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Posts Tagged ‘Popcap Games’

Bejeweled hits 50M games sold; will the next 50M be free?

Bejeweled hit new milestone as PopCap Games announced today that the 10-year-old casual game has now sold more than 50 million copies.

PopCap isn’t saying how many dollar sales the game — where you match three jewels in puzzle — has generated since its launch in 2000. In August, 2008, the privately held Seattle company said that it has generated more than $300 million in revenues.

Now it’s worth asking: Will the next 50 million copies be free? No one can deny that Bejeweled emerged during a unique time in game history, pioneering the try-before-you-buy business model. The company posted the game for players to try out on portals such as MSN. Then the players could decide whether they wanted to pay $19.99 to buy the game permanently. It was a risky move, but PopCap had to do something different in the midst of the dotcom collapse.

That download-based business model has been fried by the assortment of free content. Downloadable games are now selling for $6.99 and they seem to be losing market share to free-to-play web games and Facebook games. Bejeweled Blitz has debuted on Facebook to give users one-minute challenge games. But it will be interesting to see how PopCap chooses to monetize its games going forward in the age of free.

The company says it continues to sell a copy of Bejeweled every 4.3 seconds and the game is now one of the ten-best-selling games of all time. Full told, it has been downloaded 350 million times. With free-to-play online versions now available, it’s estimated that a half billion people have played Bejeweled. All of that has allowed PopCap to build a staff of 260.

It’s no wonder that PopCap raised $22.5 million in the fall to expand into social media. We’ll be hearing from John Vechey, co-founder of PopCap, on a panel at GamesBeat@GDC on Next-Generation Social Games.

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Dozen Daily Deals for December 27, 2009

Filed under: Deals

‘Tis the season to shop until your brains melt (or skip it all entirely, depending on your interpretation of the term holiday). In that spirit, for the next few weeks we’ll be rounding up a dozen daily deals courtesy our friends at DealNews.com. Each afternoon tune in to TUAW for this handy summary. Keep in mind that while our posts will live on, the deals won’t. Each is lovingly generated by the deal-bot every day, so get ‘em while they’re hot. Enjoy!

• PopCap Games: [PC Games] PopCap Games Holiday Sale: 50% off all games, deals for $10
• Musician’s Friend: Musician’s Friend coupon: 15% off select items
• Geeks.com: [Notebook Carrying Cases] AWP 14″ Molded Laptop Backpack for $15 + $9 s&h
• Kohls: [Books & Magazines] Kohl’s sale: 50% off 2010 team calendars + extra 20% off, free shipping
• Tanga: [Magazines] 1-Year Subscription to Entrepreneur Magazine for $3
• SupermediaStore: [CD/DVD Cases] 4 SuperMediaStore 104-Disc CD / DVD Wallets for $20 + free shipping, more
• Sears: [Plasma TVs] Samsung 50″ 600Hz 720p Plasma Widescreen HDTV for $700 + pickup
• Kohls: [Digital Camcorders] Shift3 Slide Mini Digital Camcorder for $32 + free shipping
• Best Buy: [46" - 47" LCD TVs] Samsung 46″ 120Hz 1080p Widescreen LCD HDTV for $1,000 + pickup
• Beach Camera: [50" - 52" LCD TVs] Sharp AQUOS 52″ 1080p Widescreen LCD HDTV for $999 + free shipping
• Apple Store: [iPods] Refurbished Apple iPod nano 16GB MP3 Player for $129 + free shipping
• Staples: [Color Inkjet Printers] Brother MFC-790CW Wireless All-In-One Printer w/ Touchscreen LCD for $100 + free shipping

TUAWDozen Daily Deals for December 27, 2009 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 27 Dec 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dozen Daily Deals for December 17, 2009

Filed under: Deals

‘Tis the season shop until your brains melt (or skip it all entirely, depending on your interpretation of the term holiday). In that spirit, for the next few weeks we’ll be rounding up a dozen daily deals courtesy our friends at DealNews.com. Each afternoon tune in to TUAW for this handy summary. Keep in mind that while our posts will live on, the deals won’t. Each is lovingly generated by the deal-bot every day, so get ‘em while they’re hot. Enjoy!

