wooga raises $24m

Euro social games specialist gets the funds to challenge Zynga and Playfish.

The Berlin-based firm describes itself as Europe's largest developer of online social games, with titles such as Monster World and Bubble Island that already attract 30 million players a month – mostly on Facebook.

wooga has doubled its user base in 2011 from 14m to 30m monthly active users to become number three on the Facebook platform.

Now, with the new cash, it will build the team to 150 employees by the end of 2011.

Founder Jens Begemann said: "(Games) playing is a core human need, and therefore we design games for 100 per cent of the population. Our games attract more viewers than some of the biggest TV shows.

"Millions of users spend on average 20 minutes a day playing our games, returning several times daily. Social gaming is about to transform the entertainment industry and this funding gives us the means to lead that change."