Los Angeles, July 28 (DPA) Mickey Mouse is trying to reconnect with the Facebook generation.

Disney Tuesday said that it was buying social game maker Playdom for $563.2 million.

Playdom, which launched two and a half years ago, attracts 42 million players monthly to its games such as Social City, Bola and Tiki Farm, which are popular on social networks such as Facebook.

Disney chief executive Robert Iger said the purchase would allow the company's ageing stable of characters to reach a new audience. Disney is expected to leverage Playdom's expertise not only for its band of classic characters but also for games linked to its TV properties like ABC and ESPN and for its stable of Marvel comic book characters.

"This acquisition can benefit our many characters, stories and brands, delivering them in a creatively compelling way to a new generation of fans on the platforms they prefer," Iger said.

Playdom chief executive John Pleasants described the deal as a "once in a generation opportunity to transform the way people of all ages play games with their friends across devices, platforms and geographical boundaries".