RockYou Buys UK-Based Social Gaming Startup Playdemic

RockYou earlier this morning announced that it has acquired social game developer Playdemic.

Based in Manchester, England, RockYou says Playdemic will operate independently as a subsidiary studio and develop Facebook games for a mainstream audience. Paul Gouge, Playdemic CEO and founder, will lead the studio as VP and General Manager. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Playdemic’s management team is said to have held senior positions at publishers like Ubisoft, THQ and Eidos. Ian Livingstone, co-founder of Games Workshop and life president of Eidos, was a chief investor in Playdemic. The startup’s been around for roughly a year.

RockYou says it will try and grow the user base for Gourmet Ranch, Playdemic’s first title that is currently playable on Facebook with half a million monthly active users. In the game, players can grow organic crops, raise animals and prepare and serve meals to their friends.