Playdom looks to Russia and Eastern Europe
Disney-owned social dev partners with i-Jet to explore emerging markets
Recent Disney acquisition Playdom is to release four titles in Russia, Eastern Europe and CIS territories, following a partnership with publisher i-Jet Media.
Few Western social gaming developers have explored Russia and its neighbours as yet, in part because Facebook boasts just one million users there.
By contrast, local social network Vkontakte enjoys around 75 million users.
Russian publisher i-Jet would seem to be a natural fit for Playdom's Eastern European escapade, claiming to reach 60 million players and to have earned $20 million last year from its distribution of Tencent's Happy Farm alone.
Inside Social Games also reports that i-Jet has pledged an anti-piracy initiative as part of its arrangement with Playdom. Rampant copyright infringement has traditionally been another reason why Western games companies resist Russia and the CIS.