EA: PopCap Is the Pixar of Casual Games

[Greg Tito]

EA: PopCap Is the Pixar of Casual Games

EA bought PopCap for $850 million in cash expecting domination of the casual market across all platforms.

The rumors were true; PopCap was really worth almost $1 billion, at least to publishing giant Electronic Arts [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/111607-EA-Buys-Peggle-Creator-PopCap-Games]. Now comes the inevitable justification from executives for spending the ungodly amount of money on the acquisition. EA Executive VP Barry Cottle had a lot to say, including that his company was after a much bigger piece of the market than just Facebook games like what Zynga could provide. For Cottle, PopCap is like Pixar (makers of Cars 2 and Toy Story) in that they haven't made a bad game, or at least one that hasn't made a money bin worth of mulah. If you phrase it like that, then dropping $850 million in cash doesn't seem like such a crazy move.

"We're playing a much bigger game [than Zynga]. We're going after the $40 billion dollar digital market, where Facebook is just a segment," Cottle said.

"We're diversifying ourselves and putting ourselves in a better position to go after that. If you look at the way we're set up, our digital revenues range across MMOs, free-to-play, social, mobile, DLC, and PopCap now adds greater franchises. At the end of the day, Facebook is just one segment," he continued before saying that EA already owns casual publishers like Chillingo and Playfish.

"What we don't really own, quite frankly, is really strong casual IP and that's what's been driving the fastest growing digital market in social and mobile gaming. And these guys are the Pixar of that [market]," Cottle said, referring to PopCap.

I just hope that we don't see a casual portal show up called PopFish. That just sounds wrong.

Industry Gamers [http://www.industrygamers.com/news/ea-were-playing-a-much-bigger-game-than-zynga/]

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[brunothepig]

It is true. PopCap are the only casual game developers that have managed to hold my attention for any period of time... And the only casual game I've spent money on was Plants Vs Zombies.

 

[Rainforce]

Why do I read all the quoted segments with the voice of Aperture's Cave Johnson?
anyways, I hope this won't become a DLC desaster.
(it certainly will end in a desperate attempt to squeeze every last penny out of their customers pockets, it's EA after all)

 

[Frozenfeet2]

I'm now expecting the release of plants vs zombies 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7...

 

[RanD00M]

So highly overrated that is? Well EA is right there that they are indeed overrated up the bum hole.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Long as EA doesn't change them for the worse. Let PopCap do it's thing, EA, just have them do it for you now. And fund their projects. Don't make them push things out the door if they don't want to. PopCap knows what they're doing, and no mistake.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

So, EA, if Popcap is Pixar, is that implying that you must be gaming's Disney?

 

[Traun]

Now comes the problem that EA can't take control over a studio without degrading it's quality to a point when they have to close it down.

The question is...can EA make that 850 million before they have to turn PopCap into EA Shovelware.

 

[Worgen]

Now comes the problem that EA can't take control over a studio without degrading it's quality to a point when they have to close it down.

The question is...can EA make that 850 million before they have to turn PopCap into EA Shovelware.

on one hand Im sure they will totally fuck up how popcap works, on the other... they seem to have mostly left dice alone so they might understand the need to not be managed to death... but really only time will tell

 

[TheDooD]

So, EA, if Popcap is Pixar, is that implying that you must be gaming's Disney?

I can see that EA is Disney they both shell out shitty products, rarily have a modern hit compared to their older stuff, and bastardized their classics. Pretty much right....

 

[numbersix1979]

The EA executive was also quoted as saying that Bioware is the 'cream of mushroom soup of RPGs,' and that Maxis is the 'Ron Jeremy' of Sims games.

 

[ProfessorLayton]

I'm now expecting the release of plants vs zombies 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7...

You say that like it's a bad thing.

 

[Nouw]

So, EA, if Popcap is Pixar, is that implying that you must be gaming's Disney?

Best goddamn post I've seen all day. I just hope it's not true...

 

[Roserari]

PopCap is a LONG, long way of being anywhere near as good to be considered the Pixar of casual gaming.

 

[Simalacrum]

Unlike everyone else, I'm actually quite optimistic about this deal - EA have definitely made good moves in the gaming industry many times before (see: Dead Space, Mirrors Edge, both of which were risky propositions), and they don't always, or even frequently, grind franchises into the ground, especially if said series is an important one. In fact, out of their major franchises, the only ones that I see getting seriously milked to death (yearly increments, etc) are the sports franchises.

No, I'd be a LOT more worried if it was Activision at the helm, whom are far more likely to grind PopCap into the dust - I mean, look what happened to Infinity Ward, and they were Activisions' flagship developer! (bar Blizzard, but that's kind of a 'special' relationship rather than one owning the other)

EA certainly haven't had a scandal on the scale of IW, at least in recent memory - they know how to handle their developers.

 

[Slanzinger]

Doesn't it bother anyone else how the dollar symbol is abused in things like this?
"$40 billion dollar" is saying "forty billion dollar dollar". The second "dollar" is completely redundant.

As far as I'm aware it's not done back home - I don't think someone saying "£10 million pounds" happens... Though I think some people do use "£10 quid", which is just as bad...


On topic: Oh my, Popcap is published by EA now. Meaning even wider distribution of the pure crack that is their games. All I can say about that is, goodbye civilisation.

 

[CodeOrange]

No, a company like Valve is more like the Pixar of gaming itself; even if their ideas may sound strange on paper, they somehow manage to turn it into a hit.
Now PopCap is more like the Dreamworks of gaming: they're only in it for the money; they constantly spew out shit that's designed to appeal only to the lowest common denominator (ie casual gamers); and in the rare occasion they do make a good game, sequels and ports to the umpteenth degree.