Playdom

Playdom is an online social network game developer popular on Facebook, Google+ and MySpace; it is currently the largest social game developer on MySpace and number 15 by MAU on Facebook. The company was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area by University of California, Berkeley graduates Ling Xiao and Chris Wang and Swarthmore College graduate Dan Yue. In 2009 the market for games played on social networking sites was valued at $300 million, consisting mostly of online sales of virtual goods.

In May 2010, Playdom was recognized as one of the “2010 Hottest Silicon Valley Companies” by Lead411.

It is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company as part of the Disney Interactive Media Group.

Acquisitions
On November 12, 2009 Playdom acquired Green Patch and Trippert Labs.

On March 31, 2010 Playdom announced the acquisition of Argentina-based online game developer Three Melons. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

On April 26, 2010 Playdom announced the acquisition of Merscom, a North Carolina-based social game developer.

On May 19, 2010 they acquired Acclaim Games.

On June 7, 2010 Playdom announced the acquisition of gaming developer Hive7 after a $33 million funding round. This marked Playdom's sixth acquisition over the prior year.

On July 8, 2010, Playdom announced it acquired Metaplace, Inc.. The pricing of the deal was not disclosed.

Acquired
On July 27, 2010, The Walt Disney Company acquired Playdom in a $763 million deal. Disney initially paid $563 million for Playdom, which was the No. 3 social game company with about 42 million monthly players at the time of the acquisition. The deal also included a further $200 million in additional payments if Playdom achieves certain growth thresholds.

Games
This is a list of Playdom's current games. Playdom has a total of over 27 million players as of July, 2011.
 * Bola – A social football management game developed by Three Melons. In May 2010, Bola achieved 2 million active users.
 * Armies of Magic
 * Blackwood & Bell Mysteries
 * Botkin's Hidden Cove
 * City of Wonder
 * Disney Animal Kingdom Explorers
 * Disney Ghosts of Mistwood
 * Disney Gnome Town
 * ESPN Return Man
 * Gardens of Time
 * Marvel: Avengers Alliance
 * Mobsters: Myspace
 * Mobsters 2: Vendetta
 * Poker Palace
 * Sorority Life
 * Aluni Life
 * Wild Ones

Discontinued Games

 * Social City – A casual strategy game in which the player develops a city. Social City won the 2010 Game Developers Choice Online Award for Best Social Network Game. Inside Social Games rated Social City as the #2 Best Facebook Game of the first half of 2010. Social City also received an honorable mention on Gamasutra's list of the Top 5 Facebook Social Games in 2010. Gamezebo rated Social City at 3.5 out of 5, highlighting balanced gameplay and "adorable" graphics. However, it was criticized for its lack of complexity: "Once you’ve mastered the game’s ecosystem of manufacturing/residential/leisure, all you’ll be doing is visiting your town to keep this balance in check and grow your city. Growing your city remains exciting throughout, but by the time you hit level 15 or so you just start wishing there was something more." Social City was closed on December 20, 2011.
 * Big City Life
 * Bloodlines
 * Deep Realms
 * ESPNU College Town
 * ESPN Sports Bar & Grill
 * Fanglies
 * Fish Friends
 * (Lil) Farm Life
 * (Lil) Green Patch
 * Market Street
 * Mobsters: Facebook
 * Mobsters: Overdrive
 * My Vineyard
 * NBA Dynasty
 * Pet Resort
 * Tiki Farm
 * Tiki Resort
 * Verdonia

Controversies
In May 2011, Playdom has been ordered by the Federal Trade Commission to pay $3 million in fines for collecting and disclosing children's information without parental approval.

In April 2010, Playdom closed all but one of the games from the Green Patch studio six months post-acquisition.

In September 2009, competitor Zynga initiated a trade secrets lawsuits against Playdom and 22 other rivals, including Green Patch which Playdom acquired in November 2009. These lawsuits were finally settled in November 2010, less than 4 months after Disney's acquisition of Playdom in July 2010.