Social games makerPlayfish is one of the fastest-growing companies in its field. Today, the company announced that it is opening a new game development studio in San Francisco.
Even in a recession, it’s clear that social game companies such as Playfish are in the midst of a big growth cycle. Founded in late 2007, the company has had an extraordinary string of original hits on Facebook with titles such as Pet Society, Restaurant City and Country Story. On Facebook, Playfish has more than 50 million monthly active users, making it one of the top Facebook app developers. To date, Playfish games have been installed more than 135 million times. The company has expanded to the iPhone, Android phones, and other social networks as well.
The company raised $21 million and is now profitable, even with the overhead of 200 employees. The company has openings for a studio director, as well as positions for game artists, programmers and product managers. By opening a studio in San Francisco, the company can probably pick up a lot of people laid off from other tech jobs or hire people away from some of the bigger console video game companies in the area. Playfish also has studios in Norway, London and Beijing. It already has a business development office in San Francisco.
Playfish’s backers include Accel Partners and Index Ventures.