EA Buys PopCap!

JacqueChoi

Not sure how I feel about this.

PopCap is one of my all-time favorite developers, up there with Blizzard n Valve.

Hope EA gives them the royal treatment.



http://kotaku.com/5820553/electronic-arts-buys-maker-of-bejeweled-and-plants-vs-zombies

notman

Of course they did. How else can EA dominate the gaming world if they don't buy up every company that get's remotely successful

crazyfingers

Yeah, I'm with Notman. Monopolization is killing this industry, I say that as a gamer and a game artist, but what can you do?

Ace-Angel

So they payed another premium and might get everyone fired again so replace them with their own protocols...just like that last casual studio, bleh.

fmnoor

$$Billion dollar unicorn$$

crazyfool

Popcap rule, hope we see some more peggle action

EA have been buying up alot of these small yet extremely successful development houses recently

Gav

So, we're hating EA this month? Awesome.

acc

Good, goooooood.

Big companies devouring one another leaves more room for new indies to move up.

Plus, PopCap got where they are today making shameless clones just like Zynga and Gameloft. While it's nice that they started doing original stuff like Plants vs Zombies, I'm not really sad to see them gobbled up.

crazyfingers

Come to think of it this probably has to do with their online store (which will be the exclusive home of Battlefield 3), they need an ace up their sleeve if they want to compete with steam, this seems to be that.

eld

acc wrote: »

Good, goooooood.

Big companies devouring one another leaves more room for new indies to move up.

Plus, PopCap got where they are today making shameless clones just like Zynga and Gameloft. While it's nice that they started doing original stuff like Plants vs Zombies, I'm not really sad to see them gobbled up.

I don't think popcap are sad about the buyout either. ($$$)

JacqueChoi

Well, EA's given Bioware the royal treatment. Could be good for the long haul. I'm really just hoping their games stay on Steam.


BTW Acc, PopCap got where they are today with extremely high levels of polish and accessibility.

Wesley

Not sure what to think of this... usually smaller companies getting snapped up means greater market penetration. Which, for a gamer, is a good thing. But PopCap games managed to sneak their way to most platforms anyway. All I could see this doing is... pushing out more products faster? Which would be fine, I'm just worried as to the quality of the games as a result though.

leilei

eld wrote: »

I don't think popcap are sad about the buyout either. ($$$)

*coughcough*Pogo.com*coughcough*

Justin Meisse

lemme guess, Popcap is the future of EA's push into social/online gaming. That's what they tell all da goils

teaandcigarettes

Gav wrote: »

So, we're hating EA this month? Awesome.

Bobby Kottick had been quiet for a while so we're back to square one. Let's wait until MW3 is released.

JacqueChoi wrote: »

Well, EA's given Bioware the royal treatment. Could be good for the long haul. I'm really just hoping their games stay on Steam.

I don't want to sound like a dick, but ever since Bioware got bought by EA, I've become rather wary of their new titles. I'm pretty sure that as a company Bioware is better off than ever before. But at the same time, I feel like they've lost something in the past few years. The way DAII was handled had left a rather bad taste in my mouth.

Of course, that's not necessarily EA's fault. Then again, there's so much negativity associated with them they could be easily blamed for anything, including poverty and global warming.

Andreas

crazyfingers wrote: »

Come to think of it this probably has to do with their online store (which will be the exclusive home of Battlefield 3), they need an ace up their sleeve if they want to compete with steam, this seems to be that.

Nah this deal has been in the works for a loooooooooooooong time

PixelMasher

I dunno, never played the DA series, but everytthing else I have played from EA lateley has been pretty fuckin top teir entertainment. dead space 2, hot pursuit, bulletstorm, shift etc all amazing looking and high quality games. EA has really upped the ante from their reputation of doing shitty movie based games 5 years or so ago and continues to impress me.

as for being bought out by them....if I was to start a company of any kind it would be to eventually sell it and make mad cash, the goal of pretty much any company that gets started. so I say congrats to pop cap and enjoy the cashish.

teaandcigarettes

I'm only half serious about the whole matter. Bioware had been trying to make their games more mainstream even before the buyout, so EA can't be really blamed for that. There are also tons of people who actually prefer their newer games, so who am I to say they are wrong. I'm just gonna sit here in my cave, mumbling about how they should be making Baldur's Gate II clones instead :poly142:

Steve Schulze

This is just a small part of EA's aggressive move into hand-held and casual gaming. They recently bought up a bunch of successful hand-held developers in Australia too. Nothing on the massive scale of Pop-cap but a few definite money spinners. I dare say we'll hear about a few more of these in the coming months.

Barbarian

teaandcigarettes wrote: »

I don't want to sound like a dick, but ever since Bioware got bought by EA, I've become rather wary of their new titles. I'm pretty sure that as a company Bioware is better off than ever before. But at the same time, I feel like they've lost something in the past few years. The way DAII was handled had left a rather bad taste in my mouth.

Of course, that's not necessarily EA's fault. Then again, there's so much negativity associated with them they could be easily blamed for anything, including poverty and global warming.

I agree with you about Bioware and DAII. When I heard about the new DLC for DAII I thought--no way.

Kwramm

JacqueChoi wrote: »

BTW Acc, PopCap got where they are today with extremely high levels of polish and accessibility.

yup. There was an IGDA presentation here where popcap explained how they made PvZ. impressive. I hope EA leaves them mostly alone and let's them do their thing. Those guys know what they're doing! (now I just need more peggle)

DeeKei

crazyfool wrote: »

Popcap rule, hope we see some more peggle action

EA have been buying up alot of these small yet extremely successful development houses recently

I think peoples been hating on EA ever since the crysis 2/steam incident. Don't really mind myself.

I have a love-hate relationship with Popcap, since they make some of the weirdest shovelware out there but then I just bought Plants vs Zombies and I am addicted to that dope.

EDIT: coulda put like a pun there with the dope with weed... plant grass... nevermind.

leilei

DeeKei wrote: »

I think peoples been hating on EA ever since the crysis 2/steam incident. Don't really mind myself.

How about the Origin incident? and by that I mean 1992 not 2011.

GET OFF LAWN ETC

DeeKei wrote: »

the weirdest shovelware

Don't throw that word just at anything aimed for the casual market. That doesn't really apply to gems like PvZ.

DeeKei

leilei wrote: »

How about the Origin incident? and by that I mean 1992 not 2011.

GET OFF LAWN ETC


Don't throw that word just at anything aimed for the casual market. That doesn't really apply to gems like PvZ.

I love Plant vs Zombies, I'm talking about stuff released for the Wii like ninjabread man and stuff.

EDIT: My bad, the company I was thinking was Popcorn Arcade, not Popcap.

Mezz

...On an unrelated note, I have a sudden urge to revisit my addiction to Plants vs. Zombies!!

xvampire

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/07/13/report-zynga-tried-to-buy-popcap-for-more-money-than-ea.aspx
Report: Zynga Tried To Buy PopCap For More Money Than EA

if i PopCap , I would do the same.

slipsius

ooooo big news!!!

and next weeks headlines... "Popcap lays off 50% of workers"