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Daily iPad App: Zuma's Revenge HD arrives on iOS from PopCap
Zuma's Revenge is a nice game from PopCap. It's a colorful, casual, action/puzzle title, with a simple mechanic that's easy to understand. But don't get too comfortable, as Zuma's Revenge gets difficult quickly. It's existed as a PC title for a while, and is finally ready for iOS. Shooting little colored balls into each other is fun, and the game's great Aztec-inspired theme adds to it. It's a deep game despite the simple mechanic. You can fire balls into a gap for bonus points and figure out how to finish off the line of orbs as quickly as possible. Zuma's Revenge HD is a no-brainer as a great game from a company with a shining reputation for games just like this. The only concern (other than the lack of Retina graphics -- at least I don't think they're in there yet, and I don't have a new iPad to check) might be the price. It's US$4.99 for a universal app. That's not actually too high for a PC game like this, PopCap's parent EA often has sales, so odds are that we'll see this a little cheaper before long. Whether you wait or not, however, you'll probably like picking this one up eventually anyway.
Plants vs. Zombies looks just as fun on the Vita
Different menus? Nope, same options as always, same touchscreen choices as iOS. Wall-nuts and peashooters? Still there. Zombie handwriting and spelling? Still really, really poor. %Gallery-145036%
Crazy Dave's Wabby Wabbo being sold on iTunes for charity
Crazy Dave, whom you might remember as Plants vs. Zombies' power-up purveyor, can't speak English. But that hasn't stopped him from producing a rap song, apparently, which PopCap is now selling for 99 cents on iTunes in order to raise some money for charity this holiday season. The single, which features "Cray-Z" murmuring over a bombastic beat, has already picked up over 600,000 views on YouTube, and PopCap says all profits on the song's sale are going to Concern Worldwide. What's Concern do with its nonprofit funds? It helps grow plants, of course. How else are we going to take on the coming zombie bobsled threat?
Plants vs. Zombies iPhone receives holiday update, 'I, Zombie' mode
Plants vs. Zombies for iPhone has received an update for the holidays, featuring festive cheer, minor user improvements and the "I, Zombie" mode. The new mode allows you to take on the role of the invading zombies -- a feature previously implemented in the PC, Mac, XBLA and DS versions of the game. The update also includes GameCenter leaderboard support for the first time, and adds four new achievements and "Bronze, Silver and Gold Mystery Sprouts." Now, go and clear the zombies so Santa can have a clear LZ!
PopCap Games firing up Popcorn Dragon this winter for iOS
Popcorn Dragon will be ready for some sizzling sales on the iOS App Store this winter. The title was just revealed at an EA event in New York, with no announcement of price or other target platforms being made at this time. In the game, you shoot fireballs and make popcorn that the dragon then attempts to eat. Think: popcorn Fruit Ninja with a cute, mythical beastie. Also, given how much EA paid for PopCap, we're sure that it paid competent lawyers to work out any potential legal issues that could arise from a children's book with the same name. %Gallery-136407%
Plants vs. Zombies, err, rap video
You loco? Don't get up in Crazy "Cray-Z" Dave's face unless you ready to have your brains fed to some zombies. Dave explains how street he is in this Plants vs. Zombies music video that proves how gangsta PopCap Games has become.
Plants vs. Zombies updated, and a few other app deals
PopCap has updated the Plants vs. Zombies iOS app with a few new game mode options, purchaseable with the in-game currency at Dave's crazy store. The modes are all different and available in purchases of three each, featuring everything from a mode where you fight invisible zombies to a special bowling mode, and even a variant of PopCap's own Bejeweled called "Beghouled Twist." If you don't want to earn the in-game currency yourself, PopCap's also offering in-app purchases for in-game coins that will unlock each of the modes, so that's another way to go. Elsewhere on the App Store, EA has released Snood Free, a free version of the popular Bubble Bobble-style game (along with Snood Free HD for iPad). This version leaves multiplayer out and contains ads, while the original paid versions of the game are still online. Disney has also launched a lite version of the popular JellyCar 3, so you can now try that one out without any additional cost. And finally, Illusion Labs' Touchgrind BMX app has gone universal, so anyone who owned the iPhone version can now download the iPad version for free.
Make-a-wish game, Allied Star Police, out now on the App Store
You may remember the story of Owain Weinert, a 9 year-old diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, who got invited to PopCap Games via the Make-a-wish foundation to help design and release a brand new iOS game. That title, eventually called Allied Star Police, is available now for free on the App Store. It's available through PopCap's experimental 4th and Battery studio, and I have to say -- it's pretty darn good. The game plays kind of like a more dynamic version of Plants vs. Zombies, where you summon various types of shooter ships to fly down lanes of attackers, eventually fighting their way over to blow up an enemy base. There are some good game design ideas here, too -- as you earn money for destroying enemy ships, you can slowly build up to more and more powerful weaponry, eventually leading an army of destroyers to take out your enemy. I like it a lot, and Plants vs. Zombies fans will probably enjoy it as well. Kudos to Owain on his work (and PopCap for their help, I'm sure), very nice job. Owain also gets the honor of helping PopCap release their very first game after the recent EA takeover, so congrats on that one, too. Once again, you can try it out for yourself: it's a universal app available for free.
