EA to acquire PopCap Games

Magill

Am i missing something ? The only game i recognize from popcap's wiki is bejewel... which was just a wee timewaster game (I had the wow plugin ).

Whats there most known/best game ?

Retr0gamer

Peggle, Plants vs. Zombies? Have you been living in a cave with CoD? :P

CombatCow

Interesting times indeed

Magill

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Peggle, Plants vs. Zombies? Have you been living in a cave with CoD? :P

wait... EA paid nearly a billion for a couple of ****ty iphone games ??? THE **** ??

CombatCow

There's iPhone,iPad,Android,Android Tablet,Windows Phone 7,xbox,ps3,DS,dumbphones and of course PC games too, so they got their money's worth.

Magill

True. Still... donno why anyone would be upset about it.

stimpson

CombatCow wrote: »

There's iPhone,iPad,Android,Android Tablet,Windows Phone 7,xbox,ps3,DS,dumbphones and of course PC games too, so they got their money's worth.

You forgot Mac, Flash and Facebook

sink

Magill wrote: »

wait... EA paid nearly a billion for a couple of ****ty iphone games ??? THE **** ??

Those ****ty games earned their developer over 100 million dollars last year.

CombatCow

stimpson wrote: »

You forgot Mac, Flash and Facebook

Indeed, also forgot symbian *shudder*

johnny_ultimate

Magill wrote: »

wait... EA paid nearly a billion for a couple of ****ty iphone games ??? THE **** ??

A Call of Duty player calling Plants vs Zombies and Peggle (two games that are basically digital ecstasy) '****ty iPhone games'?

Give them a go and get back to us.

Magill

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

A Call of Duty player calling Plants vs Zombies and Peggle (two games that are basically digital ecstasy) '****ty iPhone games'?

Give them a go and get back to us.

Don't see what me being a CoD player has to do with it, im not into iphone/arcade games, i had a look on youtube... look pretty boring to me. Each to their own tho.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

its probably something to do with the fact that you play one of the most boring, unimaginative games out there and then criticise plants & zombies and peggle.

Magill

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

its probably something to do with the fact that you play one of the most boring, unimaginative games out there and then criticise plants & zombies and peggle.

Its obviously not that boring since its the most played MP game of all time is it ? Either way, completely off topic.. this thread isn't about CoD, its about Popcap.

EA Will make these games ever better as they awesome.

johnny_ultimate

Well you keep saying they're ****ty iPhone games when in fact both originated on PC, and are available on pretty much every format due to an adaptable control scheme (360, PS3, mobile etc..). CoD Zombies is available on iPhone, for example, but that doesn't mean I write it off as a ****ty iPhone game (I write it off as just plain ****ty )

But seriously, give it a go. A youtube video does no justice to either game - the manic strategy of a PvZ level or the joy of Ode to Joy are simple pleasures only experienced by actually, y'know, playing it. I find watching videos of games for the most part super dull anyway, and would rather make up my mind by playing 'em I think you'll find an awful lot of people agree: http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/plants-vs-zombies or http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/peggle-deluxe

Silverfish

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

But seriously, give it a go. A youtube video does no justice to either game - the manic strategy of a PvZ level or the joy of Ode to Joy are simple pleasures only experienced by actually, y'know, playing it. I find watching videos of games for the most part super dull anyway, and would rather make up my mind by playing 'em

"That music is just for me! Nobody else listen to it!"

K.O.Kiki

>Hear about game
>WATCH a VIDEO of a GAME
>make up your mind that this game couldn't possibly be fun
>you haven't actually PLAYED the GAME!

Single-genre noobs make me rage something fierce.

Overheal

To place this in perspective, Plants vs. Zombies gets a higher rating across all platforms than Black Ops. And MW2 on PC.

Download the Demo: http://store.steampowered.com/app/3590/?snr=1_4_4__13

Magill

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Well you keep saying they're ****ty iPhone games when in fact both originated on PC, and are available on pretty much every format due to an adaptable control scheme (360, PS3, mobile etc..). CoD Zombies is available on iPhone, for example, but that doesn't mean I write it off as a ****ty iPhone game (I write it off as just plain ****ty )

But seriously, give it a go. A youtube video does no justice to either game - the manic strategy of a PvZ level or the joy of Ode to Joy are simple pleasures only experienced by actually, y'know, playing it. I find watching videos of games for the most part super dull anyway, and would rather make up my mind by playing 'em I think you'll find an awful lot of people agree: http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/plants-vs-zombies or http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/peggle-deluxe

I said it once after quickly google searching it because thats what it looked liked to me.

I took your advice and tried both out last nite.. peggle was boring but the zombie plant game wasn't too bad, seemed like it would be a great wee iphone game to pass some time travelling.

Overheal wrote: »

To place this in perspective, Plants vs. Zombies gets a higher rating across all platforms than Black Ops. And MW2 on PC.

Download the Demo: http://store.steampowered.com/app/3590/?snr=1_4_4__13

Yeah well... GTA4 has a higher rating than Shadow of the colossus, perspective. Donno why people are comparing CoD (You'd swear people think thats the only game a CoD player plays the way some people are on here) to a indie Real-Time Strategy game tho... apples and eggs.

stimpson

Magill wrote: »

You'd swear people think thats the only game a CoD player plays the way some people are on here

/looks at Magills youtube channel

Yup.

hooradiation

Magill wrote: »

I said it once after quickly google searching it because thats what it looked liked to me.

Hey now, you know the rules around here: You're only allowed pass snap judgments on games you've never played if it's an installment in a popular series of FPS games.

Benzino

Lets not forget about Zuma! Playing that on the xbox at the moment and it's fantastic. On temple 9 and its bloody difficult!

gizmo

It could have been an awful lot worse.

the_syco

Magill wrote: »

EA Will make these games ever better as they awesome.

