EA Acquires Golf Clash Developer From Warner Bros. Games for $1.4 Billion in Cash

Electronic Arts purchased the mobile game developer Playdemic this week, a sale totaling $1.4 [...]

By Tanner Dedmon

Electronic Arts purchased the mobile game developer Playdemic this week, a sale totaling $1.4 billion in cash. The Playdemic studio is best known for the creation of Golf Clash, a game available on mobile devices and through Facebook. The purchase means that EA now owns the notably successful Golf Clash game, too, while also bolstering its lineup of developers geared towards different mobile experiences.

The $1.4 billion acquisition was announced this week with EA touting the more than 80 million downloads Golf Clash has accumulated over the years since its release. Playdemic was previously owned by WarnerMedia, a company which is going through a different sort of transition itself.

As one would expect amid any sort of acquisition like this, people – particularly those who play Golf Clash – likely had questions about what this would mean for the developer and for the game. While it seems likely Playdemic will soon start contributing to other EA ventures in the future, the developer said it won't be leaving behind the popular golf game anytime soon.

"You will be very pleased to know that we have no plans to hang up our golf shoes," the Playdemic team said in an update on Facebook. "In fact, quite the opposite. We have never been more committed to developing, evolving, and improving Golf Clash. We expect Golf Clash to continue to run normally during this transition without disruption to the game you know and love. Golf Clash will continue to be developed and supported by the Playdemic studio and team."

Andrew Wilson, the CEO of Electronic Arts, said the acquisition marks another move towards expanding the publisher's sports and mobile portfolios.

"Playdemic is a team of true innovators, and we're thrilled to have them join the Electronic Arts family," Wilson said. "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."

Golf Clash's "clash" mechanic sees players matched up with each other while contributing gold towards a prize pot the winner receives. The result is a quick matchup against other human players where people can earn more points than they started with. EA said in a press release it plans to explore opportunities where that sort of clash mechanic can be incorporated into other games.

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