GameHouse, the gaming division of RealNetworks, a provider of digital media delivery software and services based in Seattle, WA, announced Thursday that it is expanding its Victoria studio, set to open Jan. 16.

The studio, which will continue to be headed up by Alex Mendelev, GM of GameHouse Canada, will specialize in creating popular games on Facebook, Google+ and other emerging social platforms. The company said in a statement that it is aiming to double its Canadian staff to at least 45 people by the end of 2012.

GameHouse creates casual games for multiple channels, including online, download, smartphone, tablets, Facebook and Google+.

The company launched Facebook games Collapse! Blast and Bayou Blast in the second half of 2011 and saw success with both to the tune of an average of 400,000 daily players, according to the statement.

The expansion is another example of studios increasing their focuses on social-media gaming applications in response to both a growing gaming industry and increased play on social networks specifically. Ludia and Tascan’s Sava Media earlier this year both announced expansions and more industry jobs to ramp up production of social media games. (For a quickie overview on social gaming, see our recent video interview with gaming journalist Leigh Alexander.)

“Social game development is the number one priority for our company in 2012 and Victoria is an attractive area for expansion due to the city’s high caliber of talent combined with a great quality of life,” said Matt Hulett, chief gamer at GameHouse, in a statement. “I believe this strategic expansion of our social games studio in Victoria will not only grow our games portfolio, but will also solidify our leadership position in the overall games industry.”

Hulett also said in the statement that GameHouse invested at least $10 million towards the company’s social gaming initiatives in 2011.

Photo: ymmat / flickr Creative Commons