Best known for its numerous time management series, casual games specialist PlayFirst has secured $9.2 million in its latest round of funding.

The company has revealed $5.2 million was secured from existing investors Trinity Partners, Mayfeld Fund, DCM and Rustic Canyon Ventures, with the remaining $4 million sourced from Comerica Bank in debt financing.

Social surge

It's an injection that PlayFirst claims will be used to expand its position in both the mobile and social playgrounds.

"This financing enables us to keep our focus on the opportunities in the mobile and social gaming sectors and provides the flexibility to quickly respond to changes and opportunities as the market continues to shift rapidly," said PlayFirst president and chief executive, Mari Baker.

"With this capital, we will continue to aggressively optimize the PlayFirst brands that consumers love, like Diner Dash, to social and mobile platforms and look for growth through partnerships and potential acquisitions."

As a result of the funding, PlayFirst has appointed Eric Hartness as the firm's first VP and general manager of social games.

Hartness previously served as CMO at monetisation solution specialist PlaySpan, having also held various positions at EA for almost nine years.