The acquisition is part of EA’s mobile growth strategy focused on offering exciting new experiences for its network of players
Electronic Arts acquires Playdemic from Warner Bros. Games. (Credit: King of Hearts/Wikipedia.org)
US gaming company Electronic Arts (EA) has acquired Playdemic, the developer of mobile game Golf Clash, from Warner Bros. Games for $1.4bn in an all-cash deal.
Founded in 2010, Playdemic is based in Manchester, UK.
The mobile gaming company has won various industry awards for Golf Clash, which includes the BAFTA Games Mobile Game of the Year and the Mobile Games Awards Game of the Year, both in 2018.
Golf Clash, which is available on iOS, Android, and Facebook, lets players compete with each other across the world in real-time.
It is considered to be among the most played mobile games in the US and the UK and is said to have over 80 million downloads across the globe to date.
Warner Bros. Games president David Haddad said: “We have enjoyed working with the talented team at Playdemic as they have grown Golf Clash beyond all expectations into a hit mobile game with tremendous longevity.
“While we have great respect for the Playdemic team, our decision to divest is a part of our overall strategy to build games based on Warner Bros. storied franchises.”
Electronic Arts said that the deal is part of its mobile growth strategy focused on providing exciting new experiences for its network of around half a billion players across the world.
Furthermore, the company said that Playdemic’s portfolio and also talent will be an important addition to its mobile growth engine.
Playdemic joins the US firm’s mobile portfolio of over 15 live services across fast-growing genres such as lifestyle, sports, casual, and mid-core games.
Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson said: “Playdemic is a team of true innovators, and we’re thrilled to have them join the Electronic Arts family.
“In addition to the ongoing success of Golf Clash, the talent, technology and expertise of Playdemic will be a powerful combination with our teams and IP at Electronic Arts. This is the next step building on our strategy to expand our sports portfolio and accelerate our growth in mobile to reach more players around the world with more great games and content.”
The remaining portfolio of Warner Bros. Games is part of the WarnerMedia-Discovery transaction announced last month by AT&T.