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"Unpleasant Horse" shows Apple isn't afraid to reject big developers
Apple has taken a lot of flak about the seemingly arbitrary rejection of apps in the App Store. Often small developers who have had their apps rejected cry foul, stating that Apple would never reject apps from bigger publishers. Earlier this week, however, Apple showed that even big publishers aren't immune to Apple's ban hammer. PopCap, publisher of megahits like Plants vs. Zombies, submitted an app called Unpleasant Horse. The game's objective is to jump a Pegasus-like horse from cloud to cloud. If you miss a cloud, the horse falls to the earth and is chewed up in a meat grinder. The app was promptly rejected by Apple. In response to the rejection, PopCap tweeted "WTF? Apple rejected Unpleasant Horse cuz of 'mature content?' We thought horses dying in meat grinders was wholesome family entertainment!" But as the New York Times points out, the tweet was later removed and PopCap has stated that it will appeal the ruling and submit the app again with a higher age rating. It's unknown what rating the game was originally submitted with, but the rejection of Unpleasant Horse goes to show you that Apple's acceptance or rejection of an app, while sometimes seeming arbitrary, at least affects large and small developers alike.
Hear the remastered Bejeweled soundtracks for the first time
You know, we didn't even realize Bejeweled games had music. Every time we play one of those joints it's when we're supposed to be doing something else -- so it's always muted, if not half-tucked under our desk on an iPhone, all cocked sideways. Listening to the remastered Bejeweled 2 and 3 soundtracks, now available to stream (or purchase) from the composers' page on online music store Bandcamp, it's clear that we've been missing out. These lively electronic ditties have a lot of spirit -- so why waste them on gem-matching? This could be the mix that finally transforms your mundane ride to work into a "journey," or your half-assed workout into a "quest." Bonus: The Plants vs. Zombies soundtrack is also available on Bandcamp.
PopCap discounts iOS games this weekend, proceeds go to Japan relief
PopCap will discount all of its iPhone and iPad games this weekend, beginning at 12:01AM PT tonight, donating all revenues from the 48-hour sale to the Red Cross in support of earthquake relief efforts in Japan. The company's iPhone games will be reduced to $1 each, while its two iPad apps, notably Plants vs. Zombies HD, will be offered for $2 apiece. "We recently opened an office in Tokyo, and while our Japan-based employees are safe and uninjured, we understand countless others in Japan need food, shelter, and medical attention," said PopCap's Ellen Marett in an announcement for the donation drive. "Given that Plants vs. Zombies reached #1 on the iPhone and iPad sales charts in Japan, it seemed like the most appropriate game to feature in this fundraising campaign." A complete listing of PopCap's iOS titles can be accessed via this App Store link. Update [3/22/11]: PopCap reports that the fundraiser sale raised more than $200,000, "which is being passed along to the International Red Cross for use in their ongoing efforts to provide food, shelter, medicine and other essentials to those suffering from the devastation in Japan."
PopCap considering IPO, not likely revealing any new IP in 2011
We're just gonna level with you, folks -- we're scared. Frankly, reading this weekend's CNBC report that Plants vs. Zombies developer PopCap Games is considering an IPO worries us greatly. In so many words, it means that the quirky indie studio could go from private to public, meaning that the company could go from being beholden to itself to being beholden to investors. It also means that PopCap could expand far more rapidly -- and that you could own a piece of the action. As it stands, the studio pulled in over $100 million last year in revenues and, according to CNBC, is the third largest Facebook developer -- handily besting Disney's user numbers with just two games of its own (versus Disney's 37!). PopCap doesn't deny the possibility of the IPO -- it evenregistered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission -- with company prez David Roberts saying, "I do think we'll be ready internally. Whether the market is ready remains to be seen. It has got to be right for us." Amazingly, CNBC also asked Roberts if he would comment on the long ago trademarked "Yetitrain" name. He didn't. That name, however, is still amazing. Unfortunately, we may not be hearing anything about it anytime soon. Roberts stated, "Don't hold your breath" when asked about the possibilty of a new franchise being announced this year.
Survey from PopCap shows increase in mobile gaming
A new survey from PopCap shows a third of all mobile phone users in the UK and USA have played a game in the past month, and a quarter have played in the past week. Before the introduction of smartphones like the iPhone, game-playing usage hovered around 5 percent. The increase has come due to the much easier availability of games in Apple's App Store, which outsold all similar online stores several times over last year, and the huge popularity of games like Angry Birds. Exactly 33.6 percent played a game in the past month -- played, not bought, however. 24.6 percent played in the past week, and 19 percent daily. Unfortunately, the survey doesn't break this down between handset models, and it only talks about "Smartphone[s], e.g., iPhone, Android, Windows Phone 7, BlackBerry or PDA." However, iPhones probably take up a very large portion of gaming users. 43 percent of mobile game players have bought a paid version of a free trial game, and 27 percent paid for additional content. While the average mobile phone gamer bought 2.9 games in 2010 for US$15.70, for smartphone gamers this almost doubles to 5.4 games costing $25.57.
