incredibly forward-thinking company that shares our vision and is the ideal partner to further our mission to bring great entertainment to people around the world.”
Source: Tech Crunch
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