EL33TONLINE: News tag archive: popcap
First revealed in a report towards the end of June, mega videogame publisher EA has completed an acquisition of casual game developer and publisher PopCap Games in a deal said to be worth over $1 billion.
According to a recent report on industry site TechCrunch, casual games giant PopCap Games is in the process of being acquired by an unknown buyer for over $1 billion.
PopCap Games would be known to most any gamer, ‘hardcore’ or ‘casual,’ for web, PC, console and portable games such as Bejeweled, Zuma, Peggle and Plants VS Zombies, and thanks to the company’s ability to release hit after hit is able to earn revenues in the range of $100 to 150 million annually, according to sources.
We all know that PopCap creates and publishes some of the most addictive games in the business, and even though the company’s titles aren’t hardcore AAA monstrosities Xbox 360 owners are used to, they always have polish and charm to spare.
Did I mention PopCap games are massively addictive?
If you’ve never played a PopCap game before, or there are a few titles that you’ve missed, Xbox LIVE Gold members are now able to take advantage of a range of special price offers on lots of the studio’s best games.
Here’s the full list:
As the second part of Xbox LIVE’s five-week House Party celebration of all things Xbox LIVE Arcade, Bejeweled Blitz LIVE recently hit Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360 players to get their updated Bejeweled-related puzzle jollies, too.
That’s a lot of ‘LIVE.’
This version features a 16-player party mode, and all kinds of different gems to make this classic matching game more explosive! Check out a trailer, a collection of screenshots and official description and price information:
Plants VS Zombies is awesome, no doubt. It’s also available on almost as many platforms as DOOM and Quake.
Almost.
Oh dear.
PopCap just wasn’t satisfied with hooking casual PC gamers on the developer’s original Bejeweled Match-3 game, so the company went and released Bejeweled 2, Bejeweled Twist and Bejeweled Blitz just to make sure everybody was seeing ghostly images of moving gems clicking together and exploding in their sleep.
Now, PopCap has gone and announced the existence of Bejeweled 3.
Have mercy PopCap! Office productivity levels were already at an all-time low with Peggle and Plants VS Zombies! And now you’re doing this?!
Welp, I tried to reason with them. I guess we may as well enjoy and understand the game if it’s going enslave us. Resistance is, indeed, futile.
Here’s what you can expect from Bejeweled 3:
Yesterday, two new games hit Xbox LIVE Arcade. One game is well-known and beloved. The other game is completely unknown. One game features plants and zombies. The other game features 8 different stages.
Both games feature dance routines.
Of course I’m talking about the lovable strategy defence game, Plants VS Zombies, and the… unknown dance game, Dance! It’s Your Stage.
For 1200 MS Points, you can grab Plants VS Zombies, which is described thus:
Everybody’s favourite ‘casual’ game developer, PopCap Games, has announced that the studio’s latest hit title, Plants VS Zombies, will be arriving on Xbox LIVE Arcade later this year with all new content and features.
With a planned launch of “early September,” it seems no-one will be safe from PopCap’s charming tower defence game that pits the invading forces of shambling dead against the indomitable spirit and vitality of flora.
The Xbox LIVE Arcade version of Plants VS Zombies will go for an asking price of 1200 MS Points, and include the following features:
In news that warms the heart, Popcap, the developers of casual titles such as Bejeweled, Zuma and Peggle, are to donate copies of their latest game, Bejeweled Twist, to Games for Soldiers, a non-profit organisation that distributes games to US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Games for Soldiers was founded by a Specialist with the 1-158 Infantry Battalion, Jesse Williams, who created the organisation after returning from a one year stint in Afghanistan. Williams said:
“We really appreciate Popcap’s generous contribution - one of several the company has made to our organization - and are ramping up to distribute copies of Bejeweled Twist to soldiers in the field by mid-December, just in time for the holidays.”
“So-called ‘casual’ games like Bejeweled, Peggle and Zuma are hugely popular with military personnel of all ages, ranks and backgrounds. These games lend themselves to the occasional and haphazard ‘down time’ common to military life in combat areas, and provide some distraction and even stress relief in what are often high-adrenaline and/or high-anxiety environments.”
Great stuff!
PopCap have announced that the next entry to the Bejeweled series, Bejeweled Twist, will be unveiled next month at a gala event at Seattle’s Experience Music Project Sci-Fi Museum and Hall of Fame on October 27th. Co-founder and chief creative officer at PopCap, Jason Kapalka, further explained:
“As our first and most popular game, we’re particularly dedicated to Bejeweled and wanted to make sure that our next offering in the lineup delivered as much innovation, polish, and sheer pleasure as possible. We spent a long time conceiving and prototyping a totally new direction for Bejeweled Twist. The game will be immediately recognizable to Bejeweled fans, and as accessible as earlier titles in the series, but with far more depth and flexibility. Previous versions of Bejeweled appealed to a pretty broad audience, but we’re confident Bejeweled Twist will offer a compelling experience for everyone, from the novice gamer to the seriously hardcore player.” Bejeweled Twist has allegedly been in development for three years.
Why is this big news? For some amazing Bejeweled facts, click on through.
In what must have been a very proud moment, PopCap has announced that their premiere match-3 casual game series, Bejeweled 1 and 2, have collectively sold 25 million units since 2000, through a variety of channels including web, mobile, retail and in-flight.
Jason Kapalka, chief creative officer and co-founder of PopCap, said of the franchise, “Considering we tried to sell Bejeweled outright to more than one industry giant back in the early days of our company, and got no takers even after reducing our asking price to $60,000, this little game has done all right for itself. I vividly recall prospective buyers telling us ‘It’s not even a game,’ while showing us the door.”
To put this in perspective, EA announced earlier this year that the Sims series, including the original Sims, the Sims 2 as well expansion packs for both, hit 100 million, while any given Pokemon release (those that come in pairs) have been known to hit just under 20 million copies sold combined. Halo 1 and 2 combined haven’t yet sold 25 million. Despite its ‘lower-than-retail’ price, Bejeweled hitting 25 million is is still something to get excited about!
PopCap’s popular game Peggle is coming to the Nintendo DS. Peggle is expected to arrive on North American shores this winter and will be priced at $29.95.
PopCap has partnered with Japanese development studio Q Entertainment (of Lumines, Meteos and Rez HD fame), who are already adapting the game for the DS. Q Entertainment will also be adding unique features to the DS version that are not available in the existing PC, Mac or iPod versions.
Peggle for the DS is touted to feature more levels than existing versions of the game, including DS-exclusive levels. The game will also include re-mastered input controls as well as “surprise additions sure to please die-hard fans and novice players alike.”
PopCap also announced two additional DS titles it’s developing, Amazing Adventures: The Forgotten Ruins and Mystery P.I.: Portrait of a Thief. Dubbed “seek-and-solve” games, both are picture-hunting games that require players to identify items and use them to piece together a story. Early reports indicate that each game will include 18 missions along with nine locations exclusive to the DS. The pair will retail for $19.99 each when they hit shelves this winter.
Details are scant at the moment but head over to 1Up for a Peggle DS interview with Greg Canessa, PopCap’s vice president of video game platforms.
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