PopCap games to be bundled with Sony Ericsson phones in Europe
PopCap and Sony Ericsson today announced an agreement that will finally bring the casual developer's titles to Android devices in Europe. The agreement will bring them to exactly two of Sony's platforms, the Xperia Mini and the Xperia Mini Pro, as they roll out this summer. Three of PopCap's titles will be pre-loaded onto the devices, specifically the full version of Chuzzle and trial versions of Plants vs. Zombies and Peggle. In the press release detailing the agreement, PopCap's Giordano Bruno Contestabile stated, "We are delighted to partner with Sony Ericsson to fulfill our promise to Android users and bring PopCap's hit mobile games to an ever-widening base of smartphone users." Presumably, PopCap's titles will spread to more than two of Sony's phones in the future.
Report: Zynga offered $1 billion cash to acquire PopCap
Forbes reports that Zynga once had its eyes on PopCap Games, and offered $1 billion in cash for the company. The Forbes source says that the company would have funded the deal with a line of credit from Goldman Sachs, one of the underwriters of the 'Ville-maker's IPO. The Forbes report reiterates some of the details from a TechCrunch report in June, which noted that China-based Tencent (which owns League of Legends dev Riot Games) was also in the mix. In the end, PopCap Games was acquired by Electronic Arts, for $750 million and another $550 million in performance payouts.
EA buying PopCap Games for $750 million
Whispers about this started a little while ago, but it appears the rumors are true: EA is acquiring casual game developer PopCap Games for $650 million cash plus another $100 million in stock and incentives. That's a huge deal, and surprisingly cheap, given that PopCap's value has been estimated as high as $1 billion. PopCap of course made its name on casual PC games like Bejeweled and Plants vs. Zombies, but in recent years those titles have become mobile juggernauts, and the iOS platform is currently the company's crown jewel. EA also has been working hard on the mobile front (recently acquiring iOS developer Firemint, among a few other big deals), so combining PopCap's library and talent for casual gaming with EA's marketing and distribution arms should make the two a lot of money going forward. PopCap's CEO says it plans to work with EA to "scale our games and services to deliver more social, mobile, casual fun to an even bigger, global audience." As for us, we're just hoping Plants vs. Zombies 2 is somewhere in those plans. Oh and Bejeweled 3 for iOS please. And more stuff from the 4th and Battery mini-studio, too. More of everything, really -- thanks!
EA to acquire PopCap Games for $750 million
Rumors first began circulating nearly three weeks ago when TechCrunch reported that casual gaming pusher PopCap was going to be acquired for over $1 billion dollars. Now, Electronic Arts has announced its intention to purchase the Seattle-based developer for $750 million, including $100 million in stock. The acquisition is expected to close in August of this year, pending the usual regulatory approvals. "EA and PopCap are a compelling combination," boasted CEO John Riccitiello, clearly envisioning a newly expanded EA digital empire. "PopCap's great studio talent and powerful IP add to EA's momentum and accelerate our drive towards a $1 billion digital business." "We picked EA because they have recast their culture around making great digital games," said David Roberts, CEO of PopCap. "By working with EA, we'll scale our games and services to deliver more social, mobile, casual fun to an even bigger, global audience." In case it's not obvious, we'll spell it out for you: O-R-I-G-I-N.
First GDC Online 2011 summits announced
Despite the brutal, anti-nerd reality that is Texas weather, Austin has become a major hub for development houses that produce MMOs and casual/social online titles. BioWare, NCSoft, Blizzard, SOE, heck, even Zynga; they've all got offices in Austin and collectively they're responsible for a sizable growth spurt in the city's already impressive technology sector. It makes sense, then, that GDC 2011's "Online" chapter should return to the Lone-Star State's capital city. GDC has, historically, been a conference "for developers, by developers," meaning that it's probably not the sort of show Jimmy Halo and Ricky Killzone want to spend their tuition money on. However! If you're in the industry, or just really, really into game design, you just might find something worthwhile at one of GDCO's recently announced summits. The Game Narrative Summit, for instance, returns for its 6th year of lectures and dissertations with Eidos Montreal's Mary De Marle giving a talk on "Building the Story-driven Experience of Deus Ex: Human Revolution," and Volition's Steve Jaros hosting a roundtable discussion of development mistakes and war-stories in "Sins of the Past." PopCap's Giordano Bruno Contestabile will be contributing his knowledge of pocket-sized, casual gaming to the Smartphone and Tablet Games Summit, and while the GDC Virtual Items Summit has been announced, no specific session details have been listed as of yet. If extremely-inside-baseball discussions really are your bag, baby, then summit lectures will be open to GDCO attendees with "All Access" and "Summits & Tutorials" badges during the first two days of the conference's October 10-13 run at the Austin Convention Center.
