RealNetworks buys Family Feud maker Backstage Technologies

Acquisition-fest 2010 shows no signs of slowing down this week as RealNetworks has purchased Canadian social gaming company Backstage Technologies.

While Backstage got its start on Facebook with mildly popular lottery-style apps like Pulltabs and Scratch and Win, the company is probably best known these days for the wildly popular Family Feud, published in association with iWin. The game has attracted over 6.6 million monthly active users since its launch in March.

Overall the company claims 13 million monthly active users across its titles, which should be a big attraction for RealNetworks. That company's GameHouse initiative has faltered as its core focus on downloadable games and games for older mobile phones has fallen off in the wake of the social gaming juggernaut. "We're transforming our business into a socially-driven business," Game House Senior VP Matt Hulett said in an interview with VentureBeat.