Playdemic, a game developed by Warner Bros. Games, has been sold to Electronic Arts for $1.4 billion (£1.0 billion) in cash. The renowned Golf Clash game, which allows users to compete in real-time, was created by the mobile gaming firm.

Playdemic was founded in 2010 and rapidly made a name for itself by inventing the Golf Clash game, which has over 80 million downloads and is available on iOS, Android, and Facebook.

The game has won a slew of accolades, including BAFTA Games Mobile Game of the Year 2018 and Mobile Games Awards Game of the Year 2018, both in 2018.

WB Games parent WarnerMedia announced last month that it will be split out from AT&T and merged with Discovery in a $43 billion transaction, although it was later revealed that not all of the publisher’s operations would be included, raising worries about the destiny of the remaining studios.

The rest of the WB Games portfolio is included in the transaction with Discovery, according to the Playdemic purchase statement.

Playdemic is EA’s fourth major acquisition since December, when it agreed to pay $1.2 billion for racing game developer Codemasters, defeating Take-Two Interactive’s own bid to add the firm to its portfolio.

EA followed up with the $2.1 billion purchase of Glu Mobile in February and the addition of Metalhead Software, the developer of Super Mega Baseball, in May.

When asked if the Playdemic acquisition would result in any job cuts, an EA representative told GamesIndustry.biz that there were “no plans for changes,” adding,

“Playdemic has a very experienced team that has worked together since 2014 with strong expertise in mobile games and clash sports design, and we’re looking forward to working with and learning from their teams and creative leaders, and we’re looking forward to working with and learning from their teams and creative leaders.”

WB Games president David Haddad stated,

“We’ve loved working with the amazing team at Playdemic as they’ve built Golf Clash beyond our expectations into a smash mobile game with tremendous durability.”

“While we have a lot of respect for the Playdemic team, we decided to divest as part of our larger goal to create games based on Warner Bros.’ famous brands.”

This is the third time Playdemic has been acquired. RockYou bought the studio in 2011, but it was handed back to its founders later that year after its new owners ran into financial difficulties.

The creators of Playdemic sold the firm for the second time in 2017, shortly after the release of Golf Clash, to Warner Bros.’ TT Games.

“Along with Golf Clash’s continued success, Playdemic’s talent, technology, and expertise will be a strong combination with our teams and IP at Electronic Arts,” stated EA CEO Andrew Wilson.

“This is the next stage in our goal to broaden our sports portfolio and accelerate our mobile growth to reach more gamers across the world with more fantastic games and content,” says the company.