Survey finds a quarter of adults in the US and UK are 'avid' mobile gamers
Just how many cellphone users can be considered gamers these days? According to a new survey from PopCap Games and Information Solutions Group, about a quarter of adults in the US and UK have played a game on their phone in the past week, which makes them an "avid" gamer in their eyes, while about a third have played a game in the past month. If you dial things down to just mobile gamers with a smartphone, however, the number of avid gamers jumps to a hefty 83 percent, with 45 percent saying they play on a daily basis. What's perhaps most telling, though, is that 55 percent of smartphone users say they play games in general most often on their on their phone, compared to just 22 percent who play most often on their desktop or laptop computer, and 20 percent who opt for game console. Hit up the link below to check out the complete results in PDF form.
What's in a Name: PopCap Games
During another long night of shakes and sweats, suffering from what was surely some PopCap Games withdrawal, we pondered the origin story of the electronic pharmaceutical giant's name. We spoke with PopCap Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer Jason Kapalka for the answer: "First thing is that [PopCap Games] wasn't our name originally. The original name was 'Sexy Action Cool,'" Kapalka told us. "Back at university in Edmonton, there was an inside joke because some people had a basement suite with this big movie poster of Antonio Banderas in Desperado. It had this movie quote at the top that said: Sexy. Action. Cool." "It became an inside joke on how nobody could imagine using Sexy Action Cool in a real sentence. We'd walk around saying, 'You see that movie?' 'Yeah, it was sexy, action, cool.' Or 'That couch? That couch is really sexy, action, cool.'" The company founders snagged the related URL (which now directs to PopCap proper) and continued to not think much of the name, at first. As the site grew, however, it became clear that "Sexy Action Cool" was an awkward destination for mass-market family games.
Plants vs. Zombots: a LittleBigPlanet 2 re-creation
Plants vs. Zombots might be the most faithful recreation of a game we've see in LittleBigPlanet 2 so far. The level, created by Foggles, replicates all the sunshine grabbing, sunflower planting and zombie shooting you'd expect from Plants vs. Zombies.
XBLA in Brief: Bejeweled Blitz Live
The XBLA House Party continues this week with Bejeweled Blitz Live. It seems silly to explain it, considering you're probably playing Blitz on Facebook at this very moment, but the Live take is PopCap's classic gem swapper with a simple twist: You only get one minute to play. If you need yet more distraction from things you should be doing, check out our preview of Bejeweled Blitz Live in the latest XBLA in Brief after the break. [iTunes] Subscribe to XBLA in Brief directly in iTunes. [Zune] Subscribe to the XBLA in Brief directly. [RSS] Add the XBLA in Brief feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [M4V] Download the M4V directly.
Infinity Blade, Plants vs. Zombies among International Mobile Gaming Awards winners
The seventh annual International Mobile Gaming Awards ceremony has concluded at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, and two US-developed titles came away with special honors. Infinity Blade from Epic Games garnered an award for Excellence in Design (we'd have also given it Supreme Overall Awesomeness) while PopCap's Plants vs. Zombies was picked as Best Casual Game. European winners included Perfect Cell by France's Mobigame (People's Choice Award); FDG's Beyond Ynth (Excellence in Gameplay, Grand Prix Award) and Snowboard Hero by Fishlabs (Excellence in Gameplay, Operators' Choice) from Germany; the UK-made Papa Sangre by Somethin' Else (Most innovative Game); and AR invaders by Israel-based dev Soulbit (Best Real World Game). Mobile games will get their next chance to shine at GDC 2011, during both the IGF Awards and Game Developers Choice Awards on March 2.
Mac App Store bargains: Plants vs. Zombies and more
The Mac App Store has been a great place to find bargains, and today brings another one that I'm pretty excited about: Plants vs. Zombies is available for US$10, instead of the $20 that PopCap has charged on its website. I've seen several apps that have offered significant discounts in the Mac App Store, such as Little Snapper, Pixelmator, Aperture (which sells for $80 despite the fact that Apple still offers to preinstall it on Macs for $200!) and more. Have you found any great discounts in the Mac App Store versus previous prices? If so, let us know in the comments.
Bing adds playable games to search results
At approximately 3:00pm ET, Joystiq blogger Richard Mitchell was assigned an article regarding the Bing search engine now including playable games in its search results. For example, if a user were to search the term "blackjack," the results page will include a playable version of blackjack embedded directly in the search engine itself. Furthermore, players can log into either Facebook or Windows Live to compare scores with friends. Mr. Mitchell is believed to have begun a game of Bejeweled 3 for research purposes. He has not been heard from since. Should any reader discover the whereabouts of Mr. Mitchell, please contact Joystiq immediately. For the sake of your loved ones, it is recommended that you do not examine the list of available games after the break.
