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EA dangling $250m bait for social games developer Playfish?

Acquisition could already have been reeled in

EA dangling $250m bait for social games developer Playfish?
According to a report on Inside Social Games, gaming giant EA is looking to acquire social games developer Playfish for $250 million.

It's speculation at the moment, with both companies currently declining to comment, but rumours are growing that the deal to absorb the prolific Facebook, mobile and iPhone developer into Electronic Arts is well under way.

Indeed, an unnamed industry source is cited in the report suggesting the acquisition has already taken place, and that an official announcement is imminent.

It's an interesting turn of events, considering EA COO John Schappert recently voiced his concerns that the social games industry is a bubble waiting to burst, and that many indie developers would struggle to make money on the social platforms.

If the buyout is true, EA could lend serious weight to this burgeoning area of the contemporary games market, and prompt other big industry players to get in on the social scene, and perhaps make acquisitions of their own.

Yes. Spanner's his real name. And, yes, he's heard that joke before.