Peggle 2, Peggle 3, Peggle Ultra Max, Peggle with Cows... More is not always better.

gizmo wrote: »

It could have been an awful lot worse.

Holy f**k, that is more awful!

stimpson

The skinny from Popcap:



An open letter to all our players:

As some of you may have heard, we recently announced that PopCap Games is being acquired by Electronic Arts, a small mom-and-pop boutique software publisher. What does this mean for the future? It’s simple:

1. EA is being rebranded to Poptronic Arts
2. Sim Zuma: The SwampLife Edition
3. Peggle: Dead Space – Bjorn’s Breakfast
4. Bejeweled Battlefield Blitz
5. Plants vs. ZombEAz: NFL Lockout Edition

Wow!
Ok, not really.

It means PopCap will join forces with one of the world’s largest game publishers, giving us access to many more resources and a greatly expanded global audience. It doesn’t mean that PopCap is going away or changing what we do or how we do it. On the contrary, PopCap’s creative culture is the main reason EA was interested in us. We’re not changing our focus from creating awesome casual games everyone can enjoy.

So what should you really expect from us in the future as part of EA? More! More games, more platforms, more players, and more fun.

PopCap has been around for more than ten years now, and we look forward to bringing you great games for at least another decade to come!

Sincerely,

Your friends from PopCap

Overheal

stimpson wrote: »

The skinny from Popcap:



An open letter to all our players:

As some of you may have heard, we recently announced that PopCap Games is being acquired by Electronic Arts, a small mom-and-pop boutique software publisher. What does this mean for the future? It’s simple:

1. EA is being rebranded to Poptronic Arts
2. Sim Zuma: The SwampLife Edition
3. Peggle: Dead Space – Bjorn’s Breakfast
4. Bejeweled Battlefield Blitz
5. Plants vs. ZombEAz: NFL Lockout Edition

Wow!
Ok, not really.

It means PopCap will join forces with one of the world’s largest game publishers, giving us access to many more resources and a greatly expanded global audience. It doesn’t mean that PopCap is going away or changing what we do or how we do it. On the contrary, PopCap’s creative culture is the main reason EA was interested in us. We’re not changing our focus from creating awesome casual games everyone can enjoy.

So what should you really expect from us in the future as part of EA? More! More games, more platforms, more players, and more fun.

PopCap has been around for more than ten years now, and we look forward to bringing you great games for at least another decade to come!

Sincerely,

Your friends from PopCap

Famous last words

Yeah well... GTA4 has a higher rating than Shadow of the colossus

Actually GTA 4 got 90, SoC got 91... If you want to look at consoles GTA4 got a lovely 98, but the point still supported from top of the page is PvZ is not some knock-off tower defense game that you've dismissed as garbage.

Doodee

Overheal wrote: »

Famous last words

Apart from what happened to Westwood/Bullfrog, what makes you say that?

Overheal

Doodee wrote: »

Apart from what happened to Westwood/Bullfrog, what makes you say that?

I could talk about SecuROM or about EA mandating 100 hour work weeks. Which would you reckon?

Benzino

Was talking to the guys from PopCap a few months back, and they said they spend a lot of time polishing their games, on little things such as the pitch of the sound when a ball hits a peg in Peggle, and how PvZ took them 5 years to make. As much as EA has improved, I just can't see them allowing PopCap to spend 5 years on one game like that. Hope I'm wrong.

Overheal

Thats why you'd never see Valve go Public, or allow itself to be bought out - not that anyone could afford them now with Steam having taken off so wonderfully. If they were under EA when they were developing Half Life 2 or Teamfortress 2 for example? Teamfortress 2 would have come and gone a long time ago, and it would look like this:



This version was the original build (not including TFC) but was scrapped for a Source Engine port, where they ended up making 3 other complete builds before scrapping each and landing on what is known today:



8-9 years of development. And fairly iconic at that.

The battlefield series? Well......

2011 Battlefield 3
2011 Battlefield Play4Free
2010 Battlefield Online
2010 Battlefield: Bad Company 2: Vietnam
2010 Battlefield: Bad Company 2
2009 Battlefield 1943
2009 Battlefield Heroes
2008 Battlefield: Bad Company
2007 Battlefield 2142: Northern Strike
2006 Battlefield 2142
2006 Battlefield 2: Armored Fury
2006 Battlefield 2: Euro Forces
2005 Battlefield 2: Modern Combat
2005 Battlefield 2: Special Forces
2005 Battlefield 2
2004 Battlefield Vietnam
2003 Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of WWII
2003 Battlefield 1942: The Road to Rome
2002 Battlefield 1942

I mean sure I can tell you which raked in more money, but I can also tell you which is the better series.

Doodee

Overheal wrote: »

I could talk about SecuROM or about EA mandating 100 hour work weeks. Which would you reckon?

100 hour work weeks plz.

Do you have experience working with EA?

Overheal wrote: »

Thats why you'd never see Valve go Public, or allow itself to be bought out - not that anyone could afford them now with Steam having taken off so wonderfully. If they were under EA when they were developing Half Life 2 or Teamfortress 2 for example? Teamfortress 2 would have come and gone a long time ago, and it would look like this:



This version was the original build (not including TFC) but was scrapped for a Source Engine port, where they ended up making 3 other complete builds before scrapping each and landing on what is known today:



8-9 years of development. And fairly iconic at that.

The battlefield series? Well......


I mean sure I can tell you which raked in more money, but I can also tell you which is the better series.

True, and in contrast how Valve decided to release L4D2 so quickly after the first one, and the backlash that ensued.
Or hey, lets not forget HL2:Episode 3.