PlayFirst Launches Diner Dash On Facebook

As part of its expansion into the social space, casual game developer and publisher, PlayFirst has announced the beta launch of Diner Dash, its top-selling time management game franchise, on Facebook. PlayFirst says its Diner Dash series has been download more than half a billion times since in its debut in 2003. Challenging players to manage a restaurant and keep all their customers happy, Diner Dash has appeared across a variety of platforms, including iOS, handhelds, home consoles, PCs, and more. This release follows three months after the San Francisco-based company announced its promotion of PlaySpan/Electronic Arts marketing veteran Eric Hartness to Social Games vice president and general manager. The company recently raised $9.2 million to fund its growth in the mobile and social game markets. The Diner Dash release is the second title PlayFirst has launched on Facebook -- last July, it put out a social game adaptation for its popular Chocolatier: Sweet Society franchise. That adaptation currently has over 380,000 monthly players and more than 41,000 daily users. "Diner Dash is the first Facebook game to embed robust time management gameplay in a truly social environment," says Hartness. "We've taken the addictive gameplay that has made Diner Dash so popular on PC, Macs and iOS mobile devices and accented it with a rich ensemble cast and narrative elements that bring new depth to the Dash experience."