• iTunes Music Store: [iPhone / iPod Apps] Gameloft iPhone / iPod touch Apps: Real Soccer 2010, Blades of Fury, more for 99 cents each
• iTunes Music Store: [iPhone / iPod Apps] App Store Price Drops: Ice Age, IM+, Remote Desktop, Command & Conquer, more
• iTunes Music Store: [iPhone / iPod Apps] F.A.S.T. Fleet Air Superiority Training for iPhone / iPod touch downloads for free
• iTunes Music Store: [iPhone / iPod Apps] Seed 1: Rise of Darkness for iPhone / iPod touch downloads for free
• Apple Store: [MacBook] Refurbished Apple MacBook 13″ Laptops from $749 + free shipping
• Academic Superstore: [Operating Systems] Windows 7 Professional 64-Bit Upgrade for $40 + $5 s&h
• PopCap Games: [PC Games] PopCap Games Holiday Sale: 50% off all games, deals for $10
• Buy.com: [iPhone] Otterbox Defender 1942 Case for iPhone 3G from $29 + free shipping
• eBay: [Camera Accessories] Lowepro Edit 130 Camera Bag for $15 + free shipping
• Apple Store: [Shipping] The Apple Store: Free shipping no minimum
• B&H Photo Video: [FireWire Drive Enclosures] Drobo 4-Bay FireWire 800 / USB Hard Drive Array for $300 after rebate + free shipping
• OfficeMax: [Office Furniture] OfficeMax Divoga Task Chair for $70 + free shipping

TUAWDozen Daily Deals for December 17, 2009 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gyromancer: Square Enix And Popcap’s Addictive, $15 Spawn

When it comes to role-playing games, there isn’t a bigger name than Square-Enix. PopCap Games enjoys a similar reputation, albeit in the casual games market. When the company behind the Final Fantasy series and the developer responsible for titles like Peggle and Plants vs. Zombies announced they were going to join forces on a new project called Gyromancer, people wept for their free time. Now, the game is here, both on Xbox Live and Steam, and the enthusiasm surrounding the game certainly seems well-placed.

The bottom line is that Gyromancer is wonderful title, an amalgamation of the two companies’ strengths. PopCap’s fast-paced and addictive gameplay, coupled with the high amount of gloss and polish that Square-Enix is known for, is a winning combination. Everything about the game is fun, and once you start playing, you’re not going to want to stop.

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TUAW Review: Plants vs. Zombies

Filed under: Gaming, Software

Earlier this week I downloaded Plants vs. Zombies by PopCap Games for the Mac. It’s a simple tower defense game that pits lumbering zombies against great varieties of aggressive plants. Your job is to fill your yard with enough plants to keep the zombies from reaching your house.

The first few levels are quite easy. In order to amass your green army, you’ve got to collect sunlight. Some plants, like sunflowers and certain mushrooms, give off sunlight that you can gather. The rest you collect from the sky (in the daytime, at least). As you complete each level, you’re offered another plant.

Many little touches make this game great. Select the help menu and you’ll find a “hand written” note that says, “When the zombies show up, just sit there and don’t do anything. You win the game when the zombies get in your houze.” One zombie variation gets especially angry when you knock his newspaper from his hand while another, dressed in a red leather jacket, white socks and black shoes, summons dancing minions to launch a well choreographed group assault.

Zombies drop coins that you can exchange for additional features, like the number of plants available. Asset management gets harder in later levels as you can only choose a few plants for each assault. Just remember, you always need sun!

Beyond the game itself (there are 50 levels in all) are several mini games, puzzles, survival mode and even a peaceful zen garden. Additionally, you can browse the almanac to see exactly which types of zombies and plants you’ve encountered as well as what’s left. The music and sound effects are fun. I found that it looked jaggy in full screen mode, so keep it in a small window.

Plants Vs. Zombies isn’t Eve Online, and it’s not meant to be. As a fun distraction during break time or leisure time, it’s a great little game. You can play for 60 minutes for free. After that, you’ll have to pay $19.95US. It’s definitely worth it. If you just can’t get enough, check out the extras.

TUAWTUAW Review: Plants vs. Zombies originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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