RealNetworks has entered into an agreement to acquire Game Trust, a casual-gaming company based in New York.

The firm will add Game Trust's community and commerce capabilities to the technology platform currently on offer to its games syndication partners.

Real already powers more than 200 casual games channels owned by global media outlets and portal companies.

"Our partners want to add social networking to their sites to further engage their game players," said Harold Zeitz, senior vice president for Real's games division.

"This acquisition will create enhanced consumer experiences for our partners' offerings and for Real's casual games players."

Research from Nielsen//NetRatings suggests that online players of casual games are 30 per cent more likely than adult internet users overall to participate in bulletin boards, and 75 per cent more likely to visit a chat room to interact with friends or family.

Kris Soumas, vice president of games at Lifetime Networks, a leading network for women gamers and a syndication partner with Real, said: "Social networking is a critical next step for the casual games industry and for Lifetime."

James Kuai, a research analyst at Parks Associates, added: "Social networking will be a catalyst for the next wave of casual games growth.

"This new partnership demonstrates how industry leaders like RealNetworks are capitalising on the growing popularity of social networking to provide a richer experience for casual games audiences."