Report: PopCap being acquired for over $1 billion
TechCrunch reports, by way of "multiple sources," that casual gaming powerhouse PopCap – the group behind Plants vs. Zombies, Peggle, and every other game your mom loves and you won't admit to loving – is in the process of being acquired. ... for over $1 billion. While you consider all the wrong decisions you've made with your life, we'll finish writing this post so we can join you. The buyer remains unknown and, while growth-happy dev Zynga seems like an obvious pick, TC is hearing that PopCap's asking price (over $1 billion, remember?) was too rich for its blood. TC speculates that either EA, Japanese mobile group DeNA, or Chinese outfit Tencent might be behind the purchase. You may recognize DeNA following its acquisition of ngmoco last year, and Tencent following its majority buyout of free-to-play hit League of Legends. We've asked PopCap for comment which, if the report is true, we expect right after the PopCap team finishes screaming about how rich they are. [Update 6:09pm ET – As is to be expected, PopCap issued us the following comment: "Per company policy, we do not comment on rumors and speculation of this nature." 6:45pm ET – PopCap's soon-to-be "Customer Engagement Lead" Jennifer Kye took to Twitter to say, "Not true. Rumor debunked." She later clarified that she would be "working there next week" and that her soon-to-be "boss confirmed it" for her. We've again reached out to PopCap for another statement. 7:02pm ET – And PopCap got back to us again – they're really good about that – with the same no comment: "we do not comment on rumors and speculation of this nature."]
Bejeweled 3 headed to consoles
PopCap Games announced today that Bejeweled 3 will drop on DS, PS3 and Xbox 360 (in retail, PSN and XBLA versions, respectively) during the last quarter of 2011 in North America and Europe. If you haven't already declared PopCap Games the enemy of global productivity, the company now reminds you that the Bejeweled games are purchased "at the rate of one copy every 4.3 seconds." The developer and publisher of such time-sinks as Plants vs. Zombies and Peggle has already given us a glimpse into the future of its cuddly, iron-fisted domination of free time. The company recently began its huggable assault on Android devices, is funding a $3 million Spicy Horse project and continues to put the pieces in place for further Facebook control. Fear the power of a PopCap IPO, friends.
PSA: Plants vs. Zombies free on Android today
Time is already passing, and you're not downloading Plants vs. Zombies on your Android device -- for zero dollars! Frankly, that seems really silly to us. Sure, Popcap already released the game on just about every other piece of electronics you own, but that doesn't make it any less wonderful and addicting. Did we mention it's free? Maybe we should point that out again, 'cause it's totally free.
TUAW's Daily iOS App: Candy Train
As expected, the second game from PopCap's sub-studio 4th and Battery hit the App Store last week, and I like it a lot more than I did Unpleasant Horse. Candy Train is actually an older PopCap title that was originally posted online, and it's been brought back as a free universal app for iOS. It's an interesting if simple puzzle game -- the idea is that there's a train rolling down a track, and you have to tap tiles to line them up so that the train has somewhere to go. Along the way, the train can pick up candy cars, and if you collect enough of those and a caboose, there's a station that you can pull into to clear the chain and "level up" into the next score bracket. It's the kind of game that starts out pretty slowly and gets frantic fast, but there's just enough depth to it to keep you coming back to try again and keep that train going further. Yes, you can see why this isn't a full PopCap title (instead, it's just a 4th and Battery experimental game), but it's fun nevertheless. And while there's sadly no Game Center integration or any extras to speak of (there's just one mode, on two different difficulty levels), the price is right at the cost of free. Definitely give this one a download.
4th and Battery's second game is Candy Train
All right, so maybe Unpleasant Horse wasn't quite the success that 4th and Battery would have liked to kick the new PopCap sub-studio off with, but that's kind of the point -- the idea of 4th and Battery is for the company to experiment a little more, rather than having every single game they release live up to the PopCap reputation. And that means faster releases as well. The company's second game is due out on the App Store this week, and it's called Candy Train. This is actually an older game -- it was originally released as a Flash title on PopCap's website and pulled soon after, to players' chagrin. But a few developers decided to revamp it for iOS, and it's coming to the App Store as a free download. The idea, as you can see above, is that you need to rotate small pieces of track to keep a train running, and it seems fun enough. 4th and Battery also has a third game on tap, which will also be free, and we're supposed to see it later on this summer. Exciting!
PopCap signs Amazon Android Appstore deal; Chuzzle, PvZ available this month
PopCaps's Chuzzle and Plants vs. Zombies will launch for Android devices exclusively through Amazon's Appstore for Android. Amazon will have a two-week exclusive on both titles for the "U.S. market." Chuzzle will be available tomorrow, May 17, through May 30 and Plants vs. Zombies will shamble in "during a second exclusive offer later this month." Both games will be free on the first day of availability and $2.99 after. PopCap's announcement is missing a lot of details about the timetable for the exclusives. We're currently following up and asking if a similar approach is planned for the company's future Android titles.
