Playfish

Playfish

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Video games
Founded	2007 (2007)
Founder	Kristian Segerstråle, Sebastien de Halleux, Sami Lababidi, Shukri Shammas
Defunct	2013 (2013)
Fate	Discontinued operations
Headquarters	London , United Kingdom
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Kristian Segerstråle, Sebastien de Halleux, Sami Lababidi, Shukri Shammas
Products	Free-to-play social network games
Owner	Electronic Arts (2009–2013)
Parent	Electronic Arts

Playfish was a creator of free-to-play social network games, established in 2007 by Kristian Segerstråle, Sebastien de Halleux, Sami Lababidi, and Shukri Shammas. The company reached a peak of 55 million users monthly, with more than 37 million originating from Facebook.

In October 2008, Playfish obtained $17 million in venture capital investments from Accel Partners and Index Ventures. The company was acquired by Electronic Arts in 2009 and discontinued its operations in 2013, retiring all its games that same year.

History

Playfish’s initial launch was Who has the Biggest Brain?, which quickly became one of the first Facebook games to garner millions of daily active users. This success enabled the company to secure funding for further game development. Playfish primarily earned income through the sale of virtual goods within its gaming titles.

On 9 November 2009, Electronic Arts completed the acquisition of Playfish for a sum up to $400 million—comprising $275 million in cash, $25 million in equity, and an additional $100 million contingent on performance milestones set by EA leadership. By February 2013, all four founders had departed; Lababidi and Shammas went on to create educational developer Mindshapes, while Segerstråle returned to the startup ecosystem.

By 14 June 2013, Playfish had discontinued all its games, including Madden NFL 13 Social, which was retired on 2 September 2013. The final trio of titles—Pet Society, The Sims Social, and SimCity Social—were removed from Facebook on 17 June 2013.

List of games

Title	Platform	Released	Retired
Who Has The Biggest Brain?	Facebook	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
Word Challenge		REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
Bowling Buddies		REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
Pet Society		REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
Geo Challenge		REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
Minigolf Party		REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
Restaurant City		REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
Crazy Planets		REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
Country Story		REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
Quiztastic!		REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
Poker Rivals		REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
Gangster City		REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
Hotel City		REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
My Empire		REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
'EA Sports FIFA Superstars'		' REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting '	' REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting '
'Pirates Ahoy!'		' REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting '	' REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting '
'Madden NFL Superstars'		' REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting '	' REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting '
'Monopoly Millionaires'		' REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting '	' REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting '
'World Series Superstars'		' REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting '	' REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting '
'The Sims Social'		' REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting '	' REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting '
'NHL Superstars'		' REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting '	' REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting '
'RISK: Factions'		' REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting '	' REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting '
'SimCity Social'		' REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting '	' REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting '
'\Madden NFL 13 Social' (also available on iOS)'		' REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting '	' REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting '

Title	Platform	Released	Retired

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Title	Platform	Released	Retired

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} Restaurant City In Restaurant City, players take on the role of managing a dining establishment, striving to boost its fame, level, and the quality of its menu offerings. Initially, each restaurant requires a minimum of two staff members—a chef and a server—with the option to recruit additional employees as the restaurant advances in level. Progression unlocks features such as serving beverages and growing ingredients in an on-site garden. The game reached a peak monthly active user base exceeding 18 million but saw a decline to approximately 1.8 million by 2012 before its closure on 29 June 2012. It earned a nomination for "Social Networking Game of the Year" at the 13th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. Pet Society Pet Society allows users to own and care for virtual pets within a community setting, offering extensive customization options for pets and homes. Activities include fishing, cooking, and treasure hunting. Players accumulate "paw points" to progress through levels up to 100 and have the ability to exchange gifts or craft various items. The game was officially discontinued on 17 June 2013 following prior notification. Madden NFL Superstars A derivative of the Madden NFL series, Madden NFL Superstars enables players to assemble teams composed of actual NFL athletes and engage in league competitions, friendly scrimmages, or matches against official NFL teams. Advancement is achieved by gathering coins used to enhance stadiums, recruit coaches, and acquire player card packs. This title was retired on 14 May 2013 and replaced by Madden NFL 13 Social, which itself ceased operations on 2 September 2013. The Sims Social Bringing the The Sims universe to Facebook, The Sims Social is set in the fictional town of Littlehaven. Users create and personalize Sims characters, interact with friends' Sims, decorate residences, pursue aspirational careers, and build relationships. The game included one non-player character, Bella Goth, and drew creative inspiration from celebrities such as Lady Gaga and Elvis Presley. It received the Social Networking Game of the Year award at the 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards in February 2012 and was also nominated for best online browser game by BAFTA. The game was discontinued on 17 June 2013 after an earlier announcement. SimCity Social Part of the SimCity franchise, SimCity Social is a Facebook-based city-building simulation announced on 15 April 2013. The title was officially retired on 17 June 2013. Playfish Cash Players had the option to buy "Playfish Cards" from retailers such as Walmart and Walgreens to redeem "Playfish Cash" (PFC), which could be spent on virtual items across various Playfish games. Up until 19 April 2011, all Playfish titles utilized a shared premium currency known as PFC. After this date, each game introduced its own distinct currency: Game Currency Name Pet Society Pet Society Cash Madden NFL Superstars Football Cash The Sims Social SimCash SimCity Social Diamonds NHL Superstars Hockey Cash Marketing In August 2011, Playfish secured a sponsorship deal as the official shirt sponsor for AFC Rushden & Diamonds, a supporter-owned football club based in England. External links Official Playfish website Playfish forum