Mastertronic bringing PopCap games to UK retail on DS, PC and 360
Our friends overseas -- who live in the United States of Kingdoms, which we're fairly certain is what the UK is short for -- are about to have their free time sucked into oblivion. Publisher Mastertronic has announced plans to bring PopCap's most devilishly addictive titles to UK retailers on various platforms, starting with the February 18 release of PopCap Hits for Xbox 360; a tidy bundle which includes Bejeweled 2, Peggle, Feeding Frenzy and AstroPop. Shortly thereafter, the publisher will port Plants vs. Zombies to the DS, and will release a second collection of PopCap Hits for 360, including Plants vs. Zombies, Zuma, Feeding Frenzy 2 and Heavy Weapon. Mediatronic also plans on releasing retail versions of a few of the casual developer's titles on PC later this year. Basically, we hope that the UK doesn't have any big projects coming up that will require its citizens to be as productive as humanly possible, because, hoo boy, that's a whole lot of PopCap.
Plants vs. Zombies vs. PS3 this Feb., SOE announces upcoming PSN library
Like the sunrise, the expansion of a PopCap game to another platform is inevitable. Plants vs. Zombies will be available on the PlayStation Network in February thanks to the company's continuing collaboration with Sony Online Entertainment. Like SOE's previous efforts, this appears to be a direct port of the original game. If you're looking for something more "exclusive," SOE has announced an extensive suite of original PSN games as well: Acceleration of Suguri X Edition from Rockin' Android is an anime robot beat 'em up. Slam Bolt Scrappers from Fire Hose Games has you constructing buildings, and brawling bosses to protect them. Akimi Village from NinjaBee has you gathering resources to construct a village. Sideway from Playbrains and Fuel Industries is an adventure set in the "gritty art culture" of NYC. Rochard from Recoil Games is a side-scrolling puzzler set in space. Slam Bolt Scrappers is arriving this March, while Sideway is cleared with a vague "Spring" release window. Unfortunately, not much else has been released about the other titles, but expect more in the future.
Plants vs. Zombies, Peggle coming to Android [update: Q2 release planned]
Things are looking up for game-loving Android owners. First, we unveiled the Android version of the Joystiq app and now, much less interestingly, PopCap reveals that both Peggle and Plants vs. Zombies are headed to Android as well. Posting on Twitter, PopCap's Jeff Green uploaded images of both games running on an Android device. In response to another Tweet, Green also stated that the games won't be supported by ads, but will "probably" be sold via "the various marketplaces." We've contacted PopCap to see if we can dig up any more information. We'll plant an update right here if we hear anything. Update: PopCap isn't sharing details on its upcoming Android titles, saying only that they are "coming along" and that the first titles -- not necessarily Plants vs. Zombies or Peggle -- should launch in Q2 2011.
Bejeweled Blitz Live packing 16-player online play
It looks like Bejeweled Blitz Live will be packing a few new features when it jumps to Xbox Live Arcade later this year. In addition to the standard single-player mode already familiar to millions of Facebook users, the XBLA version will also offer the Bejeweled Twist play style and some Xbox Live multiplayer modes. Multiplayer modes will include a head-to-head mode as well as a Party mode that allows up to 16 gem-swappers to play simultaneously -- sounds hectic. Check out some new screens in the gallery below. %Gallery-114550%
Reminder: XBLA Plants vs. Zombies on sale this week
A quick note for all the undead-hating green thumbs out there: The Xbox Live Arcade version of Plantz vs. Zombies is on sale this week. Normally 1200 MS Points, the defensive gardening sim is now available to Xbox Live Gold members for 800 MSP ($10). That $5 saving could buy a lot of mulch.
PopCap games (Mac and PC) all on sale for 50% off
PopCap is having a blowout sale on its Mac (and PC) games this holiday weekend. The 50% off sale is going on now and extends until January 2, 2011. All games (except for the recently released Bejeweled 3) and game bundles are included in this sale. You can grab such titles as Peggle, Bookworm and Plants vs Zombies for US$9.95 or less. This promotion only includes downloadable desktop games, not mobile titles for iOS, and it may be one of the last big game sales before the Mac App Store opens in early January. So what are you waiting for? Hit the source link here and grab some of the hottest arcade-style games available for the Mac.
PopCap's (almost) entire PC and Mac catalog is 50% off
Dozens of PopCap's titles are on sale through January 2 -- from Alchemy to Zuma's Revenge. The sale covers all PC and Mac downloadables, excluding the recently launched Bejeweled 3 (it also doesn't extend to any game bundles). Still, even sans its new puzzler, there are plenty of gems to be had.
Zuma Blitz now launching multicolored marbles at Facebook
PopCap shouldn't be allowed to do this, right? There should be some kind of legislation protecting our poor, non-gaming relations from the casual game developer's insidiously addictive creations -- sadly, no such law exists. In its absence, PopCap was recently able to put Zuma Blitz on Facebook. With its weekly tournament ladders, player progression system, unlockable power-ups and all manner of social networking features, it will almost certainly bring the lives of many a Facebook gamer to a grinding, sudden halt. No kidding, guys -- we stopped in the middle of writing this post to see how well the marble-matching title translated over to Facebook, and an hour of our life was siphoned into the ether in what seemed like seconds. We ask that if you're going to Zuma, you take precautions to Zuma responsibly.
