PopCap Games
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Predecessor | Sexy Action Cool |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Founder | John Vechey, Brian Fiete, Jason Kapalka |
| Headquarters | Seattle , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Bejeweled, Plants vs. Zombies, Peggle, Zuma, Bookworm |
| Owner | Electronic Arts |
| Parent | Electronic Arts |
PopCap Games, Inc. is a United States-based video game developer situated in Seattle and operates as a subsidiary of Electronic Arts, which is headquartered in Redwood City, California. Established in 2000 by John Vechey, Brian Fiete, and Jason Kapalka, the company was originally named "Sexy Action Cool". Their inaugural project was a strip poker game that provided funding for future developments. PopCap’s lineup features well-known titles such as Bejeweled, Peggle, Zuma, and Plants vs. Zombies. Electronic Arts completed the acquisition of PopCap on July 12, 2011.
History
The entrepreneurial trio John Vechey, Brian Fiete, and Jason Kapalka founded PopCap in 2000, initially registering the company under the name "Sexy Action Cool," a phrase inspired by the film Desperado. Their first release, "Foxy Poker," served as a financial foundation for subsequent projects.
PopCap gained significant recognition with the release of Bejeweled, a gem-matching puzzle game that was distributed across multiple platforms and honored with induction into the Computer Gaming World Hall Of Fame in 2002. In 2005, the company expanded by acquiring Seattle-based Sprout Games, creators of Feeding Frenzy. Sprout’s development team contributed to Feeding Frenzy 2: Shipwreck Showdown, while founder James Gwertzman assumed the role of director of business development at PopCap.
The year 2006 marked the launch of PopCap International in Dublin, which concentrated on localization efforts, mobile game development, marketing strategies, sales operations, and business expansion. In 2007, PopCap accelerated growth by purchasing casual game developers such as SpinTop Games and Retro64, thereby broadening its catalog with retro-arcade and puzzle games. Following these acquisitions, the company updated its branding by removing "Games" from its logo. Up until 2014, PopCap maintained a website featuring a combination of premium titles and online games.
On April 5, 2011, PopCap introduced a subsidiary named 4th and Battery aimed at producing more unconventional games; their initial release under this label was Unpleasant Horse. Electronic Arts acquired PopCap for $650 million plus $100 million in stock options on July 12, 2011. In August 2012, PopCap reduced its North American workforce by 50 employees to shift focus toward mobile platforms and free-to-play business models. Around this time, plans to close the Dublin office were considered and eventually executed on September 24, 2012.
Games developed
Over two decades, PopCap has created more than fifty titles, including prominent games like Bejeweled, Plants vs. Zombies, Peggle, and Bookworm.
Bejeweled
The Bejeweled franchise began as a browser-based tile-matching puzzle game released by PopCap in 2000. The series expanded with sequels such as Bejeweled 2 (2004), Bejeweled Twist (2008), Bejeweled Blitz (2009), and Bejeweled 3 (2010), all of which contributed significantly to PopCap’s presence in the casual gaming market under Electronic Arts.
Plants vs. Zombies
Released in May 2009, Plants vs. Zombies is a tower defense strategy title that significantly expanded PopCap's international reach. Originally developed for Windows and OS X platforms, it later became available on consoles, handheld devices, mobile phones, and featured remastered editions for PC, thereby broadening the company's product lineup.
Peggle
Debuting in 2007, the casual puzzle franchise Peggle includes notable follow-ups such as Peggle Nights (2008), Peggle 2 (2013), and Peggle Blast (2014). This collection of games reinforced PopCap’s position within the casual gaming sector.