Wilmslow gaming studio acquired by industry giant

Playdemic, a Wilmslow based game design studio and part of WarnerMedia, has been acquired by American gaming industry heavyweight, Electronic Arts (EA), for $1.4 billion.

The Wilmslow gaming studio was founded in 2010, and is best known for its mobile game, Golf Clash, which has had over 80 million downloads to date across iOS and Android platforms. The game has been honoured with numerous industry awards, including winner of the BAFTA Games Mobile Game of the Year (2018), Mobile Games Awards Game of the Year (2018), PocketGamer.biz Game of the Year (2017) and The Independent Game Developers’ Association (TIGA) Awards Game of the Year.

EA’s acquisition of the mobile game developers forms part of the firm’s strategy to expand its playerbase on mobile platforms, a key growth market in the gaming industry. The acquisition will add to EA’s mobile portfolio of more than 15 top live services across fast-growing genres, including lifestyle, casual, sports, and mid-core games. EA’s portfolio includes popular FIFA and Mass Effect franchises. Andrew Wilson, CEO of Electronic Arts, said of the acquisition:

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.”

Paul Gouge, CEO of Playdemic said:

We founded Playdemic with a focus on creating highly engaging and innovative game experiences. Our success with Golf Clash has proven our approach and demonstrated the ability of our incredibly talented teams to develop and operate best in class mobile games.

“Joining EA, one of the most successful games companies in the world, is an important next step in our journey and we are excited to continue to develop both Golf Clash and new titles as part of the EA family.”

Based in Wilmslow, Playdemic is one of Europe’s leading mobile games companies and employs around 65 staff at its headquarters in the town.