TCW Podcast Episode 228 - PopCap Games

PopCap Games was initially overlooked by the larger gaming industry due to its focus on fun, well-designed, and polished casual games. Their first major hit, Bejeweled, became a consistent source of income, allowing PopCap to invest time in developing new titles. This led to the creation of Peggle, which helped solidify PopCap’s reputation, particularly after developers at Valve became hooked on the game’s deeper skill-based mechanics and puzzles. The success of Bejeweled and Peggle continued with their ports to the iPod and, eventually, the iPad, further expanding PopCap’s popularity. This growth culminated in the release of Plants vs. Zombies, which debuted on PC before being adapted for iOS. The game’s seamless touchscreen integration made it a standout app for the newly launched iPad. As the gaming industry evolved, PopCap struck a deal with EA, which acquired the company, leading to the departure of its founders over the following years.

Attack Retrieve Capture: https://alchetron.com/Attack-Retrieve-Capture

Shariki Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMwGy1fv41g

Play Dimond Mine: https://www.crazygames.com/game/diamond-mine

Bejeweled: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvLtaf1PFVM

Palm OS - PDA Gaming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nfg4YIoYas

TCW 122 - A Casual World Part 1: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/a-casual-world-part-1/

TCW 123 - A Casual World Part 2: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/a-casual-world-part-2/

Zuma Deluxe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwpuOhuVnnQ

Alchemy Deluxe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p902uQ_y3r4

Play Alchemy Deluxe: https://archive.org/details/alchemy-deluxe

Bookworm Deluxe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA1NSyldUQ8

The Oral History of PopCap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwzxWLonObo

Burnout 3 Takedown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6vHTQv9JHY

Peggle Deluxe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlnieE-h6k8

Peggle Extreme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAKLiepJDrM

Peggle Extreme (Steam - Free): https://store.steampowered.com/app/3483/Peggle_Extreme/

Bejeweled (iPod): https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7iHTM0ryWm0

Peggle (iPod): https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qhWSm0zNSrk

Insaniquarium Deluxe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U04weIAra20

Plants VS Zombies (PC): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XENla8M3910

Plants VS Zombies (iPad): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvopYLzwb90

PopCap Games on Internet Archive: https://archive.org/search?query=creator%3A%22PopCap+Games%22

New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month!

TCW Email: [email protected] 

Twitter: @tcwpodcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycreateworlds

Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com

Alex's book, published Dec 2019, is available at CRC Press and at major on-line retailers: http://bit.ly/TCWBOOK1

Intro Music: Josh Woodward - Airplane Mode -  Music - "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode 

Outro Music: RoleMusic - Bacterial Love: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rolemusic/Pop_Singles_Compilation_2014/01_rolemusic_-_bacterial_love 

Copyright: Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/