MUMBAI: In its bid to reconnect with the Facebook generation, Disney has firmed up its intention to buy out social game maker Playdom for $ 563.2 million.

Playdom, launched two and a half years ago, has been attracting 42 million users monthly to its games such as Social City, Bola and Tiki Farm, that are popular on social networks such as Facebook.
 
According to Disney chief executive Robert Iger, the purchase would allow the company‘s ageing stable of characters to reach a new audience. The studio is expected to leverage Playdom‘s expertise not only for its band of classic characters but also for games linked to its TV properties like ABC and ESPN and for its stable of Marvel comic book characters.

"This acquisition can benefit many of our characters, stories and brands, delivering them in a creatively compelling way to a new generation of fans on the platforms they prefer," Iger added.

Disney paid $4 billion last year to acquire Marvel so that it would have access to characters like Iron Man and X-Men. Disney‘s characters including Mickey Mouse can feature in games on the social networking site.
 
Playdom chief executive John Pleasants described the deal as a "once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the way people of all ages play games with their friends across devices, platforms and geographical boundaries."