Casual is Complex: The PopCap Model
Gamasutra has an interesting interview up with some of PopCap's people — co-founder John Vechey, CEO David Roberts and PR director Garth Chouteau — talking about the PopCap model and structure and the casual market at large. It's a reasonably lengthy interview with a couple of gems contained within:
It is very much a multiplatform, multichannel, multipartner business where our goal is to get our games anywhere they're going to be great, anywhere we can. If your fridge can make a great Bejeweled experience, by god, we'd have your fridge playing Bejeweled.
Zuma and Bejeweled had big game followings, but Peggle has overtaken the gaming community in a way that none of our games have ever really done that. It was dramatically sped up by Peggle Extreme, and we're trying to think of other things as well with Peggle and seeing if that works with other things. Some games... you couldn't do a mash-up of Bejeweled and Half-Life. That would only suck.
There's lots of talk about expansion into other marekts (mobile, console, etc.) and where PopCap is headed next. It's an engaging interview on the subject of one of casual gaming's biggest forces.
PopCap: The Complexity Of Being Casual [Gamasutra]
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Download Peggle on your iPOD for $5 instead of $20 on the PC
nerdBOY01
I love Peggle. I play it all the time. Because of Extreme, I bought Deluxe and it has a lot of playability. I am trying to beat the challenges.
SubKamran
@Bluetribal: Under such a loose definition of 'cloning' or ripping-off, almost any game on the market can be viewed as a clone of a game that came before it in the genre. I can't speak to Zuma, having never played it, but Bejeweled and Peggle are sufficiently different from what you've listed to place them well beyond any malign copy-cattery.
onidavin
These are probably PopCaps most popular games:
Bejeweled -> Puzzle League (Panel de Pon)
Zuma -> Puzz Loop
Peggle -> Pachinko
I consider the first two rip-offs, or I guess "clone" is a less negative term. Tetris still Tetris no matter if you change the looks of the bricks, background and add in stuff like combo bonuses and little extra's. Peggle heavily borrows from the pachinko concept, they just made it a little bit more puzzly, shiny and casual friendly. I bet a lot of their other games are like this, although I haven't them.
The thing is I just don't like the idea of a company becoming succesfull by selling clones. And when they put out statements like: "I think we can destroy the depth of most Xbox and console games. It's arrogant to say, but I think that most of the games on the Xbox and PC aimed at hardcore gaming add complexity but they don't actually have depth." and "Very few games are developed without reference to past games. There's always going to be titles that build on a previous mechanic or game. But there's a fine line between that and very bold-faced rip-offs that aren't adding anything to the game and are just trying to make a quick buck." It makes it really hard for me to like PopCap (games).
Bluetribal
I loved Peggle extreme...sure it was a glorified demo reskinned to get Orange Box early adopters to play it, but it was fun.
Talleh
I have all the newest games installed here, in my PC, ready to play, but a 20 buck game called peggle is taking most of my free time right now. I'm only sorry it doesn't run on my fridge...
goliathvv
Can't wait for Peggle on the 360. Love that game. Popcap make some awesome games. Always look forward to seeing what they make next.
steve86uk
@Oyn: It is, but that's hardly ripping off a game (as Bluetribal implied).
onidavin
@onidavin: Peggle is Puzzle Bobble and Pachinko's awkward lovechild.
Oyn
If I could only have all the Bejeweled/Zuma/Peggle time back, I could write a series of novels.
lionkitten
I don't know why, but I always have the comparison of high class theme parks (Disney, Universal) vs. Six Flags, Cedar Point, Dorney Park etc.
Both are fun, but are still very different experiences (and cost different amounts).
So it goes with deep vs. casual games.
Spoony Bard
PopCap makes Pogo possible. Pogo is EA done right. PopCap is legend.
ChiChi_BBQ
So they are planing on taking over the world?!
(俗・ ) Grey Gecko
What I don't get is this: There are a million clones of Diner Dash, Bejeweled, etc., yet we can't get a single frickin' sequel to Peggle...
ShaggE
@Bluetribal: You're right, Bookworm Adventures is a total rip-off of, uh... Hm. Well, Peggle is exactly like... er... that game with...
Popcap games may borrow elements of other games, but what game doesn't? Game design is an evolutionary process. Lawls Bioshock is teh Doomz!
onidavin
The developers of Limbo of the Lost should have studied PopCap's way of making "original" games and getting away with it.
Bluetribal