Playdom Partners With Eastern European Distributor To Publish Games, Fight Piracy

Social game developer Playdom has entered a publishing deal with Eastern European distributor I-Jet Media, and the companies plan to bring Playdom's social games to Eastern Europe while making efforts to combat piracy in the region. The Disney-owned Playdom (Wild Ones, Social City) will publish four undisclosed titles in Russia and Eastern Europe via I-Jet Media, making it the first American company to publish social games in those markets. In addition to the publishing deal, Playdom and I-Jet Media announced their commitment to combating piracy in Eastern Europe, with each company taking steps to prevent the illegal distribution of their games. Playdom plans to identify illegally reproduced games in the region, while I-Jet Media will take complains from developers harmed by piracy and promises "to impede distribution of such games even through other publishers in every possible way." I-Jet Media general producer Alexey Kostarev anticipates that Playdom marks the first in a series of social game studios to enter the Eastern European market. “Playdom's entry in Russia is this year's key event for the domestic social games market. First and foremost, it means that leading developers are seeking after new markets, and that is why they consider Russia to be interesting for them. I am sure that Playdom will be followed by others: Zynga, Playfish, and so on,” said Kostarev.